Suggestions for first all-grain batch?

[coffeer0aster]

Hey y'all! Been brewing extract in my kitchen and bottling. Just ordered an Anvil Foundry, looking forward to trying all grain brewing!

Looking for suggestions for a style of beer for a first all-grain brew. I like the American ambers / IPAs, and also would like to try an altbier and lager. Any gotchas on a first run at all-grain? Any styles simpler to establish a "baseline" procedure?

Thanks!

 

[PashMaddle]

For my first all grain brew, I picked a style I liked (Brown Ale, nothing difficult or spectacular), researched, researched, researched and then just did it and it came out great. You could do a simple grain bill with no adjuncts or a SMaSH beer or whatever just to get the feel for it but you need to ask yourself if it’s going to make a beer you want to drink….if so do it. Regardless of what you decide on, you’re going to have to use the fundamentals so you may as well use them making something you think is tasty. My point is: don’t (knowingly) make anything you wouldn’t drink.

(It’s not that difficult anyway , RDWHAHB)

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

My first AG was a wit that I brewed during a snow storm. It was good even my BIL liked it and asked for another. He was a light lager drinker at the time.

Make something you enjoy, keep it uncomplicated then enjoy your success.

 

[tracer bullet]

Agreed to something simple. An American Pale Ale would be pretty good even with a few mishaps along the way.

For all grain I'd be sure it's crushed reasonably well and let it mash at least an hour at something in the low 150's F. At that point you have what you're used to with extract poured into water.

 

[AlexKay]

Anything, really. Especially if you’ve been steeping grains, the overall process is very similar.

If you haven’t paid much attention to your water and there’s a chance it’s moderately hard, perhaps avoid styles that use a lot of dark grains until you’ve got a firm grip on mash pH.

If the question is, “what can I do better with all grain?” then consider styles with a lot of unmalted grain. Wit isn’t a bad idea at all. Or cream ale.

With all that in mind, I’d recommend a cold IPA.

Unrelated advice: be sure to taste some of the malt before it goes in the mash. Best is to do this individually for each component of the grain bill.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you don't know anything about your water, I'd recommend something brown or darker.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Some kind of ale that goes fast. Think of ale styles you like, and pick one. IPA would be a good choice. Use a fast yeast to get a quick result so if you screw up, you can start again without losing much time.

Abbaye really flies for me.

Do what I used to do in lab classes. Make a list of the things you have to do, in order. Look at each thing you have to do, and make sure whatever you need to get it done is on hand and ready. Don't surprise yourself.

Maybe you should run the machine with just water in it before you brew with it.

 

[OleBrewing]

couple of responses with water profile. which can have it's own detrimental effects to a beer. mash ph plays a role and depending on the water source. i would suggest get a refractometer to see what extraction rates you are getting.

But with first all grain brew using the water you have been using for extract you will see a difference in results as the beer will seem fresher and more vibrant.

if you have an extract brew that you have made multiple times maybe try that style for comparison's sake. I am not a IPA brewer more APA, a two row base with some 40 crystal and cascade hop is hard to say it is not a good beer.

Just remember when designing recipes starting out. Brew on the ones (1 base malt, 1 crystal malt, and one hop), of course the hop thing can be interchangeable in my opinion as a strictly bittering hop and adding a flavoring hop of course dual purpose hops take care of that.

the least amount of ingredients will make a great beer. keep it simple, multiple crystal malts can muddle things up.

the water profile thing can be fine tuned later and maybe not even needed.

 

[bike2brew]

Maybe you should run the machine with just water in it before you brew with it.

I went through a couple of trial runs with water to get the process with my svbs. Good for identifying the gaps like hose too short, water volume and kettle marks, etc.

 

[scrap iron]

I think a trial run like others mention is a good idea. You didn't say what water you would use so that's a consideration. If you use tap water be sure to treat for chlorine/chloramine. For your first brew keep it simple and go with an Ale not Lager. You can go to a Lager after more experience.
My first was a Brown Ale English style and it came out good. I'd go with a Brown or Amber Ale or maybe a Pale Ale. Do some research on the water you will be using and good luck.

 

[coffeer0aster]

Thanks for the replies! Appreciate the suggestion on running the machine with water before brewing on a practice run, will do that.

Will try something similar to what I've been doing with extract!

 

[mac_1103]

Although it turned out great, I would definitely not suggest doing what I did for my first all grain brew. I had about a half a pound each of 8 or 9 crushed specialty grains leftover from extract batches, so I picked up ten pounds of base malt and threw it all in. Added some maltodextrin, lactose, cocoa and vanilla at the end of the boil. Voila - chocolate milk frankenstout.

 

[McBrewall]

Use a Camden tablet to remove any residual chlorine.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

My first all grain brew was a Centennial Blonde. I went to a small brew supply shop and asked for a recommendation for a first try, and that’s what he came up with. Said that it was the first all grain he had done way back. Very simple, single hopped brew that came out great. The nice thing about this one was it was comparatively cheap, so if I messed up, it wasn’t such a big deal.

