Best way to get into all grain

[Jhuebner044]

Hey folks - So I just finished my 3rd extract brew and I'm really itching to get into all grain. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment so space can definitely be an issue in terms of equipment. What is the best way to go about making the transition into all grain? I've read some articles about creating Mash Tuns out of coolers with a fliter on the bottom - it seems pretty simple and doesn't seem to require much space. If I go this route will I need another container to sparge or will the filter allow me to transfer the hot liquor straight into the kettle? Any comments and advice are greatly appreciated!

 

[JDGator]

for me it was BIAB. rather simple and all i really needed was a big pot. i had a turkey fryer (propane) burner. 16gal pot and lid cost me $100 and the LHBS store gave me a 29"x29" mesh bag when i got my grains.

 

[wilserbrewer]

All grain can be as simple or as complex as you care to make it. Cooler mash tuns work well and are simple to build, or more complex if you desire.

BIAB is also a very simple form of all grain brewing.

Rather than guess, it would be helpful if you list the equipment you currently have...stock pots? Cooler? Immersion chiller? Thermometer? HDPE buckets? Large tub? Kitchen strainer?

It's very posssible you could easily cobble together enough equipment to do an AG batch, if even a smaller 2-3 gallon batch to get your feet wet.

At the end of the day, AG brewing is as simple as mixing crushed grain and water together and holding at a specific temperature for an hour to convert the starch to sugar, then seperating the grain from the wort and rinsing (sparging) to get additional wort.

 

[DirtyPirate]

I too just took the leap into all grain. I have done a 1 gallon Honey Wheat to wet my feet. Last night I did A 3 gallon Jake's Cascading Dark Ale (BIAB) kit. From NorthernBrewer.com. A large pot was all it took. I am slowly expanding my brewing equipment empire. I think a keggle is my next project. The average OG is 1.060 for the kit I was very impressed to see my hydrometer hit 1.069 after my mash out sample had cooled.

 

[454k30]

My first, and most recent, AG beers have been BIAB. I have been making small (3.5 gallon) batches as I am testing some recipe ideas. I like the BIAB as you can experiment on a small scale not only with recipes but also methods. I have been able to very easily practice doing multi step decoction brewing as well as trying many different grains without the volume of a larger setup.

 

[TyTanium]

Buy a sack of malt.

Once you see the cost savings, you'll figure out how to make it work

 

[hunter_le five]

+1 on BIAB.

I currently use a cooler MLT and HLT and a steel stockpot for boiling, and I love the setup, but if space is a concern I think BIAB is the best option (not to mention cheapest). All you need is a large pot and a strainer bag.

 

[Homercidal]

Like wilserbrewer said, it kind of depends on what you already have and what you want to spend.

I think the BEST way to TRY AG is to do a brew-in-a-bag. The only extra thing you need over Extract is a nylon paint strainer bag.

It's not the easiest permanent solution, IMO, but it's true AG and lets you try the mash process for cheap. After that, a cooler mash tun or keg with false bottom or whatever you want can coem when you decide to spend the $$ on it. Note that a good cooler mash tun can be made for $50-60 too, so they aren't THAT expensive.

And the cost saving in grain vs extract will recover that cost quickly!

 

[Jhuebner044]

All grain can be as simple or as complex as you care to make it. Cooler mash tuns work well and are simple to build, or more complex if you desire.

BIAB is also a very simple form of all grain brewing.

Rather than guess, it would be helpful if you list the equipment you currently have...stock pots? Cooler? Immersion chiller? Thermometer? HDPE buckets? Large tub? Kitchen strainer?

It's very posssible you could easily cobble together enough equipment to do an AG batch, if even a smaller 2-3 gallon batch to get your feet wet.

At the end of the day, AG brewing is as simple as mixing crushed grain and water together and holding at a specific temperature for an hour to convert the starch to sugar, then seperating the grain from the wort and rinsing (sparging) to get additional wort.

I have all the equipment needed to brew with extract, 2 HDPE buckets, thermometer and a large stock pot. I was going to purchase an immersion chiller, cooler, and strainer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

How large a stock pot? The term "large stock pot" around here can vary quite a bit...cheers!

