Preparing For AG Brewing

[Shepherd5]

Hi,

I have a few questions for my first AG brew, which will be a Stone Ruination clone, as follows:

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Pacman
Yeast Starter: Maybe, what do you'all think?
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.00
Original Gravity: 1.077
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU: 103+
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 7
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days at 62
Additional Fermentation: Time in the keg
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1 week at 65 (dryhopping)
Tasting Notes: Very much like Stone Ruination, and it turned out really good!

14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 93.33 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.67 %

1.75 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 73.2 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (30 min) Hops 22.1 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (10 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (1 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -

1 Pkgs Pacman Yeast (Wyeast) [Starter 50 ml] [Cultured] Yeast-Ale

You could use any well-attenuating clean ale yeast. WLP001, or Wyeast 1056 come to mind, or S05 for dry.

Mash at 152.
My beers seem to attenuate really well- so use a lower mash temp if you've have attenuation problems in the past. I got about 82% attenuation with the pacman yeast.

Questions:

1.) Do I need to do a yeast starter on this? I would rather not have to but your thoughts?

2.) What other yeast options will produce good results other than Pacman, which my HBS does not carry, oddly enough!?

3.) Because I don't have beer software, how do I know how much water to use, considering grain absorption and boil-off. (I have a 15 gallon heavy duty brew kettle from morebeer with a blichmann burner) I was thinking .12 gal/lb of grain, but read that some used as much as .20.

4.) Batch Sparging: I will use a 10 gallon cylindrical cooler from Home Depot for a mash tun.
a. If I mash at 152, what temperature should my water be, before adding the grain?
b. How long of a mash time, 30, 60 minutes?
c. How often should I stir the mash?
d. Should I split the sparge water in half for two separate mashes?
e. What temperature should the water be for the second mash?
f. How long should I let the second batch sit before draining, or should I just stir, vorlauf, and drain right away?
g. Should the water temperature for each batch sparge be the same, in this case two separate runnings, the first after an hour, the second right after stirring?

The thing is, I have read many different procedures on how this process works, and everyone seems to have a slightly different take on it, depending on their personal preferences and setup.


I am sure I will have more questions, but can't think of them all now? Please excuse my insecurities about the process.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[suprchunk]

Beersmith has a trial. Download it and it will answer a ton of those questions. And I find it pretty accurate, and have since 'splurged' and bought it. Mainly for cataloging my brews, as I am horrible at keeping my handwritten notes in one spot. And if you are batch sparging, as alluded to, then there are plenty of writeups on this as well, and I think Beersmith provides that information too.

And, yes, I would suggest a starter. No matter what yeast you use - unless you go with dry yeast.

 

[moonbrew]

1.) Do I need to do a yeast starter on this? I would rather not have to but your thoughts?

Absolutely. Especially with that high an O.G. Check out Jamil's thoughts on starters, http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php It's not that big a deal, but makes a big difference.

2.) What other yeast options will produce good results other than Pacman, which my HBS does not carry, oddly enough!?

WLP001, or Wyeast 1056. Maybe even Wyeast 1272.

3.) Because I don't have beer software, how do I know how much water to use, considering grain absorption and boil-off. (I have a 15 gallon heavy duty brew kettle from morebeer with a blichmann burner) I was thinking .12 gal/lb of grain, but read that some used as much as .20.

This is something you really should go ahead and get. Most all of the brewing software have trial versions for a few days or weeks before you have to pay for them. and they are alot less expensive than other pieces of equipment. If you have an iPhone, BrewPal cost less than a pound of grain and works great. software really helps with the math and helps prevent mistakes.

4.) Batch Sparging: I will use a 10 gallon cylindrical cooler from Home Depot for a mash tun.
a. If I mash at 152, what temperature should my water be, before adding the grain?

Software can help with that more precisely, but 10 degrees higher will get you close. I don't like "close", that's why I let the software do it. Adjusting the mash after dough-in is a real pain.

b. How long of a mash time, 30, 60 minutes?

At least 60 to be sure conversion has taken place. Also gives you a little more time to get things set up for the runoff and boil.

c. How often should I stir the mash?

