Easy Stovetop All-Grain Brewing (with pics)

[Flattop]

Check out this link to an Aussie forum, BIAB and cube no chill methods are common.

AussieHomeBrewer.com - Ineo

No chill involves draining the brew into a 15 or 20 liter cube container, squeezing the air out and sealing it for later use. This method has been used hundreds of times.

Another note, we have been discussing the idea of no chill in the pot but there seems to be the impression that it may lead to unwanted bitterness.

Electric Urn. Biab. Nochill. Nocube - AussieHomeBrewer.com

I have not done a BIAB yet as i need to get a bag made up but i have an electric urn which is perfect for this style of brewing. I have read that some do a mini sparge, but i think the consensus is that you must accept that the method is a little less efficient than normal AG but in many ways just more simple.

 

[DeathBrewer]

the first link didn't work...maybe you have to be logged in? i'll definitely check that out later. i need to take off now. gotta go keg some beer in preparation for a visit from me pappy

 

[Flattop]

Yup worked for me, sorry i think for some of the site you must be a member and not for other parts.

 

[craigd]

DB, you will need to log in to see those files. It is the BIAB file collection of which the 2 critical files are also available on BIAB Guides.

 

[messler]

Thanks for the great tutorial.

I've been reading about grinding my grain with a coffee grinder (only hitting the button once or so though), and everyone on this board seem to say it's a terrible idea, mostly because it will kill the husk and lead to stuck sparges. But, if I was using this tea bag technique for sparging, would that even matter? I mean I know I might get more dust into the beer and have to give it more time to settle/accept a little cloudyness, but if i'm using this technique, won't a finer grind give me better efficiency?

 

[DeathBrewer]

possibly...shredded is not good, but if they are only LIGHTLY shredded...hmm. i say go for it (if you already have the coffee grinder) and let us know how it works out


my LHBS is a hop and a skip away and provides an awesome crush, so i haven't concerned myself with a home crusher yet.

(now...envision death hopping and skipping )

 

[RandalG]

Only have two extract kits under my belt at the moment but this seems like the next logical step to AG. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. After I try your partial mash brewing method of course.

 

[dontman]

Thanks for the great tutorial.

I've been reading about grinding my grain with a coffee grinder (only hitting the button once or so though), and everyone on this board seem to say it's a terrible idea, mostly because it will kill the husk and lead to stuck sparges. But, if I was using this tea bag technique for sparging, would that even matter? I mean I know I might get more dust into the beer and have to give it more time to settle/accept a little cloudyness, but if i'm using this technique, won't a finer grind give me better efficiency?

A big obstacle here is that it will take you 1/2 hour per pound to crush.

 

[GroovePuppy]

For anyone thinking about trying this method out I have two attempts under my belt. First hit 78% efficiency and the second hit 75%. DB is the man!

 

[magnj]

I'm ordering 4 batches worth of grains for the next few weeks, hoping to use this method. My batches will be small 2.5G Oatmeal Stout, 1.5G Hefe, Double Bock, and Saison. I assume this will work at these scales? And would using a small 2 gallon rectangular cooler and a grain bag be OK for the mash?

I'm calculating about 1.5 gallons of mash water for my 5lb Double Bock, then 1 gallon sparge and then boil down?

 

[andreiz]

How big a batch of Double Bock are you trying to do and how much grain are you using? Don't forget that you'll have some absorption by the grains in the mash, around 10-15% of your water if you do 1.35-1.5 qts/lb.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I'm ordering 4 batches worth of grains for the next few weeks, hoping to use this method. My batches will be small 2.5G Oatmeal Stout, 1.5G Hefe, Double Bock, and Saison. I assume this will work at these scales? And would using a small 2 gallon rectangular cooler and a grain bag be OK for the mash?

I'm calculating about 1.5 gallons of mash water for my 5lb Double Bock, then 1 gallon sparge and then boil down?

I don't think 1.5 gallons of water + 5 lbs of grain will fit inside a 2 gallon container. You also are not going to get very good efficiency if you only sparge with 1 gallon of water.

Sounds like you need some bigger pots. What are you using to boil?

 

[magnj]

I have a 22qt pot, I was just thinking mash in a cooler would be easier to keep temps up than in a pot. I have some smaller pots available to sparge in maybe 2-3 gallons. Or I could buy a 5 gallon cooler to mash in. But I was trying to keep it simple.

The bock is 5lbs, 1.5 gallons ~8.5% ABV. It will be split up into 2 1 gallon jugs, so I can try 2 yeast strains.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Well, you could definitely use your 22qt to do a much bigger sparge. Are you using my sparge "tea-bag" method? You could easily put another 2 gallons of water in there and boil down.

