Attention new all grain brewers!

[Bobby_M]

The beauty of this hobby is you can decide how picky you want to be. There are guys that obsess about recipes and whether or not to include or exclude that 2 oz addition of some specialty malt, etc. Then there are the equipment geeks that like plumbing their brewstands with pure stainless to an artwork-like form. Then the scientists come out of the woodwork and start looking at attenuation, mash temp effects, and maximizing efficiency for no real good reason other than having something to do in between drinking. Some want relax, don't worry......and others enjoy worrying.

 

[HenryHill]

I want ease of operation, fool-proof method, and let the machine/system do the work. Labor intensive sucks, and so does inconsistency.

KISL= Keep it simple, Lazy!

But if it tastes good, I'm drinking it!

 

[Jo3sh]

No. What I stated is correct. You want to use about 1/2 gallon per pound of grain for sparging.

That seems really, really wet to me. Remembering that all my calculations are for my ten-gallon batch size, I threw some numbers into my spreadsheet. I plugged in 25 pounds of grain at 70 degrees F, a ratio of 1.25 qt./lb., and a target temperature of 152 degrees.

I get:
Strike water: 7.8125 gallon at 163 degrees
Mashout water: 3.2 gallons, boiling
Sparge water: 4.7 gallons - 0.188 gallon per pound

First runoff: 7.28 gallons (I fly-sparge, but this figure ignores sparge water volume)
Total runoff: 11.98 gallons (not bad, considering I try for 12 gallons to the kettle)

I always hit my temperatures and volumes this way.


I also assume absorption of 0.15 gallons per pound of grain and a specific heat for grain one-third that of water (that is to say, water holds three times as much heat as grain, per pound).

 

[njnear76]

How long does it take to boil off 1-1.5 gallons. I understand that weather conditions and equipment play a role.

I never really paid attention while doing extract kits and I was wondering how you figured this out when doing your first all grain.

I would suspect that to boil off a gallon in a hour it would take a roiling boil. Am I wrong?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Gregg Meyer]

I am no expert, acctually still a green horn after 2 years doing this. You guys are great.

I place everything I need on the counter and in order just like is suggested above. I number it also so I can memorize the steps and what each one is for that particular beer. very anal but very accurate. The beer comes out beter than any bud light i have ever bought. Merry Christmas guys/gals.

Oscar,

 

[njnear76]

Just did my first All Grain and my big advice is: Buy a decent digital thermometer. It will be worth it.

The thermometer on my hydrometer only goes up to 110F even though it is marked to 140F. That screwed up my hydrometer adjustment. The dairy thermometer that I used in the mash is also questionable.

 

[cowgo]

Just did my first All Grain and my big advice is: Buy a decent digital thermometer. It will be worth it.

The thermometer on my hydrometer only goes up to 110F even though it is marked to 140F. That screwed up my hydrometer adjustment. The dairy thermometer that I used in the mash is also questionable.

you definitely need to invest in a new thermometer. Temperature control is key to much of the brewing process.

 

[98EXL]

I just picked up a brewmometer...it's teh tits! I'm dying to use it because I think my old thermo was going up on me

 

[bobwantbeer]

I had problems with inconsistant boil off rates. The software tells you how much volume will be lost during the boil at 212 degrees. So I use my thermometer and get my boil to settle at or near 212 and I've been hitting my expected volumes dead on.

How long does it take to boil off 1-1.5 gallons. I understand that weather conditions and equipment play a role.

I never really paid attention while doing extract kits and I was wondering how you figured this out when doing your first all grain.

I would suspect that to boil off a gallon in a hour it would take a roiling boil. Am I wrong?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[BadKarmaa]

I discovered that when I moved to 10-gallon batches, my temperature loss at strike was worse than with 5-gallons. I like to mash at around 156 degrees and with 5 gallon batches, that meant I had to strike with 168-170 degree water.

No with a 10-gallon batch, (using a 10 gallon rubbemaid cooler) I have to strike with 180 degree water (against a 20-21 lb grain bill) to get my 156 range.

Anyone else discover this change when they moved up to 10-gallons?

Im no scientist, but with a larger cooler, you have more surface area to work with. Wouldn't that increase your thermal mass, thus requiring a higher strike temp?

