Patching together my game plan for a successful all grain brew.

[DParcade]

Hello all!

I'm preparing for my second all grain brew and am trying to make sure I don't screw it up (you know, more than usual). I ordered the Nut Brown Ale kit from Northern Brewer, but the instructions are quite vague. Our first all grain brew was definitely a case of winging it, so this time we're trying to iron out all the kinks and start to understand how to brew without sweating each step.

Here are the instructions from NB:

MASH SCHEDULE: SINGLE INFUSION

Sacch' Rest: 154° F for 60 minutes
Mashout: 170° F for 10 minutes

BOIL ADDITIONS & TIMES
1 oz. US Fuggle (60 min)

YEAST
DRY YEAST (DEFAULT): Fermentis Safale S-04. Optimum temperature: 64-75°F

I'm trying to translate something to something much more literal for myself on brew day, and am not entirely sure what to add for the bolded parts:

1. Heat 2.75 gallons to 166° F
2. Add water to mash tun, stir in grains (make sure to break up all grain/no dough balls)
3. Verify temp is close to 154°. Rest 60 minutes.
3a. Heat strike water to 175°
4. Add strike water to bring total mash temp to 170°; leave for 10 minutes
5. Drain mash tun to keggle, and add sparge water (AMOUNT & TEMP??) to mash tun. Stir, let sit for TIME?. Drain mash tun to keggle until wort reaches AMOUNT?.
6. Heat to boil, add 1 oz. Fuggle. Boil 60 minutes.
6a. Insert wort chiller around 45 minutes to sterilize
7. Shut off heat, run wort chiller until wort is at 70°
8. Rack the wort into the primary fermenter
9. Add yeast per directions, cap with bung/airlock for 1 week
10. Rack to secondary fermenter, let sit for 1 week
11. Bottle beer with priming sugar, let condition for 2 weeks
12. Drink beer

So, does anybody know the best way to calculate the bolded parts? Also, if you see a glaring omission please let me know!

 

[BeardedBrews]

3a - The water used to raise to mash-out temperature is generally near boiling. It takes less water to heat things up this way, just stir well during step 4 so you don't get a really "hot" spot.

5 - The amount depends on your system losses, the temp is generally near your mash-out temperature. If you have extra water from 3a, you could add cold to that until you have something around 170.

All you are really doing in Step 5 is rinsing the last of the sugar out of the grain and making sure you have enough liquid in your boil kettle. If you're using gas and a keggle you're going to boil off 1-1.5 gallons per hour. So if you want to have 5.5 gallons of beer in the fermenter, then you have to add enough water in step 5 to get yourself 6.5-7 gallons into your keggle before the boil.


You asked about a calculator, this will get you pretty close:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/



Other notes, many will suggest changing step 9 to 2 weeks and skipping step 10.

 

[friarsmith]

+1 for BeardedBrews comment on secondary. It's unnecessary for this beer, unless you simply love siphoning.

The recommended mash water volume (aka strike water) of 2.75 gallons means you're mashing at 1.3 qt/lb, which is reasonable and common.

First, you need to estimate the amount of mash water absorbed by grain.

8.5 lbs grist x 0.15 gal/lb absorbed = 1.3 gallons absorbed, leaving about 1.5 gallons first runnings into the kettle (ie 2.75 - 1.3)

If you're pre-boil volume in the kettle after sparge is 6.5 gallons, then you should heat 5 gallons of sparge water (6.5 - 1.5 1st runnings = 5 gal). 170-175* is a good range for sparge water.


For your Step 5, be sure to recirculate a gallon or so of wort before both 1) draining the first runnings to the kettle and 2) before draining the newly added sparge water. This will help the grain bed to settle and produce a husk-free wort into your kettle. Drain slowly into a pitcher and pour slowly over the top of the grains. Putting a piece of foil or aluminum pie plate on top of the grains will help disperse the water and keep the grain bed intact around your false bottom. Regarding your time-related question with the grain mixed w/ sparge water, it's more a question of how much needs to be recirculated before the wort runs clear. It should run clear within a gallon or so, so start filling the kettle at that point. Total runoff time for first runnings and the sparge water should be 35-45 minutes, not including the mixing/recirculating. I say "should" with a grain of salt as there's much debate around runoff pace and efficiency. If you put a gun to my head, I say a slow trickle is better...

I would recommend adding about half of the sparge water initially, then once it's been recirculated and you're filling the kettle again, just keep the water topped up to about 1-2" above the grain bed level until the remaining half of the sparge water runs out.

The "0.15 gal/lb grain" is a conservative absorption estimate. 100% barley mashes range anywhere from 0.1 to 0.15 in my experience. If you add a lot of gelatinized grains, wheat, or rye, the ratio is more like 0.15 to 0.2

Cheers & good luck!

 

[DParcade]

You guys are amazing, thanks so much! With these updates in mind, does it look like I've understood correctly?

