Moving on to All Grain

[BlasBrew]

Howdy all,

I love this forum. When ever I have a brew question I type it in my search engine than scroll until I see one from "HomeBrewTalk". Almost always this place pops up.

So, I am four extract brews in and I decided to leap and move on to All Grain. As far as I see it, for my goals, Extract is Cake Box Baking and I want to be the scratch cook. In charge of it all.

I recently purchased a Burner, I have converted a 10gal Home Depot Beverage cooler and am next looking at purchasing an eight gallon boil kettle. I currently have my 5gal which I am going to use for my HLT/Sparge water, until I can buy another cooler.

I know I will want a Immersion Chiller but I also know that is more of a convenience than a necessity.

I am really pumped to do my first all grain batch. Which my target date is the end of July, on my birthday.

Obviously I am a novice or a "Brew-tard" as I have coined for myself.

Any pointer or information you can pass down to me.

Maybe things you have learned or wish you had known.

I would appreciate.

Hell if your in my area, Spokane Washington, maybe I can even share a few beers along the journey.

Thanks for any help you all can give.

I am going to go back to staring at my half finished equipment list.

 

[Cyclman]

I would recommend a 15G kettle, you'll appreciate it in the long term, aluminum ones aren't too expensive. Immersion chillers do reduce the risk of infection, so are fairly important. Do some partial mash brews then move to BIAB all grain, cheap and great way to get to AG brewing.

Anyhow, welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

 

[Qhrumphf]

Once you're going full boils, a wort chiller will be very much a necessity, unless you want to go the no-chill brewing route. Each require their own gear. But ice bathing to chill a full 5+ gallons of wort is not practical. You can build an immersion chiller for $20-30, less if you've got a hookup for copper pipe.

2nd, I don't see a method of fermentation temp control listed. If you're doing that already (even if just swamp coolers) then awesome, carry on. If not, I'd go down that road first before doing AG.

As far as gear, I think you're definitely on the right track. It's going to take some experimentation to learn your system once you start brewing on it. Water volumes you need, temperature adjustments you need to make, etc.

I would highly recommend you get your own mill even if you still only buy ingredients one batch at a time (although it's also a good excuse to start buying base malt by the 55lb sack). Store crushes are rarely consistent. With steeping grains it doesn't matter too much, but with all-grain a bad crush can be a major headache, and within the realm of workable crush, consistency lends to repeatability.

 

[andy6026]

I also decided early on to switch from extract to AG - I did 3 extract batches and then was building a mash tun. I will admit that the first few batches of AG seemed like a set-back for me as it took me a bit to 'dial' things in with my process and equipment right. But since then I can't say I've looked back. The cost savings of a batch is alone enough for me to hail AG brewing over extract.

Some advice though… and of course understand that my advice comes from my own experience and the things I needed to 'correct' in order to get my AG beers from barely drinkable to good, and a few to outstanding. I'll leave out some of the things you probably already know such a fermentation temp control and ensuring you have a good pitching rate as these are true to any process you use, extract or AG.

1) Mash Temp control. Be sure to have a thermometer that you are confident is accurate and reads quickly. I've read that the first few minutes of a mash are of the utmost importance where mash temps are concerned. I was about 3-4 AG batches in when I figured out that my two different thermometers were reading almost 20F apart in the mash, and I had no idea which, if either, was correct. That doesn't mean you have to splash on the astronomically expensive thermapen thermometer to be confident, but I recommend at least some step up from those $3.99 floating thermometers that are sold at my local LHBS.

2) Water Supply: a) Treat your water with campden if you have chlorine/chloramines in your water supply (which you most likely do). b) pick up some of those cheap litmus paper strips and test the pH of your mash at several points throughought the mash (I usually do in first 5 mins, and then again in last 5 mins, and then again with the sparge water in the tun). Record your results. Next time before you mash use a cheap and effective method such as lactic acid to treat your water supply to try and reach the desired mash pH (around 5.2 for most common styles). It'll take a few batches to hone your adjustments, but the sooner you start to observe your mash pHs, the sooner your beer will go from good to excellent (IMHO).

3) Once you do get yourself a grain mill, find an easy (and cheap) way to motorize it asap. At first it seems kinda cool to mill all the grains by hand, but the novelty wears off fast, and your back will thank you for the wonders that can be done with electricity and the imagination to jerry-rig.