 

[BadKarmaa]

I'm no scientist but I can see that- say your grains are 60 degrees. For a 10 gallon batch, you may have 23 pounds of grains to bring up to 156. Therefore, you need a higher strike temp than if you had 12 pounds of grain. Even if your grain to water ration hasn't changed, the thermal mass is different. More hot water doesn't equal higher grain temp, necessarily.

(This makes sense to me, but I'm going to have to add this disclaimer- I've been drinking this evening.)

Lol! Maybe I should read the entire thread before posting next time.

That said, what are some solutions rather than preventative measures to other common problems? For example, when I first started AG, I would always come out way under my desired mash temp. In a frantic mess, I would run back to my pro mash and calculate how much more water and at what strike temp I would need to add to raise the mash temp another 10 degrees. More often than not, I found my mash would stay at the same temp or go up only a few degrees. So I would curse at pro mash and repeat the steps until I hit 153 F.

Needless to say, my first AG batch was a mess, and I ended up adding way too much water. My second AG batch went very similar, except this time I used the decoction method to raise the temp instead of adding more and more water. Turned out to be a much better solution to the missed mash temp problem.

Anyone else have other solutions to common problems, as apposed to preventative measures to common problems?

 

[finchlake]

Hey Thanks for bumping this thread back up. I'm going through my first AG and this was helpful.

 

[mrbungeeman17]

FWIW and since i have not seen this posted in this thread, I will be doing my first AG batch soon. I have to say that i feel relatively comfortable. I have been doing partial mashes for my last 4 brews. Now someone correct me if i am wrong but the process is quite similar. You get to work with the process with a little reassurance in the sense that you have the extract to back you up. On a smaller scale you get to learn to play with the mash in terms of calculating the numbers, heating the tun and the stike water as well as learning the sparging process(I used a 5 gal igloo with a ball valve and false bottom that i am going to transfer to my 10gal cooler) so the prosess will be the same with no extra cost. I think this process may help anyone that has done only extract learn the AG process in steps and still make quality beer. Just my $.02 though....

 

[DeathBrewer]

+1

Partial mashes made me MUCH more comfortable and made the leap to all-grain possible. AG brewing didn't seem very do-able when i was only into extract, but now i brew almost exclusively with grain. in my kitchen, no less!

 

[missing link]

After a few PM's under my belt, AG didn't seem that confusing. Now that I have one out of the way, I expect my next run to be much smoother.

Linc

 

[Teddi Brewski]

Thanks! Wish I had read that one yesterday.

 

[ralfeg7]

hey i just bottled my first all grain brew! I'm gonig to let it age for at least 2 weeks before i open it, but so far it looks great! This is only my second batch, my first being an extract. So i'll be happy if it turns out tasting anything like beer!

 

[BigHead]

I've seen a lot of threads started concerning problems with peoples first all grain brews.
I would like to give a couple suggestions that might help improve the process for new AG brewers. Here are a couple common problems I've seen:

1. Low efficiency.
I have found that the most common thread here is not using enough water during mashing and sparging. All you need to do is figure 1 to 1 1/4 quarts of water per pound of grain for the mash and about 1/2 gallon of water per pound of grain for sparging.
I think some folks are concerned about too much wort volume when they are figuring how much water to use but if you want decent efficiency you have to use the correct amount of water.
If your brew pot isn't big enough for the volume required you will need to compensate by using more grain and know that your efficiency will be lower. (You will want to use the 1 to 1 1/4 quart per pound of grain for the mash and adjust your sparge water for the volume required)
If you have a large enough brew pot you will need to calculate the boil time so you will have the correct volume when completed. Some high gravity brews can take 2 hours or more to boil down to the correct volume.
2. Missing the mash temperature. (Usually low when using cooler type mash tuns)
To avoid this common problem there are two things I suggest:
1. Pre-heat your mash tun with hot or boiling water. This water is drained from the tun right before the strike water is added. Using this method will pre-heat the tun so not as much heat will be pulled from the strike water when added .
2. Heat your strike water about 2 or 3 degrees above your target temp, pour the water into the tun, and let the temp drop to your target. By the time you reach your strike temp, the tun should be conditioned and when the grains are mixed in you will hit your desired mash temp and it will hold longer.

I hope this helps for you first timers or even folks who are struggling with AG brewing.

This works great but in order to save water as we do here in the high desert let your water cool and then add the grains about five to ten degrees above mash temp depending on amount of grains....

