Please help me move to all grain

[MindenMan]

I moved up to all grain with a 22qt SS pot, a bucket in bucket MT,and a couple of decent thermometers. I already had a propane burner from a smoker available, so I didn't have to buy that too. Do I wish I had a bigger burner, a bigger pot with a spigot, and an insulated cooler? You bet I do. But all in all, I am happy I get to do something I enjoy that produces a product I am proud of (mostly) and get to save money all at the same time. When I figured out I could make two cases of beer for about the same cost as one from the store (going AG), I stopped making extract brews, and took the plunge Granted, I have made a few batches that were borderline drinkable, and some that were really good. The two most important things I have learned about home brewing, are patience and being completely anal about sanitation by never taking for granted a pot or bucket is clean enough to use w/o washing again. I had a couple of bad batches due to the fact I didn't pull the spigots apart and bleach them before I filled my primary with wort. Even though every bottle was a gusher, they didn't taste infected, and were drank anyway.

 

[BigSally]

Lastly, try to remember people have been doing this for like 10,000 years.

Don't overthink it!

It's not rocket science and if you're off by a little it's still going to be beer.

Relax and yada yada yada

 

[MindenMan]

1

 

[DrunkleJon]

As an aside, you should never tell people that... otherwise before you know it, people will be trying to sell you this setup:

Kal

Wow. What size is that brewery. Is it a FemtoBBL or maybe Atto? That thing looks like maybe a 8-10oz from grain to glass size.

 

[kal]

It's a 20 gallon setup.

Original thread was on another forum here.

The owner of Bavarian Brewing Technologies buys his ingredients from us, so on Sunday I got to go over to his house and look at his system. It's a scaled down version of a professional 60 bbl brewery, only it produces 20 gallons at a time. Describing it wouldn't do it justice, so I'm including a picture. The brewhouse is on the left, one of his jacked conical fermenters is in the center and two jacketed serving tanks are on the right. There's a little more information on their website: http://bavarianbrewerytech.com/

In case you're wondering the same thing I did, he says it would cost about $60,000 to build another one, at today's stainless prices.

Another angle:

Anyone want to lend me $60K? (Actually, better make it $70K as that quoted estimate was from 2007!)

Kal

 

[DrunkleJon]

I think it was just the blurring of the background. It kinda looked like figurines.

 

[MrFeltimo]

I dont have much brewing experiance, however, what i can add to the conversation is this.
My second ever batch was all grain, i converted a 48ltr cooler and the 8 gal kettle was from the fryer we had. my first batch ever was a cooper wheat-prehopped, so really i had no experiance at all. I missed all my tempertures, got crazy about stiring the mash and probabally salivated in the primary at some point too, ah yeah i had no way of cooling the wort down eather. I did get a make a few notes after a long brew day tho, MAN I HAD FUN, the house smelt great and look what i created, and with missing all the temps i still came away with a great tasting fresh beer, albeit not the style i was going for but whatever. I say do it and have a great deal of FUN in the process.
Dan.

 

[Surgicalbrews]

Not sure if you have considered making a manifold out of pvc piping. I also have a 10 gal igloo cooler with an manifold which sits flush on the bottom leaving minimal residual water at the base of the cooler. It was easy to build and keep clean.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/efficient-octagonal-cpvc-manifold-rubbermaids-268491/

I recently moved into all grain and I have found that buying in bulk (both grain and especially hops) has been tremendous. It saves you a significant amount of money (batch cost half the price of extract), and it's nice being able to brew on a whim.

 

[quantumbeer]

If you want to go all-grain, but fear you don't have the space for mashtun, burner, etc... you could brew in a bag. Put crushed grains into 24" x 24" nylon straining bag, pull bag out and sparge with water when done mashing, use stove top for heat source. Oh, and buy a digital thermometer. When you first start all-graining, it would be helpful to have iodine solution, dropper, baster, and small cup, to know when all the starch is converted.

 

[smccarter]

Before I begin, yes I know that all my questions have probably been answered ad nauseam. I apologize, but I just want to make sure I've got everything in order before I go buying stuff.

