Going All Grain

So I have been brewing since about October and have already gotten very comfortable with extract brewing, I have done about ten batches total and will be making the transistion to all grain brewing soon. Do you guys have any hints to All Grain brewing I should know before going all in? What equipment is needed and what is a good kettle for a beginner? Which mash method is the easiest to start with?? Decotion seems confusing, but I hear temperature mashing is hard on a burner because of sudden temp changes, any input would help. Also looking to see if anyone has a decent kettle they would be willing to part with for a good price? Thanks again for any help.

 

Start brew in a bag to get familiar with grain profiles. Each person has individual tastes. Some people like using more than others of various specialty grains. I personally love smoked malt and special b.

 

Brew in a bag is the easiest way to go all grain.
- double-mill the grains
- bring all the water to mash temperature and turn off the heat
- put the bag in the pot and add the grains, stirring to avoid dough balls
- insulate and leave for an hour (some people stir occasionally, others don't)

There are tweaks, for example if you can't fit all the water and grain in your pot (mash with what you can and dunk-sparge with the rest), and there's plenty more BIAB information here and elsewhere.

 

Look into batch sparging and building a cooler mash tun, see denny conns easy mash tun build doesn't get much simpler than that... As far as kettle goes I would have to recommend a 10 gal size so that you can do a full boil, a 10 gal concord kettle can be purchased on ebay in the $75 range shipped to your door

 

Since you have been extract brewing, you must already have some kind of a pot. What size is it? It's pretty likely that you will want a bigger pot but you probably can start with what you have by sizing down the recipes.:rockin:

 

I moved from extract to All Grain last year, and love it. All I did was buy a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler on clearance at Lowe's and then convert it a MLT and then bought a voile curtain at Wal-mart for $4 or $5 for my BIAB bag. My other equipment is the same. I mash in the cooler, sparge with a gallon or so of water by pouring it over the bag, squeeze the bag, and then boil either on the stove in a 22 qt pot or in my turkey fryer outside. I lose a degree or two or three in an hour.

 

BIAB... So easy, a caveman could do it.

 

Thanks for the lead on the kettle. I only have 2 -4gallon stainless pots i have been using as a mash tun. How do you sparge exactly?

 

I've brewed all-grain twice after a couple years of extract. Here's my best advice- better equipment= faster, better, and easier all-grain.

First, I bought an Igloo Cooler Mash Tun and had to deal with a nasty leak at the faucet. After applying a ton of teflon tape, I had tons of trouble with the mash water temperature. I probably checked the temperature of the water 15 times before transferring to the mash tun. Then, I still managed to undershoot the temperature!

The second time I brewed (last weekend), I used the William's electric mash water heater. I honestly have to say this was the best investment so far. It literally turns all-grain from a headache into an easy experience. The electric heater also shaved an hour or so off my brew time. You can throw water in the heater and get unrelated work done while it heats to the proper temperature. Then if you need to add more water later, the controller will kick in again!

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERS-EDGE-MASH-WATER-HEATER-WITH-MASH-HEAT-CONTROL-P3707.aspx

I also recommend ditching recirculation in favor of a mesh bag over the mash exit tube to keep grain husks from entering the wort. This is both simpler, cheaper, and easier than purchasing a real recirculation setup. I'm sure that a temperature controlled recirculation system would help maintain mash temperature well though!

 

Another vote for BIAB. You could do a 2.5 gallon recipe in your 4g kettle, with only a few dollars in new equipment.

Get a 5g paint strainer bag for a few bucks at the hardware store and stick it in the kettle. That's your new equipment!

As for holding mash temp, I could fit my 9g pot in my electric stove. I'd preheat the oven to the lowest setting (maybe 175?), then turn it off. Worked great, but my fancy new gas oven is wide, but not tall enough .

One other thing you might want if you don't already have is a chiller. Probably not as big a deal if you only do "half" batches.