 

[MelsWort]

Recently did my first AG. Big thanks to everyone in this thread. Knowing what to expect made my day a lot easier. Only problem I had was a very minor leak in my immersion chiller. Clean-up was bear, though. I prepped for everything except how to dispose of 13 pounds of wet, sticky grains. Composting isn't an option, so I had to scoop it into tiny trash bags. I spilled all over the place, my dog was trying to lick the floor. Funny now, not so funny then.

 

[BierMuncher]

Recently did my first AG. Big thanks to everyone in this thread. Knowing what to expect made my day a lot easier. Only problem I had was a very minor leak in my immersion chiller. Clean-up was bear, though. I prepped for everything except how to dispose of 13 pounds of wet, sticky grains. Composting isn't an option, so I had to scoop it into tiny trash bags. I spilled all over the place, my dog was trying to lick the floor. Funny now, not so funny then.

I buy the large (55 gallon) yard waste bags at walmart. Huge and strong as dirt.

I simply put the bag over my mash tun, slip the bag down over the sides all the way and and turn the tun upside down. In goes everything and just remove the tun.

Tie the bag into a knot and out to the curb.

It handles my 26 pound (dry) grain bills just fine.

One note...double check that you didn't dump your manifold in the bag...been there...

 

[tommymac]

I use a gatorade cooler as my mash tun, I usualy factored a 10 degree loss when i added the water and was usualy prety close. I like the idea of putting some boiling water in there first to warm things up.

Tom

 

[sipNswirl]

Thanks for posting this thread. I'm about to do my first 5g AG soon and I'm trying to figure out the water calculations. my kettle is only 5G so i can't boil more than 15 q maybe?

I understand the concept of using more grain and shooting for less efficiency, but i have an AG recipe that someone gave me for a 1/2 wort boil then topping up in the primary. can i assume the grain bed is adjusted for lower efficiency already since the instructions state it's for a 1/2 wort boil? It's got just under 12 Lbs of grain. my MLT is a 6g bucket w/ false bottom.

i can post the recipe or PM it if someone can help me figure that out.
cheers!

 

[rockthebox]

This site is the best with the best people in the world. Its so great that their are helpful people that will take the time to let us know about what s on their mind for the better let all to that!

 

[Wade E]

I agree, this place is awesome. I have learned a lot and have a lot to learn. I will be doing my 1st AG very shortly.

 

[98EXL]

I mean, if I never found HBT, I'd never would have gone AG....or even thought of building a keezer

 

[njnear76]

I use a gatorade cooler as my mash tun, I usualy factored a 10 degree loss when i added the water and was usualy prety close. I like the idea of putting some boiling water in there first to warm things up.

Tom

Don't put boiling water in your cooler! You will warp the heck out of it.

 

[nathan]

What helped me back when I started All Grain was to pre measure out all the hops, and moss and seal them in numbered zip bags and wrote the minutes to set my timer to for the next add. I remember the 1st few batches were a mental drain and it was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the boil without having to think about what I was doing.

I do this with ALL my ingredients (still a partial mash brewer for next few months). I usually do it the night before or early that morning. I use masking tape and gladware containers and have all the times and contents marked. It's great then to be able to listen to music, stir, and add at appropriate times.

 

[nathan]

to the chap marking the outside of his kettles with a sharpie...

how do markings on the OUTSIDE of the kettle help?

 

[BrewBeemer]

You must use those special "3-D" glasses that they handed out at the movie house back in the 50's or be "superman" with his specical eyes.
A marked story pole/stick or better yet a stainless rod with ring markings (done with a tubing cutter) for each gallon seems too simple for such a high tech problem. This ain't a calculation specific for a N.A.S.A. launch.
Sorry if I sound sarcastic here, my German grand parents back in the 20's have been told made good home brew bier in crock pots here in the USA before and during prohibition times that the family has always talked about. Remember the "KISS" plan?

 

[beerthirty]

I just traded for a 14 gallon rig that is marked on the outside(right next to the sight glass). but if there is no sight glass then you just look inside then outside quickly and your eyes seem to find the right spot. Then I repeat just to verify. that is the method I used when dealing with plastic buckets that were marked on the outside. It worked pretty well to within 1/2 gallon depending on diameter of the pot.