I have been brewing extract for a year and half. I have a fermentation fridge, kegerator, 3 kegs, hydrometers, air locks, etc. Now I am on to the logical next step - All grain.

It seems like a big step in my mind, but after talking with the guy at the LHBS today, I think I'm going to go for it. I have plenty of money, and I want to make this as easy on myself as possible. Here's my list:

1 propane burner
1 10 gallon igloo cooler
1 false bottom for said igloo cooler
1 8 gal (or bigger) brew pot with thermometer and ball valve

My understanding of the process is that I will put the (crushed) grain into a muslin bag and put it into the 10 gal. igloo cooler w/ false bottom. Then heat (5?) gallons of water up to 155, dump that water into the cooler, put the lid on and wait an hour, let some run out and then pour it back into the cooler (do this three times), then let it all run out into my brew pot. This is now wort. From there the process is the same as doing extract minus the extract, right? Bring to boil, add hops, wait 45 mins, add more hops, wait 15 mins, cool to 75ish, aerate, pitch, etc, etc. Is there something I am missing, or is it really that easy? Is there anything I need to look for when buying the equipment on my list (max BTU on propane burner, build quality of brew pot, etc)? I apologize because as I said, I know all the information is here in front of me, but it just seems like a lot - But when the guy explained it to me, it seemed pretty simple. Essentially the igloo cooler with the false bottom is a mash lauter tun, which is a mash tun and sparge bucket combined, right? I hear so many terms, I don't even know. Help me out here guys.

I was just like you... wasn't sure whether to go to all grain or not... watched all of the videos, read all of the books....

Just do it man... You are ready. Once you've brewed your first all grain beer you'll see that the process seems natural, and like you've been doing it all of your brewing career. THEN... you taste your first all grain beer and you realize why you've been doing all of this. The pay-off is the first drink of your very first all grain beer. Your eyes were shut... and NOW you see....

 

[Peruvian802]

I moved to AG this year and found this video extremely helpful.

 

[smccarter]

Yes. Don Osborn is a good source of info. I also watched all of the Brewing TV episodes at Norther Brewer. Most were about home brewing... several were very informational.

 

[Peruvian802]

Another step to get into all grain is BIAB. I just started 3 gallon batches in my 22 qt pot using paint strainers. With a small grain bill it's easy to lift and put in a colander over a pot or bucket.

 

[Denny]

The AHA has put out a series of videos based on my equipment and methods. Everything from building the equipment to how to use it.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.o...oled/master-the-mash/all-grain-brewing-videos

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

I didn't backread, but OP, go read this:

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

Ha! Funny that Denny was the last to post right before I linked his page. I didn't get pass the initial post...

 

[ronjonacron]

Ha! Funny that Denny was the last to post right before I linked his page. I didn't get pass the initial post...

What a good guy. He should have a yeast named after him or something.

 

[9Frogs]

If you're a "gadgety" kind of guy, don't do it. Trust me, it will become the death of your checkbook. There is just too much cool stuff!

 

[cluckk]

I have plenty of money, and I want to make this as easy on myself as possible. Then your options expand Here's my list:

1 propane burner Good, get the biggest you can afford and can operate because you are soon going to want to do larger batches
1 10 gallon igloo cooler
1 false bottom for said igloo cooler
1 8 gal (or bigger) brew pot with thermometer and ball valve You definitely need a bigger brew kettle for five gallon 60 minute boils you will constantly fight boil-overs. You will not have enough volume if you want to do 90 minute boils, which I would recommend.