4) Research your recipes carefully, post them on here, ask questions about them, etc. It's very difficult if not impossible to surpass the limitations imposed by a bad recipe. After 2 years of brewing I won't even pretend to be good at building my own recipes yet. That takes time and experience to do it consistently well. While it can be exciting to fly by the seat of your pants - when you consider the time and effort that goes into taking a batch from a trip to the LHBS to being in the glass, you might as well nail this step best of all. You might also be very surprised at how many recipes are floating around here or on other sites that many experienced brewers can instantly recognize as having problems. I've learned the hard way a few times, and afterwards when I post the recipes and my process and ask - why doesn't this taste good - it doesn't take many posts from other users to identify that I was burned by simply copying someone else's bad recipe.

Good luck! Don't be crushed if your first batches don't come out to be spectacular.

 

[enkamania]

I second the bigger pot, I started with 10 and eventually "had" to buy a 15 gallon

 

[UWDawg13]

Subscribing and moving towards the AG method myself. Just got a keggle and planning on investing on a Home Depot mash tun and burner soon, but still have lots of reading and learning to do before I dive into AG.

Finally have a ferm temp method other than setting the house temp and maybe a swamp cooler. Have 2 more extract kits ready to brew but would like to jump into the next step of brewing shortly.

 

[RM-MN]

Subscribing and moving towards the AG method myself. Just got a keggle and planning on investing on a Home Depot mash tun and burner soon, but still have lots of reading and learning to do before I dive into AG.

Finally have a ferm temp method other than setting the house temp and maybe a swamp cooler. Have 2 more extract kits ready to brew but would like to jump into the next step of brewing shortly.

Get yourself a strainer bag and make a batch in your keggle or in a pot. You don't have to make a 10 gallon batch, in fact I'd suggest you start with a 2 1/2 gallon batch in case things go wrong you won't have so much invested. I'll agree with doing the reading but in actually all grain isn't nearly as hard as most people seem to think. It's mostly about getting the grain acceptably crushed, heating the water to the right temperature, and getting the grains all stirred in. Look for some posts on BIAB, it's really quite simple and quite effective too.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I started my brewing career with 5 gallon extract batches on the stovetop in a 7.5 gallon turkey pot. Decided to step up to a Blichman Boilermaker. Looked at the 10 gallon, and thought " that's not much bigger" ended up with a 15 gallon because I could do 10 gallon batches " if I ever choose to in the future" my first 3 batches were 10 gallon!!! Also, I do brew in a bag. Made 2 sacks out of a voile slider curtain panel and a couple lengths of cotton webbing.

 

[BlasBrew]

@Andy6026 thank you for the insight.

A grain mill is indeed on my list. Luckily though my LHBS is run by Avid AG Brewers. They host a lot of "Brew Days" out of the back of their shop. So until I get that motorized Mill I will depend on their kindness and expertise.

As for temp control, in fact, I have a very kind gentleman dropping off a free full sized fridge. Which I will be converting to a fermentation chamber/Yeast, Hops storage.

Temp control has been a thorn in my side during these summer days.

As for an immersion chiller, I recant my prior statement. After my original post I pondered and decided that it will be near my next purchases. A larger Kettle being the first.

Water frankly, I still find daunting. We are on an aquifer but they do lightly chlorinate. This is a subject I need to do much more reading up on. Currently I bounced between buy filtered water to top off and tap for my initial boil.

As for a boil kettle, would it be wise to convert it what ever I get with a valve. I work in a machine shop so that really wont be huge issue. I just imagine trying to pour 5+ gallons by "tipping" as a recipe for disaster.


Thank you all for your advice so far. I look forward to reading and learning as much as possible.

 

[DevilNuts]

As for an immersion chiller, I recant my prior statement. After my original post I pondered and decided that it will be near my next purchases.

The first time you use it you'll wonder how you ever brewed without it

 

[atoughram]

Temp control has been a thorn in my side during these summer days.

Check out the STC-1000+ thread for fermenter temp control - it's a great start, does ramps and profiles, and can be had for less than twenty bucks.

 

[estricklin]

As mentioned already, maybe do a few partial mashes first, it really helped me anyway.

Also, as already mentioned, buy your grain in bulk. Damn I wish I would have learned it when I first started and not years later.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Water frankly, I still find daunting. We are on an aquifer but they do lightly chlorinate. This is a subject I need to do much more reading up on. Currently I bounced between buy filtered water to top off and tap for my initial boil.

Water chemistry is a very complicated subject. I think I've got a pretty good grasp on what I need to do procedurally, although I'm far, far from suggesting I have all the answers there (as much as some clubmates think I do, hah).

