Explain Like Im 5: All Grain Brewing
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plankbr
Well-Known Member
Water --> Grain --> Drain --> Sparge --> Drain --> Boil --> Hop --> Cool --> Yeast
My equipment consists of a 10 gallon Rubbermaid converted cooler from HD. I make 5 gallon batches. My pre-boil wort is always 6.5 gallons. I typically boil 1.25 gallons (60 minute boils) off to achieve 5.25 gallons post-boil.
1) Strike water: I use an app called Sparge Pal (free on smart phones) to calculate approximate strike water amounts and temperature. Depending on the grain bill, you will need to modify some settings. 1.25 qt/gal just didn't seem to cut it for me, so I bumped my amount to 1.5 qt/gal and couldn't be happier. This results in a 'soupier' mash but, hey, it's working better!
2) Strike temp: I usually mash around 152* and Sparge Pal says I need to use 163* water to achieve this. I usually preheat mash water to ~168*-170*, pour into mashtun, cover, let it sit for about 10 minutes to warm up the vessel, open lid, stir water, and then add grain. Temperature settles nicely to ~152* (+/-1*).
3) Mash: I mash for 60 minutes. I stir the grain like it's my biotch on mash-in, and subsequently stir thoroughly every 15 minutes, while checking temperature to see if it's maintaining (which it always is). I even stir right before I vorlauf and drain the first runnings. This 'stir' process has helped me boost efficiency more than anything Vorlauf and drain.
4) Sparge: With my last 2 batches, I have double sparged. My first runnings usually get me anywhere from 2.5-3 gallons. I always heat up roughly 4 gallons of sparge water to ~180*.
a) Sparge 1: I add 2 gallons of water to the mashtun. Stir rigorously again, vorlauf and drain. This will yield me ~4.5 gallons of wort.
b) Sparge 2: I add the remaining 2 gallons of water to the mashtun. Stir rigorously again, vorlauf and drain. This will yield me ~6.5 gallons of wort.
5) Boil and complete the process as you normally would.
My equipment consists of a 10 gallon Rubbermaid converted cooler from HD. I make 5 gallon batches. My pre-boil wort is always 6.5 gallons. I typically boil 1.25 gallons (60 minute boils) off to achieve 5.25 gallons post-boil.
1) Strike water: I use an app called Sparge Pal (free on smart phones) to calculate approximate strike water amounts and temperature. Depending on the grain bill, you will need to modify some settings. 1.25 qt/gal just didn't seem to cut it for me, so I bumped my amount to 1.5 qt/gal and couldn't be happier. This results in a 'soupier' mash but, hey, it's working better!
2) Strike temp: I usually mash around 152* and Sparge Pal says I need to use 163* water to achieve this. I usually preheat mash water to ~168*-170*, pour into mashtun, cover, let it sit for about 10 minutes to warm up the vessel, open lid, stir water, and then add grain. Temperature settles nicely to ~152* (+/-1*).
3) Mash: I mash for 60 minutes. I stir the grain like it's my biotch on mash-in, and subsequently stir thoroughly every 15 minutes, while checking temperature to see if it's maintaining (which it always is). I even stir right before I vorlauf and drain the first runnings. This 'stir' process has helped me boost efficiency more than anything Vorlauf and drain.
4) Sparge: With my last 2 batches, I have double sparged. My first runnings usually get me anywhere from 2.5-3 gallons. I always heat up roughly 4 gallons of sparge water to ~180*.
a) Sparge 1: I add 2 gallons of water to the mashtun. Stir rigorously again, vorlauf and drain. This will yield me ~4.5 gallons of wort.
b) Sparge 2: I add the remaining 2 gallons of water to the mashtun. Stir rigorously again, vorlauf and drain. This will yield me ~6.5 gallons of wort.
5) Boil and complete the process as you normally would.
LandoLincoln
Well-Known Member
I don't think that 5-year-olds should be brewing by themselves.
Clonefan94
Senior Member
(batch Sparge method)
Either design a recipe or get one off of the database here.
Buy Grain and crush grain
You will need a vessel for the mash tun - Where you add hot water to the grain and let it sit. (easiest is 10 gallon cooler with a screen to filter out large particles and a tube to drain to boil kettle.
By using math or online calculators, determine the amount of water needed and the temp
Add water to mash tun at temp needed.
Add grain.
Stir like crazy
Let sit for desired time - usually an hour (during this time, heat sparge water (again determined by math or online calculator)
Drain liquid from mash tun - now called wort
Once all first runnings have drained, add sparge water and stir again like crazy.
Let it sit for a few minutes to settle
Drain that off into boil kettle
boil and add hops at desired intervals. From this point on, it's just like extract.
And to be perfectly honest, it's even easier than it sounds like I just typed it up. I just decided one day that I was going to try all grain, went and bought a cooler and the parts for it. Watched a couple of online videos and found a good calculator for my water volumes. (give the free Beersmith trial a shot) And I just did it. My gravity was a few points low, but that was adjusted once I got to know my system and got a better crush on my grain. In the end, it made a decent drinkable beer.
The all-grain process certainly takes more time than extract, but if you have the time, I find it a more relaxing and enjoyable day personally. In extract, everything happens in the boil, when to add part of extract, when to add the rest, turn the heat off, turn it on, now add hops, adjust boil time to account for time burner was off, etc.