My understanding of the process is that I will put the (crushed) grain into a muslin bag and put it into the 10 gal. igloo cooler w/ false bottom.(With the false bottom you do not need the bag. This confuses traditional all-grain and brew-in-a-bag. If you want to use the bag then don't waste money on the false bottom.) Then heat (5?) gallons of water(it depends on your mash thickness. Most guys use 1.25 to 1.5 quarts per pound.) up to 155,This temperature will depend on how fermentable you want your wort to be--higher is less fermentable and lower is more fermentable) dump that water into the cooler,(Once again, this depends on what temp you are shooting for in your mash. with 155 water, if you dump it in with the grist, you will end up mashing somewhere in the 140's. For some styles this will be too low. You need to get a tool to calculate strike temps. I recommend BrewSmith.) put the lid on and wait an hour,(I stir mine every twenty minutes. Some don't.) let some run out and then pour it back into the cooler (do this three times), then let it all run out into my brew pot. (It depends on how you want to sparge or if you want to sparge. If you do fly sparging you will slowly run water into the top of the MLT while slowly pulling wort out below. This should take a long slow time and the top of the grain should be kept covered with water until the sparge is almost complete. If you batch sparge, you would run out your first runnings, add water at about 168 deg to the mash tun, stir, let sit for a few minutes, then vorlauf and run out the sparge water into your kettle.) This is now wort. From there the process is the same as doing extract minus the extract, right? Bring to boil, add hops, wait 45 mins, add more hops, wait 15 mins, cool to 75ish, aerate, pitch, etc, etc. (Hop rates vary greatly depending upon what you are making.) Is there something I am missing, or is it really that easy? Is there anything I need to look for when buying the equipment on my list (max BTU on propane burner, build quality of brew pot, etc)? I apologize because as I said, I know all the information is here in front of me, but it just seems like a lot - But when the guy explained it to me, it seemed pretty simple. Essentially the igloo cooler with the false bottom is a mash lauter tun, which is a mash tun and sparge bucket combined, right? (No, it is a mash tun and lauter tun combined. A sparge bucket would be the bucket used to deliver sparge water to your tun through either batch sparging or fly sparging.) I hear so many terms, I don't even know. Help me out here guys.

Once you get those down then you can start messing with water salts, pH, longer or harder boils, different hopping schedules and techniques, etc.

 

[Clef051]

I didn't backread, but OP, go read this:

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

I was just going to post this.

I started out with a turkey fryer kit from bass pro with a 7.5 gallon pot. when I went all-grain I bought a 10 gal cooler and a braided hose to make my mash tun.

 

[Dynachrome]

Yeah, ...go big.

 

[RonPopeil]

i have an 8 gallon kettle and will vouch for the fighting boil overs comment. i baby sit my kettle with a spray bottle in hand and the other hand on the propane valve for the first 20mins of my boils.

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

I would consider a 10g brew pot.

Am I the only one who first read this as 'ten grams' instead of 'ten gallons'? Now I can't get the idea of brewing a few drops of beer in a thimble out of my head :fro:.

 

[Dynachrome]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-one-vessel-ag-system-380656/

This guy has a neat idea.

 

[Speedbird]

I was just going to post this. I started out with a turkey fryer kit from bass pro with a 7.5 gallon pot. when I went all-grain I bought a 10 gal cooler and a braided hose to make my mash tun.

i got that same fryer and burner at bass pro! I added a steel ball valve to the pot and it works great! Just gotta be careful as you approach boil point during full boils so it doesn't foam over

 

[MarcusKillion]

Am I the only one who first read this as 'ten grams' instead of 'ten gallons'? Now I can't get the idea of brewing a few drops of beer in a thimble out of my head :fro:.

finding them stainless steel thimbles is a real problem plus you need that micro propane burner setup .

 

[BeerFireBrew]

finding them stainless steel thimbles is a real problem plus you need that micro propane burner setup .

Also, I do not recommend BIAB using 10g. Sometimes they are hard to find if dropped.

 

[MarcusKillion]

where can I buy one of them thimble brew pots ? I need to cut back on the amount of beer I drink and this would help . Do they sell micro beer mugs to go along with it ?

 

[snowtires]

I use this one

http://m.ebay.com/itm/181280315881

The markings let me know when its just a thimble full

 

[MarcusKillion]

I use this one

http://m.ebay.com/itm/181280315881

The markings let me know when its just a thimble full

sweet!