However mash pH and all that jazz aside (which, unless your water is either stupidly soft or stupidly alkaline, will be a hurdle you don't have to cross yet), treatment for chloramine and chlorine is important even for extract brewers. If you're 100% positive it's ONLY chlorine, and NOT chloramine, then you can simply preboil your water to get rid of it. However, chloramine is harder to get rid of, and chloramine is also becoming very common in most public water supplies. Treating your water with Campden tabs, as mentioned earlier, fixes the problem cheaply, easily, and very quickly. 1 tablet per 20 gallons of water. Rounding up to the nearest half tab is fine. For a 5 gallon all grain batch, I usually crush a 1/4 tab and toss into the mash water and crushed 1/4 tab in the sparge water and then give it a minute or two (although if I understand A.J. deLange correctly, it doesn't even need that long). Just make sure any water going in the beer gets pretreated and you'll be fine. Alternatively, carbon filter, reverse osmosis filter, or bottled water.

My water switches back and forth (as most do) at certain points of the year. But the treatment for chloramine also works on chlorine, so I just assume my water is chloraminated all year long and treat it the same way all the time.

 

[BlasBrew]

If you're 100% positive it's ONLY chlorine, and NOT chloramine, then you can simply preboil your water to get rid of it.

My water switches back and forth (as most do) at certain points of the year. But the treatment for chloramine also works on chlorine, so I just assume my water is chloraminated all year long and treat it the same way all the time.

I am not sure!

I know when I went on a brew tour here locally the owner was talking about how our area switches wells. Usually water is hard in winter soft in summer.

Or something like that

 

[BlasBrew]

Check out the STC-1000+ thread for fermenter temp control - it's a great start, does ramps and profiles, and can be had for less than twenty bucks.

Wow!

Thanks for the pointer. Looked it up and may be just what I need. The fridge is getting delivered Thursday/Friday

After I check it out and make sure it is in working order I am going to have a friend who is MUCH SMARTTER than I come over and help wire it up for the Fermentation side of things.

 

[BlasBrew]

As mentioned already, maybe do a few partial mashes first, it really helped me anyway.

Also, as already mentioned, buy your grain in bulk. Damn I wish I would have learned it when I first started and not years later.

I agree it is probably a good idea. Just the way I tick I rather jump in all the way. I knew after my first extract that I was hooked and that extract was not what I wanted to do.

I looked into BIAB but it seemed like a "Poor Mans" All grain.

Which.... I am poor.... BUT.... again.... all in or bust.

Kids can eat on their own dime

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

. Here is a wiring layout for that STC-1000 it's very simple to do. Just remember to break the connector between red and blue wires on the outlet in the picture.


Sent from somewhere to someone

 

[BlasBrew]

Good score for me. Picking up an immersion chiller Tomorrow for $30.

One of the local home brewers in my area recently picked up a counter flow so he doesn't need it.
Pretty good score for me since I really did not want to build one and the model he is selling runs between $60-$75 at the LHBS

Now all I really need is a larger Brew Kettle and I should be good to go

 

[kaconga]

I live in Rathdrum and commute to north Spokane for work. I have a few all grain brews under my belt and have done a bit of water chem using the basic water chem primer on here. If you have the same water as I do then it should definitely help a lot. If you want to meet up and swap homebrews then just pm me.

 

[MindenMan]

I am still pretty getto by many standards. Re-purposed turkey fryer setup, 22 qt SS mash pot, (stock pot), two 5 gallon buckets made into a Zapap tun, floating dairy thermometer, hydrometer of course, 10 gallon boil pot, and some brewing do-dads. Not counting the SS pot, less than $100.00 invested, and I have even won a competition using this setup. My point is, you can make really good beer w/o spending a fortune.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Yeah it really comes down to what YOU can do with equipment provided. All the bells and whistles are just there to make your brewing easier. That said it is definitely possible to brew killer beers with lackluster equipment. Quality ingredients, good sanitation, and proper pitch rates/temps and the yeast really don't care what condition the vessel holding them and the wort is in. Nor does having the greatest most expensive brew rig ensure your beer will be awesome. It's all upto what you do with what you have. Been. AG for over a year still using my 5 gallon buckets and a single vessel 7.5gallon ALUMINUM turkey fryer pot with ball valve and bazooka screen and the only beers I've made I didn't care for was due to inexperience and just going crazy throwing a little if everything in and it didn't come out well. (Way too over hopped) I know is there such a thing....... Yes it was like drinking a glass of perfume.


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