all grain all the way

[Mapleroots]

I'm just a few days away from doing my first all grain brew and have some questions to just to make sure that this is going to be the best possible brew that I can. I'm brewing a 5 gall. whit beer, going for Gelgian but not sure if it will come out that way because of my hop selection (centennial) but am going to go with it any way since this is all that I have. I'm using a 9.5 gal. pot and a 10 gal. custom Rubbermaid mashing ton.
Ingredients: white wheat 5 lbs. , 2 row 2.75 lbs., .5 lbs oats, and 2.75 lbs. unmalted wheat. will give a 30 min. protein rest at 122* raise the temp to 148*-150* and mash in at that for another hour.
how do I drain as quickly as possible after the protein rest, and do I have to mash out with this recipe?
Do I have to have a lid for my kettle while boiling with hops? will aroma and bittering suffer without this piece?
Also to cool my wort I will be using 1 gal frozen water jugs, how has this worked for anyone with this kind of experience, and would you recommend this method?
I am hopind to pics and will post after complete. Thanks for any help.

Zion Brewing; What is bread without Beer?

 

[wildwest450]

I'll take one. NEVER boil with the lid on, dms is released during the boil, let it evaporate into the atmosphere.

 

[mmb]

Do you plan to batch sparge, fly sparge, or no sparge? If you fly sparge, I'd do a mash out to stop conversion. If you batch sparge, the hot (180*) sparge additions will denature the enzymes.

Are you step mashing or single infusion? You normally don't drain the mash after the protein step, you just bring the temp up somehow, decoction, direct heating or another temp addition.

 

[Blender]

If you had some rice hulls that would be a nice addition considering almost the 2-1 ratio of 2 row to wheat malt. Wheat malt gets a lot more sticky when mashed and is a little more likey to clog.

What is your plan to raise the temperature after the protien rest?

Are you going to put frozen water bottles in the boiling hot wort after turning off the flame? Will the plastic handle that temp?

 

[Mapleroots]

My plan is to just drain the wort and raise the temp, but was also thinking that this might take to long and I would lose to much heat. Another idea was to just pour the grain and all back into my kettle and raise temp. Not exactly sure, what would you suggest? Also I am planing to do a batch sparge and thanks for the info on that. 180* water, ok. Also I have heard that water jugs hold up, but maybe I will use and Ice bath all so just make sure. Also will test it with regular water as well.
Is their anything besides rice hulls that will help my mash from getting clogged, If not what is the best way to unclog?
Thanks for the imput, I cant wait to get this brew started, peace.

 

[Blender]

Were you going to raise the temp of the runoff and then add it back to the mash to raise the temp?

I have only done 2 protein rest brews and had trouble raising the temp with an infusion. I think it's best to be able to raise the temp with direct fired heat.

I'm sorry but I don't know a substitute for rice hulls. Personally I would use the ice to lower the initial temp before adding plastic water bottles. Leave some heatspace in the frozen bottles because it will expand as it melts.

What yeast are you using?

 

[Mapleroots]

Yes I was going to raise the temp and add it back to raise the overall temp. Do you think this is the best way to do this procedure? I am using a white labs Hefeweizen 4 Ale pitch able yeast. Yo man thanks for all your help, this really gave me some different thins to thing about and probably save me some headache during this brew.

Zion brewing: Beer is the bread of life, drink with your utmost to his highest!