AG Questions before my first AG Brew

[mezman]

Hi there,

Got some AG related questions before I make my first AG brew. I'm using a Coleman 48 qt mashing and lautering tun. Over the weekend I built a copper mashing manifold to go in it. On the manifold, I cut slits on all the pipes that run parallel to the drain. Since the drain in the cooler is not flush with the floor of the cooler, the manifold is not flush either.

So my first question is: Does it matter whether the slits in the manifold are facing up or down or at all if there's some space between the floor of the cooler and the manifold?

And my second question is: There seems to be a fair amount of variability in recipes describing how much water to mash in qt/lb. Some say 3/4 qt/lb of grain, some up to 2 qt/lb. How does this value effect the final beer and how does one decide what ratio to use? Thanks.

Matt

 

[david_42]

For Palmer's howtobrew:

The grist/water ratio is another factor influencing the performance of the mash. A thinner mash of >2 quarts of water per pound of grain dilutes the relative concentration of the enzymes, slowing the conversion, but ultimately leads to a more fermentable mash because the enzymes are not inhibited by a high concentration of sugars. A stiff mash of <1.25 quarts of water per pound is better for protein breakdown, and results in a faster overall starch conversion, but the resultant sugars are less fermentable and will result in a sweeter, maltier beer. A thicker mash is more gentle to the enzymes because of the lower heat capacity of grain compared to water. A thick mash is better for multirest mashes because the enzymes are not denatured as quickly by a rise in temperature.

 

[RichBrewer]

You definitely want the slits facing down so you can get more of the wort out of the tun. If they were up the flow would stop as soon as level drops to the lowest point of the cuts.

 

[mezman]

For Palmer's howtobrew:

The grist/water ratio is another factor influencing the performance of the mash. A thinner mash of >2 quarts of water per pound of grain dilutes the relative concentration of the enzymes, slowing the conversion, but ultimately leads to a more fermentable mash because the enzymes are not inhibited by a high concentration of sugars. A stiff mash of <1.25 quarts of water per pound is better for protein breakdown, and results in a faster overall starch conversion, but the resultant sugars are less fermentable and will result in a sweeter, maltier beer. A thicker mash is more gentle to the enzymes because of the lower heat capacity of grain compared to water. A thick mash is better for multirest mashes because the enzymes are not denatured as quickly by a rise in temperature.

So then is a good compromise a 1.75 qt/lb mash? Or is that all dependant on your setup? Or shift the mash ratio based on the type of beer?

You definitely want the slits facing down so you can get more of the wort out of the tun. If they were up the flow would stop as soon as level drops to the lowest point of the cuts.

Good point. That's the way I'll do it then. Thanks.

 

[Beer Snob]

Might want to check out this thread. It was a pretty cool one, but from the title you would never know its about what your asking.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10957