First time all grain...how's it going to taste?

[70Cuda383]

so, I decided to take the plunge and do an all grain batch. AND I wanted to try a fat tire copy.

all in all, I think it went ok. a bit messy due to flaws in my procedure, but I saw a video on you tube that made everything look VERY simple and neat and clean, so I'm going to try that next time.

anyway, once all the brewing was done I took a specific gravity measurement. target was 1.050

I have 1.030

so, will my beer taste weak and watery? or will the flavor be ok, and it's just low on alcohol?

anyway, I'm going to press on, let it go and see how I can improve it for the next time! (recipe called for a bunch of 1/2 lb grain selections, which came in 1 lb bags, so I have enough to do the batch again in a few weeks)

 

[JonK331]

It'll be a bit thin but not bad for your first time. Pretty much everyone gets a lower than target OG the first time. Next time will be better, make sure you nail your temps. Also, are you batch or fly sparging?

 

[70Cuda383]

Um....Batch?


I heated up 9 quarts of water per the recipe, target was 154. I took the water to 160 and dumped in the grain, knowing the cold grain would take heat out. once it was all in and stired up, I was at about 149, so I added more heat to get up to 156 and then let it sit.

after the 45 minutes I re-checked it and I was at about 151. I poured all the grains out into a cheese cloth over a 5 gallon bucket. the cloth was tied around the lid to suspend the grain in the air. this would have worked great if I had a spigot on the bucket! but I didn't...so once the water got high, I had to untie the cloth and lift the grain out...at which point, I wasn't able to tie it back into place, so I had to set it in the bottom of the bucket, pour hot water over it (around 175-180 degrees) and again, lift the grains out....much like dipping a tea bag in a hot cup of water. when I added water, I sprinkled it over the entire top of the grain pile until the water was deep enough to submerge the grain again, which is when I lifted it out.

I ran through 7 gallons of water doing this, but apparently left about 2 gallons in the grain, or lost to steam/splash during all this process, because I only had about 5 gallons in the brew pot, at which point I started my boil.

I saw the video on you tube where the guy uses the big cooler with the metal screen/sock in the bottom, and it made everything look really simple, neat, and clean.

I want to copy his method, unless I see something else somewhere that works better!

 

[BBL_Brewer]

check out this link. http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

It has good instructions on how to build a cooler mash tun. What it doesn't explain very well though is what to use for a bulk head fitting. I ended up using a rubber stopper with tubing going through the hole. I inserted the stopper from the inside of the cooler so that water pressure holds it in place instead of popping it out. Works great and have never had a leak. Simple, easy to install and easy to remove.

Here's a couple pics of mine.

 

[JonK331]

Um....Batch?


I heated up 9 quarts of water per the recipe, target was 154. I took the water to 160 and dumped in the grain, knowing the cold grain would take heat out. once it was all in and stired up, I was at about 149, so I added more heat to get up to 156 and then let it sit.

after the 45 minutes I re-checked it and I was at about 151. I poured all the grains out into a cheese cloth over a 5 gallon bucket. the cloth was tied around the lid to suspend the grain in the air. this would have worked great if I had a spigot on the bucket! but I didn't...so once the water got high, I had to untie the cloth and lift the grain out...at which point, I wasn't able to tie it back into place, so I had to set it in the bottom of the bucket, pour hot water over it (around 175-180 degrees) and again, lift the grains out....much like dipping a tea bag in a hot cup of water. when I added water, I sprinkled it over the entire top of the grain pile until the water was deep enough to submerge the grain again, which is when I lifted it out.

I ran through 7 gallons of water doing this, but apparently left about 2 gallons in the grain, or lost to steam/splash during all this process, because I only had about 5 gallons in the brew pot, at which point I started my boil.

I saw the video on you tube where the guy uses the big cooler with the metal screen/sock in the bottom, and it made everything look really simple, neat, and clean.

I want to copy his method, unless I see something else somewhere that works better!

I use food grade plastic buckets. you can mash in one, covered, and wrapped with old towels or blankets. For a lauter ton, you can drill lots of small holes in the bottom of another food grade bucket and place it inside of a bottling bucket. This creates a false bottom. Works great and is inexpensive. I've been doing this for years and haven't had any desire to switch.

 

[70Cuda383]

When doing the rinse or sparge, is it better to run like, 10 gallons of water through till it runs "clear" out the bottom, then boil it back down to 5?

or is it best to find another way to maximize your efficiency? (grain mill size, mash/sparge temps, etc.)

 

[Bithead]

When doing the rinse or sparge, is it better to run like, 10 gallons of water through till it runs "clear" out the bottom, then boil it back down to 5?

or is it best to find another way to maximize your efficiency? (grain mill size, mash/sparge temps, etc.)

You need to calculate the amount of water for the mash & sparge based on your batch size and other factors such as expected boil off, grain absorption and the like . I use Beersmith but there's other choices with some online & free

http://www.brewcalcs.com/
http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

 

[PowellAvenueBrew]

For me it makes sense to have a 3 piece set for AG brewing. First up you've got your HLT for heating water, second you've got the mashtun and third you've got your boil kettle. cooler for your mashtun works pretty well. There is someone out there who makes a hard screen that allows for better flow (can't find a link right now) or buy a false bottom for round cooler. It's worth the money to keep the mash simple. Also for sure use some of the great calculators for figuring out your temps.