First AG... didn't go so well

[nukebrewer]

So, I did my first AG batch and it didn't exactly go as planned. My actual process, I think was ok. I followed the instructions on this page, but my efficiency was horrible. Due to my decreased boiling capacity since I am brewing on my stove, I wasn't able to boil the amount I would have liked. Because of this, I only did one sparge to keep from getting more wort out than I could boil on my stove. Does anyone have any suggestions for stove top all grain brewing? If not, I think I will stick to extract brewing until I have the facilities and equipment to do a proper all grain batch. Thanks.

-AJ

 

[schweaty]

Or you can try this method.

Partial Mash Brewing

 

[nukebrewer]

Thanks, I read that thread, but I thought I could AG it. I will definitely PM it next batch.

 

[MN_Jay]

Some people on here have been splitting their wort in 2 separate 5 gallon pots and boiling that way, of course you split your hops additions as well. I haven't tried this yet but hopefully this month sometime I'll have some time.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Some people on here have been splitting their wort in 2 separate 5 gallon pots and boiling that way, of course you split your hops additions as well. I haven't tried this yet but hopefully this month sometime I'll have some time.

Unless you have a really high output burner, this is your best bet IMO.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Or if you do not want to juggle two BK's at once, just scale back and do 2.5/3 gallon batches. I just did one like this on my ceramic cooktop about 10 days ago.

Additionally, when you are ready to rack to your secondary or bottling bucket, you could begin your second half of the batch and pitch it onto your cake you just racked off of as well.

 

[njnear76]

You can build or buy heatsticks. Sorry to hear about your troubles. :-(

 

[Bobby_M]

I agree with the idea of moving a small portion of your wort to an auxiliary pot on another burner until you can get yourself a 10 gallon pot and large outdoor burner.

 

[nukebrewer]

Thanks for all your input and suggestions. I will look into them and pick the one I like best.

You can build or buy heatsticks. Sorry to hear about your troubles. :-(

No worries, everything else will be to style except OG and ABV, so I'm not overly worried about how the beer will turn out. I just have this...thing about brewing beer as well as possibly can, and I missed the mark yesterday.

What are heatsticks and how do I go about building them?

 

[phissionkorps]

I do 6 gallon boils in a turkey fryer pot on an apartment stove. It takes a while, but it works. Evaporation rate is pretty low (.66g/hr) so you have to take that into account with efficiency. I don't have a consistent efficiency yet, but once I figure it out I'll be able to more easily nail down what I want. There was a thread somewhere about someone who made an insulating sleeve to put on their pot to increase boiling rate. I need to make myself one of those sometime soon.