If you have a 3 gallon pot, I would recommend that for your mash...should be just enough room for 1.5 gallons h20 + 5 lbs of grain.

 

[magnj]

I will be attempting the tea bag method yea. So your suggesting mashing in a smaller pot and then sparging in the 5 gal? I'm trying to decipher your first post, and forgive m if this has been covered, but I'm looking for about 1.25 qt/lb for both the mash and sparge or go as big as I can for sparge? So for my 5 lb grain bill I'm looking at like 1.5 gallons for sparge and say 2 gallons for sparge and then boil down to 2.5? Can I expect to boil off a gallon in a 60 minute boil?

 

[Brewinator]

Deathbrewer,

Just wanted you to know that you thread inspired me to go AG and not only did it go well, my first AG beer was my best ever, a WCIPA. The Amber-Red came out nicely too. Part of the improvement is learning to lower fermentation temps and late hopping, but my foray into AG was definitely a success, and so easy. The only downside is it is very time consuming with my weak stove.

At some point soon, I will make a cooler mash tun. But your stovetop method works just fine - if you don't mind holding the bag as it drip-drip-drips. I'm thinking I need to fabricate some sort of crane with an erector set or something to hold the bag.

Definitely a life-changing thread!

 

[DeathBrewer]

Awesome. Glad it's working out so well. I have yet to hear any negative experiences that could not be remedied. I've learned a lot myself.

I have a very large colander an HBT member found for me. I haven't tried it with all-grain yet (worked great for PM), but I think it will come in handy to take the strain off of the back

Just make sure whatever you use is strong enough to hold that bag up. Hot wort splashing up in your face and all over the stove and floor isn't a lot of fun (speaking from experience.)

 

[eriktlupus]

DB,

last nite i embarked on an indoor brewing session.
equipment:
5g igloo cooler w/ false bottom
4g coffee urn(hlt)
7.5g TF kettle w/ valve
immersion chiller w/ kitchen faucet adapter


recipe is my budwieser clone(sorta) 9#grain


all boiling was done on kitchen stove and i came in with 90% efficiency

 

[DeathBrewer]

Sweet. My friend's got a two 5-gallon cooler MLT/HLT setup. That setup does wonders.

 

[jimba009]

how can a russian hockey team in the usa be the champions of the world? awesome thread as usual DB!

 

[jkarp]

I don't think 1.5 gallons of water + 5 lbs of grain will fit inside a 2 gallon container.

Yeah, it will. 5 lb with a 1.2:1 ratio (6 quarts water) will take 1.9 gals of space. Close, but it'll fit.

 

[magnj]

I may have access to another cooler or worst comes to worst I buy a 5 gallon one @Walmart. Either way I'm going for a batch this Friday.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Yeah, it will. 5 lb with a 1.2:1 ratio (6 quarts water) will take 1.9 gals of space. Close, but it'll fit.

and when you consider the space the bag takes up and allowing the mash to be stirred, it's not enough space.

My max on all my batches is a total of 4.2 gallons of space in a 5 gallon pot (according to ProMash.) This is still pushing it...you have to be very careful or it can get messy.

 

[jkarp]

and when you consider the space the bag takes up and allowing the mash to be stirred, it's not enough space.

Bah. I did it several times before upgrading to a "regular" MLT.

Simply place the grain-filled bag in first and pour the strike water on top. You can then stop and stir in stages to break up dough balls. Yeah, it's tight, but definitely possible.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Bah.

I'm saying it's a potential mess. Why bother doing an all-grain on such a small scale with a risk of spilling it everywhere or not reaching the proper water/grain ratio?

Do a partial mash, get a bigger pot, or make a smaller ABV beer.

Sure, there are other ways, but come on...you can get a 3 gallon pot at a thrift store, flea market, craigslist, etc. for $5. You can get a brand new 4 gallon pot for $20 if you look.

This is ALREADY a method for saving money and minimizing the purchase of new equipment, but I'm not going to advocate methods that could have potential problems. I don't want new people getting discouraged because they poured hot wort all over their stove due to lack of head space.

SURE, it is possible...just not the best way to do things.

If you think you're up to it and can control it, go for it...as long as you know the difficulties and potential problems.

 

[magnj]

I gotcha. I think I have another cooler I can use which is much much bigger so no worries.

 

[cladinshadows]

First off, thanks to Deathbrewer for such an inspiring how-to. I just finished brewing up an oatmeal stout with 12 lbs of grain. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. I'm more of a learn by doing (screwing up) type person, so next time I'm sure it'll be 1000 times better.

