agroff383
Well-Known Member
Hello, having issues with mashing and looking for input. Sorry to be wordy here just trying to give as much info as possible.
I did my 3rd all grain batch yesterday and I love brewing this way but it is getting frustrating. The mash tun is a 10 gallon cooler with a 10 inch or so metal false bottom, looks just like every other one of this style I have seen. All 3 batches I have done in this tun have been with 12 lbs of grain. BTW I have done the all grain stovetop method for a few brews before I got the mash tun and they turned out great with 75% efficency. I HATE math I am not an engineer but I like figuring out as many formulas related to brewing so that is a step forward
The first batch I did in it, just wanted to try it out. Did 1.25 quarts per pound of grain, mashed for an hour, temps were perfect all the way through, went to open the valve to vorlauf. Nothing nothing came out, I even started blowing in the valve I know that is probably not the right way to do it but whatever. Ended up straining the grain to get as much wort as possible out of there.
I decided on that one not enough strike water, and well, there was no sparge to speak of really I just dumped by sparge water in there to try and unclog it. I opened the valve too fast and didn't have a utensil to get all the way to the bottom of the tun. Lesson learned.
Last two batches I did in the carport of my new house. Love brewing here already. Heated water, put water in tun, stirred in grain, checked temp and let er rip. This time used 1.5 qts per lb 2nd batch and 1.75 qts per lb 3rd batch. More water seems to work better...
Basically, I don't understand the point of vorlaufing and establishing a good grain bed if this thing just gets clogged. I might as well batch sparge. But my point is I screw with the grain bed to get the thing unclogged to try to vorlauf so I think I am defeating the point of vorlaufing? Anyone follow my rambling?
What it comes down to is I got the 10 gallon tun because I love to brew, want to brew 10 gallon batches eventually, I also want to make high gravity beers (never made over a 1060 wort). My efficency sucks, maybe like 60 percent? I started with 5 gallons of strike water and 4 gallons of sparge and ended up with almost 5 gallons of wort, after boil. On last nights batch (3rd batch in tun) my gravity was 1.043 and I used 10 lbs of Pilsner .5 lbs of Crystal 60L and .5 of carapils. I would assume I could do better than that.
Just wondering if there is something I am missing here or if I am on the right track or what.
I did my 3rd all grain batch yesterday and I love brewing this way but it is getting frustrating. The mash tun is a 10 gallon cooler with a 10 inch or so metal false bottom, looks just like every other one of this style I have seen. All 3 batches I have done in this tun have been with 12 lbs of grain. BTW I have done the all grain stovetop method for a few brews before I got the mash tun and they turned out great with 75% efficency. I HATE math I am not an engineer but I like figuring out as many formulas related to brewing so that is a step forward
The first batch I did in it, just wanted to try it out. Did 1.25 quarts per pound of grain, mashed for an hour, temps were perfect all the way through, went to open the valve to vorlauf. Nothing nothing came out, I even started blowing in the valve I know that is probably not the right way to do it but whatever. Ended up straining the grain to get as much wort as possible out of there.
I decided on that one not enough strike water, and well, there was no sparge to speak of really I just dumped by sparge water in there to try and unclog it. I opened the valve too fast and didn't have a utensil to get all the way to the bottom of the tun. Lesson learned.
Last two batches I did in the carport of my new house. Love brewing here already. Heated water, put water in tun, stirred in grain, checked temp and let er rip. This time used 1.5 qts per lb 2nd batch and 1.75 qts per lb 3rd batch. More water seems to work better...
Basically, I don't understand the point of vorlaufing and establishing a good grain bed if this thing just gets clogged. I might as well batch sparge. But my point is I screw with the grain bed to get the thing unclogged to try to vorlauf so I think I am defeating the point of vorlaufing? Anyone follow my rambling?
What it comes down to is I got the 10 gallon tun because I love to brew, want to brew 10 gallon batches eventually, I also want to make high gravity beers (never made over a 1060 wort). My efficency sucks, maybe like 60 percent? I started with 5 gallons of strike water and 4 gallons of sparge and ended up with almost 5 gallons of wort, after boil. On last nights batch (3rd batch in tun) my gravity was 1.043 and I used 10 lbs of Pilsner .5 lbs of Crystal 60L and .5 of carapils. I would assume I could do better than that.
Just wondering if there is something I am missing here or if I am on the right track or what.