1. Heat 2.75 gallons to 166° F
2. Add water to mash tun, stir in grains (make sure to break up all grain/no dough balls)
3. Verify temp is close to 154°. Rest 60 minutes.
3a. Heat 5 gallons strike water to 170-175°
4. Add ~4 gallons strike water to bring total mash temp to 170°; leave for 10 minutes
5. Drain mash tun to keggle (remember to run off until clear), and add remaining sparge water to mash tun. Stir, let sit for a few minutes. Drain mash tun to keggle until wort reaches around 6.5 gallons.
6. Heat to boil, add 1 oz. Fuggle. Boil 60 minutes.
6a. Insert wort chiller around 45 minutes to sterilize
7. Shut off heat, run wort chiller until wort is at 70°
8. Rack the wort into the primary fermenter
9. Add yeast per directions, cap with bung/airlock for 1 week
10. Rack to secondary fermenter, let sit for 1 week
11. Bottle beer with priming sugar, let condition for 2 weeks
12. Drink beer

 

[friarsmith]

My apologies, I spaced & forgot you were doing a mash-out.

While the grains are mashing for 60 minutes, heat 2 gallons sparge water to near boiling and the rest (~3gal) of the sparge water to 170-175. After 60 mins mashing, add the near-boiling water to the grain a little at a time and then mix until the mash is 168-170. You might reach 170 before using the near boiling water, so just add that little bit to the remaining sparge water. Let sit for 10 mins or so. You can also be recirculating during this 10 minute period-- great time saver.

It sounds like NB recommended a batch sparge, meaning you'll drain the mash 1st runnings into the kettle, then mix up the remaining 3 gallons of sparge water, recirc until clear, then fill the kettle.

As an aside, if you find that placing your wort chiller in the boil at 45 mins kills the boil vigor, you can always soak the chiller in a bucket of sani-solution instead. I prefer this method as it allows a better whirlpool. I usually whirlpool for 10-15 mins after flamout and then insert the chiller. You'll get a nice pile of cold break in your kettle (esp if you use Irish Moss or whirlfloc) and cleaner wort into the fermenter.

 

[DParcade]

Okay, I feel like I'm getting closer!

1. Heat 2.75 gallons to 166° F
2. Add water to mash tun, stir in grains (make sure to break up all grain/no dough balls)
3. Verify temp is close to 154°. Rest 60 minutes.
3a. Heat 1-2 gallons strike water to near boiling
3b. Heat 3-4 gallons sparge water to 170-175°
4. Add near boiling strike water to bring total mash temp to 170° (add water a little at a time); leave for 10 minutes
5. Drain mash tun to keggle (remember to run off until clear), and add remaining sparge water to mash tun. Stir, let sit for a few minutes. Drain mash tun to keggle until wort reaches around 6.5 gallons.
6. Heat to boil, add 1 oz. Fuggle. Boil 60 minutes.
6a. Insert wort chiller around 45 minutes to sterilize
7. Shut off heat, run wort chiller until wort is at 70°
8. Rack the wort into the primary fermenter
9. Add yeast per directions, cap with bung/airlock for 1 week
10. Rack to secondary fermenter, let sit for 1 week
11. Bottle beer with priming sugar, let condition for 2 weeks
12. Drink beer

 

[BeardedBrews]

To add on to @friarsmith, if you are using a HLT / Mash Tun / Boil Kettle setup, Step 3a is where the boil kettle can come in handy. Using both the HLT and the BK lets you heat up Step 3a and 3b at the same time.

Also important, if you don't get to 170 for your mash out, it will be fine. Similarly, if your sparge water doesn't heat up all the way to 170 before it's time to sparge, it will be totally fine.

Last bit, in Step 5, "run off until clear" is described as vorlauff, you may want to be more specific in your notes to remind yourself that you are draining out into a pitcher or bucket and pouring back into the mash tun. Many people use a small plastic pitcher, and collect a quart or two at a time and pour it back in. Repeat until the liquid that is draining from the mash tun is fairly clear, then you can start draining right into the boil kettle.

 

[friarsmith]

Yep. 3a should probably be 2, and 3b should be 3. I edited my response.

Just to clarify, when you drain the mash until it runs clear, pour that cloudy wort back over the grain. Don't discard it.

 

[DParcade]

Good to know, thank you! I don't have a HLT unfortunately, so I was planning to maybe get 2 pots going? Or perhaps it'd be better to get the 5 gallons near boil, add 1-2 gallons, and use a wort chiller to bring the temp down real quick on the remaining portion? I'm not entirely sure what will be best, but it sounds like there are a number of ways to do that part.

I'm already running out of storage shelf space with the Mash Tun and the Boil Kettle....but squeezing in a HLT may be in my future...

 

[DParcade]

Yep. 3a should probably be 2, and 3b should be 3. I edited my response.

Just to clarify, when you drain the mash until it runs clear, pour that cloudy wort back over the grain. Don't discard it.

