Basic All-Grain Brown Ale

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prothumia

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I've been brewing extracts for about eight years and I'm down in South America where equipment and ingredients are scarce. In fact, it took me months to find a guy who sells homebrew stuff.

He only sells grains, so I am facing an all-grain batch. I have all the equipment necessary to brew and keg batches including a corny keg and a kegerator. I've got huge brew pots and a plastic fermenting bucket.
I'm dying to brew...it's been eight months.

I've got all the ingredients to make a brown ale.

Can someone give me a link to some very basic instructions on all-grain brewing?

Also, what other equipment do I absolutely need to brew all grain? I won't be able to hop down to the local brew shop. Are there any good suggestions for making a lauter tun?

Please help me, I've been forced to drink crappy commercial beer for eight months!
 
Thanks for the link.
How can I find a pot with a spigot? It seems dangerous to drill into my pot. How do people use coolers?
 
Thanks for the link.
How can I find a pot with a spigot? It seems dangerous to drill into my pot. How do people use coolers?

Many turkey fryer kits have a valve built in the aluminum pot. In addition, almost every online retailer for homebrew stuff carries a line of valved brewpots.

Not sure why "dangerous" is the term you picked for drilling a pot? Are you afraid of messing up the pot or personal injury. This is a common process and well documented. Usually a step-drill bit is used as it is very easy to free-hand even with low power battery drill.

As a mash tun, people use coolers through a number of methods: a mash screen, a copper manifold, PVC manifold or a false bottom. In truth, if you are not considering BIAB, rectangular cooler(s) are you cheapest route. As an HLT, I use an electric water heater element and a valve to keep from lifting 170 f water 6' in the air.
 
It looks like the cooler method might be the best option for us.
This may sound like an inane question...
Studying all the processes online, it seems that a lot of water is being used. Am I correct in assuming that all of this liquid is saved and used in the wort. So, if I'm making a 5-gallon batch, the liquid should measure that amount for the boil?
 
One more thing...I need to put all the grains for my recipe (chocolate, crystal, oatmeal, etc.) through the extract processing together, right?
 
All grains except some very special ones will be int he mash.

All grain uses about 20-30% more water than extract. You some to absorption in the grain, some to system inefficiencies, some to the greater amount of hot break and finally a greater amount of evaporation int he boil of a full volume wort.

So for a 5-gallon batch of a about 1.060 OG beer you want about 7.5-8 gallons so you can start the boil with a little over 6 gallons. There are lots of free and for fee mash water calculators when the time comes. So you still need an 8 gallon pot if you use coolers but you can siphon the cooled wort out instead of having a drain valve/tap/spiggot.
 
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