All Grain Brewing Classes?

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brewsnthelou

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I'm hoping to make to transition to all grain. I've watched some youtube vids, read info on HBT (all very helpful, much appreciated) but since I am a hands on kinda person, would love to go to a class or a more formal training session on the how to's...I've searched my area, STL, MO and not much around these parts, anyone done this before or know of any in your area since I would be willing to travel to attend. Appreciate any suggestions you all have.

:tank:

Prost!
 
Not sure you are going to have much luck with this. I would recommend taking some time to think through your process, write it down then maybe posting it up on here for feedback in you are really concerned.

At the end of the day, its not that difficult...as long as you know what is going where you can probably handle it.

Good luck!
 
Watch this video if you haven't already, John Palmer makes it simple and explains things well. You shouldn't need a class, if you've brewed extract then you are only learning the mash. Just try it and do the best you can and learn as you go!

 
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Maybe not what you're looking for, but starting with 1-gal all-grain batches really helped me understand the process while not wrestling with the equipment. Did it all on the stovetop.
 
Like duboman said, look for a local club. If there's not one close by I might consider placing an ad, I'm sure there will be a homebrewer close to you that would be glad to have you over on a brew day. If you're are ever coming thru Kentucky give me a shout and we'll brew a batch.
 
There are 3 clubs that come to mind in the st Louis area, stl brews, stl hops, and the Garage Brewers in St Charles. I am a member of the Garage Brewers. Members are always doing brew days and having people over to check out the systems, and " quality control"
 
classes? it's really just about being prepared. i plan my brew sessions a few weeks in advance. i tweak the recipe to my liking then i calculate my mash.

Free brewing software for windows and linux. Possibly other systems as well.
http://www.brewtarget.org/download.html

Brewtarget will develop a recipe for you in different batch sizes in AG and various extract methods. It has a mash calculator that will give you water volume measurements as well as calculate temperature adjustments (step mash). Only drawback is the database for ingredients is more limited than some of the non free alternatives. Example, I use two row in place of Maris Otter because MO doesn't exist in the DB.

If you don't like the way brewtarget does things and just want it for recipe developments you can use:
http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

If you need to know what your mashtun's dead space is fill with a few gallons then let it drain out of the valve. eventually it will stop flowing and you'll have some water left. that remainder is your dead space.

That's really all I use to prepare. On brew day I use:
http://www.davesdreaded.com/homebrew-calculator/

This will take your hydrometer reading and current temperature and show you adjusted values since hydrometer's are set to measure a specific temperature. This avoids a lot of brewday mistakes especially when it comes to calculating hop additions.

Honestly, it's not so bad. Take your time. Watch videos on youtube. Prepare. Brewing is a procedure. If you go into the procedure knowing exactly what you're doing at each step and knowing what numbers to expect at a given step then you should be good. Don't make it harder than it is. :mug:
 
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