If your batch sparging... Once real good at the beginning to make sure you've cut up any dough balls and equalized the temp real good, then maybe once at midway if it makes you feel better, and right before runoff. Remember, each time you open the cooler and stir you are loosing heat. Stir it up each time you add sparge water and then let it sit for ten minutes.

d. Should I split the sparge water in half for two separate mashes?

If you're talking about splitting the sparge water for a double batch SPARGE, then yes, split them but use equal volumes.

e. What temperature should the water be for the second mash?

Again, do you mean SPARGE? if so, 170

f. How long should I let the second batch sit before draining, or should I just stir, vorlauf, and drain right away?

Ten minutes.

g. Should the water temperature for each batch sparge be the same, in this case two separate runnings, the first after an hour, the second right after stirring?

The first sparge volume should be hot enough to raise the mash to 170, subsequent sparge volumes 170.


Hope this helps, let me know if software is an impossibility and I'll plug your recipe into mine and see if we can't get you going.

 

[mjohnson]

I just did my first all grain yesterday, so I'm no expert, but I'll take a stab.

1.) Do I need to do a yeast starter on this? I would rather not have to but your thoughts? Everything I've read says you want a starter with high gravity beers. I'd do one or just buy double the liquid yeast. If you're doing dry, you can just pitch more of it.

3.) Because I don't have beer software, how do I know how much water to use, considering grain absorption and boil-off. (I have a 15 gallon heavy duty brew kettle from morebeer with a blichmann burner) I was thinking .12 gal/lb of grain, but read that some used as much as .20. I used http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php to help figure out the temps. I didn't know what to put for some of those parameters, so I left them default. I came pretty close to hitting my temps with its suggestions.

4.) Batch Sparging: I will use a 10 gallon cylindrical cooler from Home Depot for a mash tun.
a. If I mash at 152, what temperature should my water be, before adding the grain? See the website above.
b. How long of a mash time, 30, 60 minutes?Probably 60 minutes
c. How often should I stir the mash?If you've hit your temp and stirred at dough-in, I wouldn't stir.
d. Should I split the sparge water in half for two separate mashes? I did, but from what I've read, it doesn't really matter that much.
e. What temperature should the water be for the second mash? Probably about 180ish. I think you're shooting for getting the mash to 168 when you sparge.
f. How long should I let the second batch sit before draining, or should I just stir, vorlauf, and drain right away? 5-15 minutes, from what I've read.
g. Should the water temperature for each batch sparge be the same, in this case two separate runnings, the first after an hour, the second right after stirring? If you split the sparge, I think they're supposed to be the same temp.

Some general thoughts after my first try. I have the same 10 gallon MLT. I only pre-heated it with my strike water (dumped it in at 185 and then waited until it dropped to my strike temp). I'd do it different next time.

Doing a 5 gallon batch, you will have lots of headspace in the cooler, which seemed to make the temp a little less stable (I did a 90 minute mash and it dropped several degrees). I think I'd preheat with a bunch more water next time to really get the whole thing toasty, then run that water out and use a bit of it for the strike water. I've also read about putting some aluminum foil over the mash. Might try that too. When my temp started to drop below what I wanted, I did open it up and stir while adding a bit more hot water to get the temp up again.

Good luck, don't stress, its all a grand experiment - one that you can drink!

 

[Shepherd5]

Thanks for the replies. More questions:

Ok, if I am doing a double batch sparge, you say I should keep my mash temp about 170 instead of 150-155? Why not 150 -155? Also, Should my water volume for the first batch be greater, since the grain will absorbe some water?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the replies. More questions:

Ok, if I am doing a double batch sparge, you say I should keep my mash temp about 170 instead of 150-155? Why not 150 -155? Also, Should my water volume for the first batch be greater, since the grain will absorbe some water?

You want your mash temp to be no higher than 155. 152 is pretty good for that beer. You want your temperature to be about 170 when you put it in the cooler. Let it cool to 166, and add your grain. That preheats your cooler, and then gives you the right temperature for your mash.

If you want, you can open my Beersmith file to see the exact temperatures for strike, etc. I did this batch in a 10 gallon igloo cooler myself, so it should be close. You will probably be best with a 60 minute mash. If you want to print out the brewsheet for the recipe, that give you step by step volumes and temperatures. I only got 66% efficiency, so I had an OG of 1.072, the last time I did it. It may be a great place for you to start. View attachment ruination.bsm You'd need to download the Beersmith free trial, but it would be worth it. Otherwise, I can see about printing out the brewsheet as a text file.