 

[Beer-lord]

I definitely think BIAB is the way to go. Learning curve is shorter, I think you'll make less mistakes and less equipment. But, the pot needs to be larger so maybe it's a wash in that regard.

I did the 'normal' way years ago, stopped brewing, sold my stuff and started off again many years later and I'm loving BIAB. There's pros and cons to both.

 

[gr8shandini]

If I go this route [cooler for MLT] will I need another container to sparge or will the filter allow me to transfer the hot liquor straight into the kettle? Any comments and advice are greatly appreciated!

It depends on how and even if you want to sparge. Your options are:

1. Fly sparging - like the commercial brewers do, continuously running water through the grain bed.

2. Batch sparging - draining off the first runnings and then adding one or more additions of sparge water all at once

3. No sparge - adding the complete volume of hot liquor to the MLT at the end of the mash.

And that's pretty much in order of efficiency you'd get. #1 and 2 require a hot liquor tank. #3 wouldn't (your kettle could pull double duty as the HLT). There are also 2 vessel HERMS systems that would get great efficiency in a small area, but I think that's a little more complicated than you're looking for right now.

Some other considerations are how big of a batch you want to brew and if you have outdoor space available. A full 5 gallon batch of all-grain is going to require you to collect about 6.5 gallons of wort and both bring it to a boil and chill it in a reasonable amount of time. That's more than most stove tops can handle on the hot side and you'll need a wort chiller on the cold side. Once you're off the stove top, you're probably looking at propane, and that means you're moving outside.

If you're stuck inside, 3 gallon batches are probably the best you can hope for unless you want to do partial boils and top up in the fermenter like you're probably doing with extract. Either way, you're going to be deviating from most all-grain recipes you're going to find. Scaling down is easy, but if you want to do partial boils, some brewing software is probably a good idea. Also, you're still going to need to boil off at least a half gallon to avoid DMS, so you'll want a real range hood with an exhaust or rig some other way to get all the moisture outside.

Finally, go on ebay and find yourself a refractometer with automatic temperature control. You can find them for $20-30 + about 10 bucks in shipping. It'll make your life much, much easier come brew day.

 

[Jhuebner044]

How large a stock pot? The term "large stock pot" around here can vary quite a bit...cheers!

haha good point - it's an 8 gallon pot

 

[wilserbrewer]

it's an 8 gallon pot

Ok your all set for a kettle...perfect!

Basicly all you need now is a way to separate the grain from the wort after you mash it. You could try a BIAB w/ paint strainer bags, try and make a bag.

Convert a cooler...do you own a cooler? You could even make a mash tun out of an HDPE bucket, and wrap it in a blanket.

 

[sok454]

Great thread guys!

I recently moved to the biab/partial mash process. I've gotten a chiller, a new 9 gal 2 weld kettle, and a burner (delivery today). I did the large paint bags and used my other kettle as the MT... didn't get great efficiency was at 1.054 OG (supplemented w DME/LME for the RIS) but was happy with the process!

 

[andy6026]

Like you, I started with 3 extract batches (the first two of which I ended up tossing because I added waaaay too much priming sugar) and then got itching to go all grain.

It sounds like your space limitations might make it most practical for you to do BIAB, but I've never done that.

An immersion chiller is easy to make if you're very careful wrapping the copper into a coil. I was a little impatient and kinked mine in several places. Not being satisified I cut out the kinks with a pipe cutter and then struggled to find the 1/2" OD couplings that I needed to rejoin them. It all turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, but I suppose I can take pride in the fact that I built the ugly monstrosity of a chiller myself.

The mashtun was significantly simpler to build. I followed this video on youtube on how to convert a cooler. However, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T USED GALVANIZED PARTS as they are poisonous. Use Stainless steel. You can also take the surface lead out of the brass using peroxide and vinegar solution (see the comments in the video and you'll find the proper ratio).

You'll also need a grain mill if you don't have access to pre-milled grains.

Equipment costs and building frustrations aside, I find it significantly cheaper and a lot more interesting to brew from grains. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[uxo]

I like the way he explains everything. Nice guy.


Mash Tun

http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/mashtun.htm

All Grain brewing.