Pale Ale brewing with all grains

[cubicleman]

I'm asking this in the Beginner's forum since I haven't brewed in about 20 years and just getting restarted. I'm making a Pale Ale with all grains (no malt dextrose). I've crushed and cooked the grains (about 11 lbs) at ~160degF for 90 minutes, adding hops along the way at different timed intervals. I then removed the grain bag, quickly cooled the wort, siphoned it to my fermenting barrel, dry hopped it and added 1 bag of liquid yeast then sealed it with an airlock (filled with Vodka...to be extra safe). My question is whether I was supposed to bring the wort (possibly after removing the grain bag and before cooling it) to a brief boil (212degF) before cooling, etc.?

If I was supposed to, given I did not, will I have broken down enough sugars to ferment and still come out with something decent?

Thanks in advance.

 

[kh54s10]

Well I don't know the results, but 160 was too hot for a mash. For a pale ale it should have been about 150 for 60 minutes then remove the grains. You then boil for an hour (usually) adding hops at specific times to get he bitterness, flavor and aroma that is desired.

Search and read the online book "How to Brew"

Next time I suggest using a proven recipe with instructions on timing.

 

[dstockwell]

Will you did make a raw/no boil ale, not sure what you will end up with @ 160, flavor from hops, not likely much bitterness.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=540077

 

[cubicleman]

Well I don't know the results, but 160 was too hot for a mash. For a pale ale it should have been about 150 for 60 minutes then remove the grains. You then boil for an hour (usually) adding hops at specific times to get he bitterness, flavor and aroma that is desired.

Search and read the online book "How to Brew"

Next time I suggest using a proven recipe with instructions on timing.

Yep...I was trying to keep it at low 150's but my burner off and it would cool below and my burner on lowest setting and it would go to about 160. So, for the 1st 30 min I cycled a little between high 140's and 160. Last 60 min I kept it on continuous low heat and was prolly 158-162 depending on accuracy of my thermometer.

I brewed a bunch of times many years past and always boiled but that was with MDE, sometimes mixed in some fresh grains (but small amounts). This time I read some online things but it only mentioned infusing the grains at 151F.

 

[cubicleman]

Will you did make a raw/no boil ale, not sure what you will end up with @ 160, flavor from hops, not likely much bitterness.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=540077

Thanks for this info....good to know that there is such thing as a raw/no-boil ale. So, from what I'm reading it sounds like the sugars will have broken down but without the boil it won't get some bitter flavor. I'm ok with that....I'll see how it goes and report back at some time (assuming your interested). Maybe I'll make up for it in the carboy and add something to it for conditioning.

 

[PADave]

You entirely missed a step. Hops get added to the boil not the mash.

 

[Biscuits]

General all grain procedure:

Mash grains @ 148-160 degrees
Remove grains (assuming BIAB) and bring to boil
Add hops at desired times throughout boil
Cool and pitch yeast

A couple of important things that happen during the boil are:
- Hot break : the coagulation of mostly proteins, but also a few other things, during the boil, which is known to reduce/eliminate chill haze.
- Hop Isomerization : simply put, boiling extracts bitterness from the hops
- Sterilization : boiling kills off most of the stuff that might give you an infected product.
- Boil-off : evaporates water giving you a desired gravity. Although, you may have had enough grain to put you where you wanted already.


No worries though, everyone starts somewhere, and now you know!

Brew on! :cheers