Back to Basics... What do you wish you knew before starting AG?

[mavandeh]

Tomorrow, I will embark on my first all-grain experience brewing a very simple IPA. My question for you, the HBT reader, is: what are some simple things that you wish someone would have shared you before your first batch all-grain? Things that you don't see in videos, ie. stir your strike water to make sure your temp is even throughout your pot... can't think of any other good examples... Maybe I had too much homebrew!

What do you wish you knew before starting AG? GO!

 

[avidhomebrewer]

How much grain/water would have fit in my cooler before I started. I over-estimated the size of my batch by about 15% and paid for it on efficiency. The brew turned out great, but not as good as it could have been, looking back. Now, I don't stir my mash at all (I mash overnight in coolers) and my mash turns out great.

 

[Dan]

Patience.

 

[kh54s10]

I watched a lot of videos and read a lot while accumulating my gear so I had no surprises.

What I didn't really know is how easy it really is. There is a lot to keep track of but if you pay attention it is easy.

 

[Beer_Eugenics]

I agree I was surprised how easy it was.

 

[Wreck99]

I agree I was surprised how easy it was.

+1 same here. I only wish I started AG sooner.

 

[Monkfish]

I agree with the above. I'm only 4 brews deep into AG and am surprised at how easy it was.

The only advice I would have is to take really good notes on the brewday (take a well stirred preboil sample) and have some extra hot water at the ready in case you don't hit mash temps (I'm still dialing in my equipment temps.)

Have fun!

 

[mavandeh]

I agree with the above. I'm only 4 brews deep into AG and am surprised at how easy it was.

The only advice I would have is to take really good notes on the brewday (take a well stirred preboil sample) and have some extra hot water at the ready in case you don't hit mash temps (I'm still dialing in my equipment temps.)

Have fun!

I'm doing BIAB, so hopefully I won't need the extra water since all the temp loss will be due to grain immersion and steam loss.

However, since I'm mashing in a pot instead of a cooler, the metal will conduct heat, and thus lose it considerably better than a cooler. Should I, A.) Let it sit a little longer, B.) Wrap it in blankets, or C.) Continue heating it from the bottom and stirring?

D.) none of the above?

 

[CaliforniaBurrito]

Hey, good luck and thanks for posting this. Like you, this will be my first AG attempt. Post back with what you've learned from your fist day.

 

[Proboscidea]

Stir. Stir! STIR! after adding hot water.

NASA should look into using grains + water as an advanced insulating substance. The wacky soup can be 140 degrees in one place, and 158 degrees a couple of inches over, and it can hold those temps for a surprisingly long time. You can imagine the kinds of unnecessary hot-water disasters this can lead to. As a corollary (I know you said only one thing), take readings from all around the mash, and stir if the temps are radically different.

 

[Proboscidea]

(which you already said in the OP if I'd been paying attention)

Also, agree with above. It's shockingly easy. I mean, you can make it as nit-picky as you want (mash pH, water reports, adding salts, multi-stage mashes, fly sparge contraptions, etc.) but you don't have to, and you'll get good beer regardless.

 

[pabloj13]

Preheating the mash tun with a gallon of boiling water was something I wish I had done from the beginning. Makes hitting your mash temp a snap.

 

[Rbeckett]

Tomorrow, I will embark on my first all-grain experience brewing a very simple IPA. My question for you, the HBT reader, is: what are some simple things that you wish someone would have shared you before your first batch all-grain? Things that you don't see in videos, ie. stir your strike water to make sure your temp is even throughout your pot... can't think of any other good examples... Maybe I had too much homebrew!

What do you wish you knew before starting AG? GO!

How much money I was gonna spend getting an "ideal" brewing set up built and functioning well enough to make great beer. I have spent way too much on way too little, because I was trying to save money and got a bunch of cheap stuff that I will ultimately have to replace in the long run. Stainless kettles and pots being the most blatant example of that. So plan wisely, budget your funds and get the good stuff the first time around. It will save you money in the long run. But I am still having a great time, so the loss really isn't that great all things considered. Have a great day and an even better weekend.
Wheelchair Bob

 

[SailorTodd]

How much money I was gonna spend getting an "ideal" brewing set up built and functioning well enough to make great beer. I have spent way too much on way too little, because I was trying to save money and got a bunch of cheap stuff that I will ultimately have to replace in the long run. Stainless kettles and pots being the most blatant example of that. So plan wisely, budget your funds and get the good stuff the first time around. It will save you money in the long run. But I am still having a great time, so the loss really isn't that great all things considered. Have a great day and an even better weekend.
Wheelchair Bob

I'd second this sentiment for future batches, but it sounds like the equipment isn't as much your concern with brew day looming.

I'd also reemphasize how easy it is.

For BIAB, insulating with blankets would be my first choice, followed by adding heat as necessary.

As a diatribe, I'm partial to using an ice chest for a mash tun because it stays so well insulated. You'd be surprised how easy it is to convert one. I converted my igloo Ice Cube 48qt ice chest with just a bazooka screen, connector, 1/2" tubing, #6 stopper (i think that was the right size), brass ball valve and a few hose clamps. All in all, because I repurposed the cooler I already had, it cost me somewhere around $40. Of course, that was not including the larger pot and banjo burner I needed in order to do full volume, but it sounds like you already have that. With that equipment I've brewed nearly 100 gallons of delicious brew so far. Just my unsolicited $0.02 for future endeavors...

 

[CidCitrus]

Pay attention to your volumes and aim a little high. All grain has a lot more trub than extract.

 

[petep1980]

Aim high on volumes like the above poster. That 50-55% efficiency is a bad thing if you hit that range every single time.