And yes. You most certainly need a yeast starter, or two or three packages of yeast, if you're using liquid yeast. If you're using dry, one package of S05 may be barely enough.

 

[mjohnson]

Thanks for the replies. More questions:

Ok, if I am doing a double batch sparge, you say I should keep my mash temp about 170 instead of 150-155? Why not 150 -155? Also, Should my water volume for the first batch be greater, since the grain will absorbe some water?

Your mash will be with a specific amount of water. Typically, it seems most people do 1.3-2 quarts per pound of grain. Using the mash calculator I linked to above, it says for 15lb of grains, using 1.3quarts/lb, you need 5 gallons of strike water at 164F to get your mash to 152. This is what sits for 60 minutes.

You drain this, and then do your sparging. You want to use enough sparge water to get to your pre-boil volume. This sparge water will need to be hot enough to get your grain up to about 168. If you are doing 2 sparges, I think you want both to be at about 168. Just be aware that after the first one, the grain will already be at 168, so you don't need the water to be any hotter than that.

 

[Yooper]

Ok, here's my copy of the text file:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Stone Ruination Clone
Brewer: Yooper
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.072 SG
Estimated Color: 7.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 106.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 66.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 93.33 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.67 %
1.75 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 73.2 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (30 min) Hops 22.1 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (10 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] (1 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
1 Pkgs Pacman Yeast (Wyeast) [Starter 50 ml] [CulYeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 15.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 22.50 qt of water at 165.6 F 152.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 12.00 qt of water at 203.4 F 168.0 F



It is a heck of a lot easier to use the Beersmith "brewsheet" but if you don't want to download Beersmith's free trial, you could try using this with the amounts of water at least to start. Good luck!

 

[moonbrew]

No, no, no... Mash at the appropriate temp (150-155), but sparge at 170, (THE SPARGE WATER SHOULD BE 170). The higher sparge temp will stop conversion and thin out the wort making it a little easier to rinse out. Think of it like this, warm honey pours faster than cold honey.

The software can really help you dial those watter volumes in.

But if you are going to "double" batch sparge... Let's say you mash in with 4 gallons of strike water, and have 5 gallons for sparging. After your 60 min mash, vorlauf, drain the tun. Then add 2.5 gallons of sparge water, stir, wait 10 min, vorlauf, drain the tun. Then add the other half of the sparge watter (2.5 galons), stir, wait 10 min, vorlauf, and drain the tun. That's it. Note: these volumes are hypothetical for illustrative purposes.

 

[moonbrew]

I see Yooper posted while I was writing...

Her advise is spot on.

Sorry for the initial misunderstanding.

 

[Shepherd5]

Oh ok, I am getting it now, jeeeez! Even after all the reading, I never really got a good overview of the process. Thanks very much!

One more thing....... is the total volume of water we are talking about here about 7.5 gallons and am I theoretically losing 1.5 gallons which is absorbed in the grain, leaving about 1 gallon extra for boil-off?

I know this will vary from brew setup to brew setup depending on pot size, length of boil, how hard of a boil, etc. I will just have to take good notes and adjust for my system each time I brew.

 

[Shepherd5]

Oops, after reading more closely, Yooper has a bit more than 8.6 gallons of water total for mashing in and out. That actually seems more accurate considering the amount of grain and boil time, but wouldn't my preboil volume be more than 6 gallons?

 

[Yooper]

Oops, after reading more closely, Yooper has a bit more than 8.6 gallons of water total for mashing in and out. That actually seems more accurate considering the amount of grain and boil time, but wouldn't my preboil volume be more than 6 gallons?

I think my prevoil volume is about 6.25 in that case (I'm not at home now, and can't "see" the Beersmith file). You only sparge up to your boil volume. So, if you are doing a double batch sparge, after the first round of the sparge, measure your volume and then add the second sparge water to get you to your boil volume. Seriously, even though it's important to know how to do this yourself, relying on some free software can really help with this part of it.

 

[Shepherd5]

Thanks, I will download Beersmith.

 

[oceanselv]

Brewtarget is a free shareware with a link in the software section of this forum.