all grain prep

lemmybrewmeister · Nov 23, 2013

I know there's plenty of these threads already but I'll add mine too.I'm ready to give all grain a try but I'm lost as where to begin.I've started out with brewers best kits that don't give you a lot of information about grains other than steeping them in a grain bag for fifteen minutes and I know there is a world of more potential out there. A few main questions I have are; can I boil the grains instead of just steeping them at 150 degrees? What do I need to know about enzymatic conversion? What do I need to know about ph ?what equipment do I need to acquire if I already have a five gallon brew pot and a ton of fermenters and wort chiller? Any contributions and patience will be appreciated!

HBngNOK · Nov 23, 2013

Although dated, http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html is a good place to start. When you finish going through it, you'll have an excellent understanding all grain home brewing.

RM-MN · Nov 23, 2013

When you were doing extract brewing you could use the 5 gallon pot to brew in because you did a concentrated boil and then topped off in the fermenter. With all grain you start with more than 5 gallons and boil down to that amount or a bit more. I have a 7.5 gallon pot and it is barely enough if I do a 5 gallon batch.

I do all grain 2 1/2 gallon batches in my 5 gallon pot but I use the BIAB method for mashing which limits my extra equipment from what I had to do the extract to only a paint strainer bag. You could start that way to see if all grain is for you and if you like the process and results you can then start upgrading your equipment.

jtratcliff · Nov 23, 2013

+1 on trying a small batch BIAB to get your feet wet.

I use a 10gal kettle for my 6.5 gal batches. A barely have enough room to BIAB. I usually mash with 6.5-7 gal and dunk sparge in another 1.5 gal in a spare 4 gal pot.

Traditional full-volume BIAB is a one vessel process, though.

Look for "Can I Mash It" the mash calculator from the greenbay rackers. That'll let you figure out how much grain and water your can fit in a given pot.