 

[MrTheKing]

Do all your prep the night before, i've finally figured out how great it is. I write up a template in my notebook with everything I normally record, so all I have to do is fill in the blanks instead of scrambling to do everything while writing it down. Also leave a space so you can record your times, mash-in, sparge out, boil start, hop additions.

There's a lot to keep track of and do, but if you get everything you can ready the night before you spend most of your time sitting around drinking watching the HLT, Mash Tun, and brew kettle.

 

[Shaggyt]

Good suggestions so far, though for me, it's pre-measuring as much as you can the night before (water might be the exception). I have found that multitasking is the bane of brew days...lots of "OH SH*T" moments when trying to work super efficiently through multitasking...messy!

Good luck BTW!!!

 

[basilchef]

I'm doing BIAB, so hopefully I won't need the extra water since all the temp loss will be due to grain immersion and steam loss.

However, since I'm mashing in a pot instead of a cooler, the metal will conduct heat, and thus lose it considerably better than a cooler. Should I, A.) Let it sit a little longer, B.) Wrap it in blankets, or C.) Continue heating it from the bottom and stirring?

D.) none of the above?

i did that for a while when i thought my mash tun was broken. i did the same thing for the 12+ lbs of grain that i did when i was doing partial mashes. i.e bring the water up to strike temp and checking it constantly stirring every ten minutes and adding heat as necessary. its a tedious process and not the best most efficient way but it will work if you're careful and attentive. also you need a big brew pot. straining and sparging is a whole different beast. i just used my mash tun (again thought it was leaky, it wasnt). good luck

 

[sdillow]

The time. 4+hours is a huge chunk of the day. Not too bad when you start early in the day...a real pain when it's dark, you're tired and you just want to be done. I've learned to be sure my schedule is open for six hours on a brew day.

Oh yeah, and making sure you have enough propane on hand.

 

[wilserbrewer]

simple summation of AG...mash at proper temp...rinse grain to collect specific pre-boil volume...carry on

It is that simple!

 

[mavandeh]

Good suggestions so far, though for me, it's pre-measuring as much as you can the night before (water might be the exception). I have found that multitasking is the bane of brew days...lots of "OH SH*T" moments when trying to work super efficiently through multitasking...messy!

Good luck BTW!!!

I'll share one of these moments in the video I am making. It's pretty newbie, but I RDWHAHB'd it.

 

[mavandeh]

For BIAB, insulating with blankets would be my first choice, followed by adding heat as necessary.

I did both. Added heat as I lost it while the blankets were over the vessel.

 

[djt17]

It's really easy...avoid trying to make it difficult.

 

[CaliforniaBurrito]

Well, I just completed my first AG brew day. Overall it was great. A few things learned.

-Get the water from HLT to mash tun as fast as possible. I opened up my ball valve with 3/8 nozzle and hose connected and let it fill the mash tun. It was too slow of a transfer and I lost about 10-15 degrees in the process leaving my mash temp at 138.

-Pre-heat the mash tun! I'm using an igloo convert and completely forgot to do this. It would've saved me a few degrees.

Other than these two lessons learned, which were corrected with a couple of gallons of near boiling water, everything went as planned. My efficiency was low due to the bad mash cycle but I made most of it up with some DME in the boil.

Hope your brew day went well.

 

[Toy4Rick]

I don't heat my mash tun, just heat my strike water about 13-15* higher, pour it in, let sit for 10 mins and it's now at strike temp dough in and I hit my mash temp spot on.

Now that is easy
Toy4Rick

 

[PurpleJeepXJ]

That if you leave spent grain in a pile outside for a week in the GA heat it will smell like death...

 

[pabloj13]

I don't heat my mash tun, just heat my strike water about 13-15* higher, pour it in, let sit for 10 mins and it's now at strike temp dough in and I hit my mash temp spot on.

Now that is easy
Toy4Rick

So you...heat your mash tun. :cross:

 

[grimstuff]

Don't leave a pile of wet grain anywhere because they will provide a breeding ground for flies.

Use double batch sparge method for 10 gallon batches instead of single sparge so all the water fits in your tun.

8-gallon pot is the MINIMUM size for 5-gallon all-grain batches; would do well to get 10, 12 gallon.

Be careful of accidentally pressing down on your SS braid hose with the mash paddle, since it may deform permanently.

Buy silicone hose.

Calibrate the volume capacities of your pots by quarter-gallon increments.

In lieu of a temperature control system, trust in the thermal mass of your garage floor more than the ambient air temperature of your house. The former will stabilize temps better than the latter.

Buy a valve assembly from an online homebrew supplier instead of running all over town trying to find parts to built your own and the legendary elusive 5/8" SS fender washer.

Buy a scale. You'll use it all the time, and not just when making beer.

Higher efficiency does not equal better beer; applies more to commercial brewers than home brewers.

 

[gmcastil]

I'm doing BIAB, so hopefully I won't need the extra water since all the temp loss will be due to grain immersion and steam loss.

However, since I'm mashing in a pot instead of a cooler, the metal will conduct heat, and thus lose it considerably better than a cooler. Should I, A.) Let it sit a little longer, B.) Wrap it in blankets, or C.) Continue heating it from the bottom and stirring?

D.) none of the above?

I started doing BIAB a month ago and this is my advice to you:

1. Get Beersmith or some other software to help you nail your mash temps. The best money I've ever spent on brewing equipment was buying that program. It takes some time to figure out all the parameters you can adjust, but once you do, you'll wonder why you never had it before.

2. Trust your brewing software.

3. To help retain heat, I went to the auto parts store and bought one of those reflective metallized sun shades, turned it inside out, and made a reflective sleeve to slip around my brew pot. I've had 5 gallons stay at 152 for 75 minutes and maybe drop a degree. It's a lot better than blankets.

Hope this helps. Seriously - get Beersmith. Best upgrade you'll ever make.