With all grain, it's a lot of do this part, then wait a little bit. You can actually get other stuff done during a brew day, it's not babysitting the kettle for the whole time. And once you get your process down, it really becomes smooth and easy. I still do extract kits here and there when I'm in a rush and want to brew. But for me there is nothing like a nice all-grain brew day.
Either design a recipe or get one off of the database here.
Buy Grain and crush grain
You will need a vessel for the mash tun - Where you add hot water to the grain and let it sit. (easiest is 10 gallon cooler with a screen to filter out large particles and a tube to drain to boil kettle.
By using math or online calculators, determine the amount of water needed and the temp
Add water to mash tun at temp needed.
Add grain.
Stir like crazy
Let sit for desired time - usually an hour (during this time, heat sparge water (again determined by math or online calculator)
Drain liquid from mash tun - now called wort
Once all first runnings have drained, add sparge water and stir again like crazy.
Let it sit for a few minutes to settle
Drain that off into boil kettle
boil and add hops at desired intervals. From this point on, it's just like extract.
And to be perfectly honest, it's even easier than it sounds like I just typed it up. I just decided one day that I was going to try all grain, went and bought a cooler and the parts for it. Watched a couple of online videos and found a good calculator for my water volumes. (give the free Beersmith trial a shot) And I just did it. My gravity was a few points low, but that was adjusted once I got to know my system and got a better crush on my grain. In the end, it made a decent drinkable beer.
The all-grain process certainly takes more time than extract, but if you have the time, I find it a more relaxing and enjoyable day personally. In extract, everything happens in the boil, when to add part of extract, when to add the rest, turn the heat off, turn it on, now add hops, adjust boil time to account for time burner was off, etc.
With all grain, it's a lot of do this part, then wait a little bit. You can actually get other stuff done during a brew day, it's not babysitting the kettle for the whole time. And once you get your process down, it really becomes smooth and easy. I still do extract kits here and there when I'm in a rush and want to brew. But for me there is nothing like a nice all-grain brew day.
sandyeggoxj
Well-Known Member
There are so many resources out there for a quick intro to all grain brewing. How about asking something in particular. We could just guess at the information you need/want or you could help guide the conversation. Did you want to know about equipment? BIAB vs a 3-vessel system? Sparge methods? Electric vs gas? Enzymatic activity and process requirments?
The simplest explanations have been included. Make some "hot cereal" with the grain. Rinse. Boil all that stuff with hops. Cool it off. Ferment with yeast. Bottle/keg.
The simplest explanations have been included. Make some "hot cereal" with the grain. Rinse. Boil all that stuff with hops. Cool it off. Ferment with yeast. Bottle/keg.
GeneticBrew
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Add hot water to crushed malted barley, stir, wait for enzymes in barley to convert starches to sugars, drain the water from the grains, add more hot water to the grains, stir, drain the water from the grains. Now proceed as you would with a normal boil.
Now go pick up your brewing toys, ckmpls!
Now go pick up your brewing toys, ckmpls!
Flipadelphia
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Just Youtube it...there's lots of videos.
The fundamental difference between All-grain and extract brewing is using grain instead of extract to provide fermentables for the yeast to eat.
Extract is a form ot sugar and easily fermented. Grain is a starch and will not ferment unless it is converted to a sugar. You convert grain to sugar in a process called "mashing". To mash grain, you combine 1.5qts of warm water per 1lb of grain. The water must be 152-158F, poured over the gran and allowed to soak for 1hr. The warm water activates enzymes inside the grain which convert starches to sugars. Holding the temperature for 1hr is critical which is why people build mash tuns out of coolers.
After the starches are converted to sugars, you have sweet sugary water mixed with grain. The challenge is getting all the sugar water out of your mash vessel and into the boil pot making sure to rinse the grains so no sugar is left behind. This is accomplished through a process called "sparging". There are several methods. The easiest is called "batch sparging". Basically, you drain the sugary water into the boil pot and fill it back up with 170F water and drain again. By rinsing the grain with 170F water you effectively rinse the grains AND halt any further sugar conversion to lock in your malt profile.
Once all the sugar water is collected in the boil pot, it's just like brewing extract. Bring your contents to a boil and begin your hop additions.
Extract is a form ot sugar and easily fermented. Grain is a starch and will not ferment unless it is converted to a sugar. You convert grain to sugar in a process called "mashing". To mash grain, you combine 1.5qts of warm water per 1lb of grain. The water must be 152-158F, poured over the gran and allowed to soak for 1hr. The warm water activates enzymes inside the grain which convert starches to sugars. Holding the temperature for 1hr is critical which is why people build mash tuns out of coolers.
After the starches are converted to sugars, you have sweet sugary water mixed with grain. The challenge is getting all the sugar water out of your mash vessel and into the boil pot making sure to rinse the grains so no sugar is left behind. This is accomplished through a process called "sparging". There are several methods. The easiest is called "batch sparging". Basically, you drain the sugary water into the boil pot and fill it back up with 170F water and drain again. By rinsing the grain with 170F water you effectively rinse the grains AND halt any further sugar conversion to lock in your malt profile.
Once all the sugar water is collected in the boil pot, it's just like brewing extract. Bring your contents to a boil and begin your hop additions.
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