First all grain brew ...

[Blueflint]

I have been brewing since last November. I started with partial mash kits and really enjoy it. I finally decided to jump in and brew a small all grain batch. I really don't have the all grain equipment so used what I had. My brew is a 2 1/2 gallon Kentucky Common Ale. I used 4 lbs. 4 ounces of grain. Basically did a brew in a bag approach. I used my largest kettle (21 quart), put all the grain in a muslin grain bag, set my water to 165, put the bag in working it with a large spoon until all was soaked. The temp didn't drop enough so I added a little water until it settled on 152 degrees. I put the lid on and let it set. After 40 minutes the temp had dropped a little so I turned the burner on low and stirred until the temp came back up to 152-154. Off went the burner, on went the lid and it sat for another 40 minutes (90 minutes total). While the grain was doing it's thing, I took another large stock pot with 1 1/2 gallons of water and heated it to 170 degrees. Once my 90 minute mash was over, I removed and drained the grain bag and put it into the other pot to soak for 30 minutes, constantly moving it like a big tea bag. Once 30 minutes was over, I drained the grain and discarded it. I combined both batches and started the boil. I did a 60 minute boil, cooled to 80 degrees, transferred to my fermenting bucket, topped off the water to the 2 1/2 gallon mark and pitched my yeast. My o.g. measured 1.043, exactly what Hopville calculus shows it should be. Fermentation started within 12 hours and airlock activity was stopped in 36 hours. I will leave it a few more days before checking the final gravity and bottling and then I'll let is age 6-8 weeks. Overall I am happy with how things are turning out with my first all grain brew, everything went pretty smooth.

Here is my recipe:

http://hopville.com/recipe/1543882/cream-ale-recipes/kentucky-common-2-1-2-gallon#

Thanks to everyone here. Tony

 

[wetzie]

This is how I got started. I think you will be pleased with the results.