Got it! Thank you again, and sorry for plastering this post with the instructions. I just really want to make sure I have a pretty good understanding of what I'm to do, so that way moving forward I have an accurate basis for comparison.

 

[friarsmith]

No worries. You'll be doing this in your sleep in no time.

 

[thekraken]

At the risk of confusing things... I probably wouldn't bother with a mashout step.

What kind of vessel are you using for a mash tun?

 

[DParcade]

Mash tun is a converted home depot water cooler

 

[BeardedBrews]

I'm already running out of storage shelf space with the Mash Tun and the Boil Kettle....but squeezing in a HLT may be in my future...

If you've just got the two containers, then you'll need to make a plan for where you're going to put the wort from the mash tun or the sparge water from the boil kettle.

Probably the simplest approach is to drain your mash tun into your bottling bucket and then transfer from that into your boil kettle.

 

[thekraken]

Mash tun is a converted home depot water cooler

You may want to "preheat" your cooler first. Get a few gallons of ~150-160ish water and throw it in the cooler and let the cooler it self warm up for a few minutes. Dump that out. Then proceed with your day.

 

[DParcade]

If you've just got the two containers, then you'll need to make a plan for where you're going to put the wort from the mash tun or the sparge water from the boil kettle.

Probably the simplest approach is to drain your mash tun into your bottling bucket and then transfer from that into your boil kettle.

So my thought on this was to put the wort back in the boil kettle, but then to heat the extra water in a separate pot. So essentially instead of the benefit of an actual HLT I'd just be heating water in a standard pot. I think that would work okay, wouldn't it?

The keggle would be off to the side, which puts the water pot on the propane burner, then switched when the time comes.

 

[BeardedBrews]

So my thought on this was to put the wort back in the boil kettle, but then to heat the extra water in a separate pot. So essentially instead of the benefit of an actual HLT I'd just be heating water in a standard pot. I think that would work okay, wouldn't it?

The keggle would be off to the side, which puts the water pot on the propane burner, then switched when the time comes.

For sure that would work. The extra pot is a HLT then


Remember to think about how hot and heavy everything will be. You still have time to order some silicone hot-mits from amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H0OJPTG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[DParcade]

Ah, got it. Correction, then: I do have a HLT!

 

[thekraken]

0. Preheat your mash tun
0a. Add a couple gallons 150-160F water to the mash tun and close the lid
1. Heat 2.75 gallons to 166° F
2. Discard preheating water. Add strike water to mash tun, stir in grains (make sure to break up all grain/no dough balls) Do this quickly so minimal heat escapes. Close the lid. Maybe even throw a sleeping bag or quilt or something on the cooler to further insulate.
3. Verify temp is close to 154°. Rest 60 minutes.
3a. Heat mashout water to 175°. optional
4. Add mashout water to bring total mash temp to 170°; leave for 10 minutes. optional
5. Drain mash tun to keggle, and add sparge water (AMOUNT & TEMP??) to mash tun. Stir, let sit for TIME? 0 to 10 minutes. Drain mash tun to keggle until wort reaches AMOUNT? calculated preboil volume or MT is empty.
6. Heat to boil, add 1 oz. Fuggle. Boil 60 minutes.
6a. Insert wort chiller around 15-20 minutes remaining in boil to sanitize
7. Shut off heat, run wort chiller until wort is at 70° at or below pitching temp would be optimal

SANITIZE EVERYTHING AT THIS POINT, EVEN YOUR CAT.

8. Rack the wort into the SANITIZED primary fermenter
8a. Aerate
9. Add yeast per directions, cap with bung/airlock for 1 week
10. Rack to secondary fermenter, let sit for 1 week optional, could keep in primary for 2ish weeks and skip secondary vessel
11. Bottle beer with priming sugar, let condition for 2 weeks
12. Drink beer

So, does anybody know the best way to calculate the bolded parts? Also, if you see a glaring omission please let me know!

Here is how I might approach it, but there are many ways. What ever you decide to do I'd just suggest you study why you are doing it.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here because I'm just going off the top of my head:
Preboil volume = Fermenter volume + kettle/trub loss + boil off
Total water volume = preboil volume + grain absorption + dead space losses = strike vol + mashout vol + sparge vols
So in regard to your question "add sparge water (AMOUNT & TEMP)", the amount = total water volume - any strike water already used. The temperature is debatable. Hot (170ish) would be best because you will come to a boil quicker, but it wont hurt anything if it's room temp.

There is plenty of brewing software out there that will calculate all this stuff for you. Beersmith is a popular one and has a free trial.

Here is a reference to someone elses brew day procedure: http://brulosophy.com/methods/processes/batch-sparge/single-batch-brew-day/
You could use a checklist like this to help you plan your day: http://cdn2.brewersfriend.com/brewersfriend_checklist_allgrain.pdf
And I believe brewersfriend.com has an app that will help you step by step through the day too, free for like 4 sessions I think... it's been a while.