When you dough in, does your temperature vary pretty severely in different areas of the pot? I had some areas reading 150F and I'd move the thermometer to some other spot and hit 162F. No amount of stirring seemed to solve the problem. My thermometer has been pretty reliable in the past, so I doubt it's an issue now. After about 30 minutes it all seemed to equilibrate at my target temp.

Do you wait until the temperature is fairly constant throughout and then begin your "60 minute" mash? Or do you just happen to hit it right on from the start? I add my grains to the water, not the other way around, if that helps anybody figure out what I'm doing wrong....

 

[magnj]

I went through with it last night. I ended up with a 5 gallon cooler. My strike water was 6 quarts @170F which turned out to be too low, so I added almost another quart to get the temps right around 155. I did not check the temps at the end (I mashed for 45 minutes) So idk how well it held temps.

I estimated 70% efficiency for my recipe, which should have gotten me 1.059 post boil. I ended up with 1.051 which I think is like 60%. Overall it was pretty painless, I just hope my ghetto yeast washing went ok or I'm gonna have problems. Been 12+ hours and no activity...

 

[DeathBrewer]

First off, thanks to Deathbrewer for such an inspiring how-to. I just finished brewing up an oatmeal stout with 12 lbs of grain. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. I'm more of a learn by doing (screwing up) type person, so next time I'm sure it'll be 1000 times better.

When you dough in, does your temperature vary pretty severely in different areas of the pot? I had some areas reading 150F and I'd move the thermometer to some other spot and hit 162F. No amount of stirring seemed to solve the problem. My thermometer has been pretty reliable in the past, so I doubt it's an issue now. After about 30 minutes it all seemed to equilibrate at my target temp.

Do you wait until the temperature is fairly constant throughout and then begin your "60 minute" mash? Or do you just happen to hit it right on from the start? I add my grains to the water, not the other way around, if that helps anybody figure out what I'm doing wrong....

After the grains are mixed in, i will give it a good stir, plop the thermometer in there and let it sit for a few minutes to equalize. Then I'll check the temperature, give it a good stir, and leave it another few minutes.

If you're checking every 30 seconds, moving it around the mash, or trying to get your glass thermometer to instantly read temps, you're going to have problems. Let it sit. There will always be hot spots, but mixing doesn't help as much as simply letting the mash equalize.

Generally, I mash at least 60 minutes, so I'll start when I feel comfortable with the temp (usually 5 min after a good reading) and go about 40 minutes before I heat my sparge water.

 

[deafcone]

I'm trying this for the first time today. I am using about 7 pds total of grain. So I put 2 gallons of water in a pot, heated it to 165 degrees, put the bag in and grains stirred it up good to get all the grains wet and the temp about ten minutes later is stable at 155 degrees. I set the timer for 70 minutes and will use 1 /1/2 gallons of water for sparge. I am making a 4 gallon batch but only boiling 3 gallons and I am guessing I will lose about 1/2 gallon to absorption during mash. Hopefully I am close. I estimated a 60% efficiency and aimed to the high end of the recipe specsa in case it comes out lower then I will be in the low range of the recipe specs. It's a standard bitter recipe with 6 pds 2 row, 1/2 pd crystal, and .65 pds victory.
going with 1 oz 6 % AA hops(glacier) for 50 minutes and 1 oz liberty for 2 minutes and will top off with cold water.


dc


Well I missed my OG by a mile. It was suppose to be about 1.038 at 60% efficiency. It came out 1.022. I boiled 2/4 pound of cane sugar and added it to get the OG up to 1.032. But that puts theefficiency at 40%. I followed the instructions to the letter and hit the temps like mentioned. Only problems i can see is I didn't use enough sparge water. It was my first all grain batch. I crushed the grains at the LHBS.
I put 2 gallons of water in pot, heated to 166 degrees, put bag in, added grains and stirred, put lid on and temp remained about 155 for 70 minute mash. Maybe mash longer? Then pulled bag, let it drain, and put into sparge water at about 185 degrees, stirred, and let sit for 10 minutes. Then removed bag and let it drain back into sparge pot, added the mash liquid to sparge liquid, added water to get to 3 gallon boil and went from there. I took a pre boil gravity reading and it was 1.026 with temp at 140 degrees. Boiled for 60 minutes. lost about a gallon during boil. Added water to carboy, then shook the crap to mix and took reading, it was 1.022 at 4.23 gallons. I extimated it would be 1.034 at 4.24 gallons so I missed it by .12. Why? I boiled sugar and added but I thought I would have had better results with OG than I did.

DC