Just go for it! Cheers!

 

[yard_bird]

You’ve received excellent advice on this topic. I humbly suggest one more tidbit:
My first all grain was a Belgian golden strong ale after a few years of doing partial mashes. My reasoning for this was I had no clue what to expect for my efficiency, but I know I could dial in my OG somewhat with dextrose/candi sugar if needed. That, plus pretty basic grain/hop bill made it a good choice for me (that being said GSA was and still is my favorite style). You could use the same mentality for a SMaSH as well.

Only other advice is to toss a pound of DME in your cart if OG ends up being too low. If not, use it for making starters for your next batches.

Good luck, hope everything turns out!

 

[bike2brew]

My first all grain was a Stout because I could hide th bad brewing in dark opaque beer with prominent roasted chocolate flavor. It was drinkable and some commented enjoyable despite missing the og, etc. All of which was corrected with a pound of DME

 

[jerrylotto]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet but get a pH meter. Mashing is pH sensitive and you want it to be about 5.4 15 minutes in.

 

[We2smart]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet but get a pH meter. Mashing is pH sensitive and you want it to be about 5.4 15 minutes in.

Can anyone tell me why I repeatedly keep losing about 2gals for a 5.5gal batches. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? Everything starts out great until time to transfer from Fermenter to keg! I am only getting 3gals when it shpuld be atleast 5gals. I am using a Spike Solo 10gal system.

 

[jerrylotto]

Can anyone tell me why I repeatedly keep losing about 2gals for a 5.5gal batches. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? Everything starts out great until time to transfer from Fermenter to keg! I am only getting 3gals when it shpuld be atleast 5gals. I am using a Spike Solo 10gal system.

What is left behind in the Spike solo after you fill your keg? Do you have a rotating racking arm and do you use it?

 

[We2smart]

What is left behind in the Spike solo after you fill your keg? Do you have a rotating racking arm and do you use it?

A lot of trub is at the bottom of both kettle and fermenter CF5 UNITANK. I do use the rotating racking arm to reduce the amount of trub. My guess is I am doing a very poor job of transferring the wort from kettle to fermenter. There is a pickup arm on the kettle and fermenter. The pickup tube on the kettle seems to be the source of the problem. I have it pointed downward instead of to the side or up position. My next batch, I plan to try pointing the kettle pickup tube differently in order to avoid transferring a lot of trub to the fermenter. See picture and look at the bottom port pickup. I think that's causing my problem! I think!

 

[We2smart]

See attached solo kettle after transfer to fermenter

 

[mac_1103]

solo kettle after transfer to fermenter

Am I reading that right? You're leaving five gallons in the kettle? How much are you getting into the fermenter? How much are you leaving in the fermenter?

 

[We2smart]

Am I reading that right? You're leaving five gallons in the kettle? How much are you getting into the fermenter? How much are you leaving in the fermenter?

I am starting out with 7.5gals and ending up with 3gals in the keg! My guess is I am leaving maybe a gallon in the kettle and a gal in the fermenter prior to transferring to keg

 

[We2smart]

I am starting out with 7.5gals and ending up with 3gals in the keg! My guess is I am leaving maybe a gallon in the kettle and a gal in the fermenter prior to transferring to keg

I think I am getting 5gal into the fermenter. Because I do a close transfer from kettle to fermenter, I can not see what's actually in the fermenter. I just dumped the fermenter to clean and it looks like a gals of trub mixed with beer is in the elbow and sight glass

 

[mac_1103]

My guess is I am leaving maybe a gallon in the kettle and a gal in the fermenter prior to transferring to keg

So you mean a gallon of liquid in addition to the trub? I was just trying to read the calibrations on the kettle pic you posted. Seems like a lot more than a gallon.

 

[We2smart]

So you mean a gallon of liquid in addition to the trub? I was just trying to read the calibrations on the kettle pic you posted. Seems like a lot more than a gallon.

You maybe correct! I started getting a lot of trub when transferring because I had the pickup tube in kettle pointing downward. I may be stopping the transfer to early because I was tired of getting a lot of trub floating around

 

[flipster]

Thanks for the replies! Appreciate the suggestion on running the machine with water before brewing on a practice run, will do that.

Will try something similar to what I've been doing with extract!

Try some Bavarian Weizen with that null run: don't waste your time and the energy! Weizen is really forgiving in any step (maybe except for lautering, if you totally destroyed the husks). Do you grind yourself or do you get your malt grained?

For the Weizen: just keep an eye on the OG, if it's too low, be careful with the IBU. Or: just add suger and you get more of the banana and clove anyway.

 

[Graham H]

Can anyone tell me why I repeatedly keep losing about 2gals for a 5.5gal batches. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? Everything starts out great until time to transfer from Fermenter to keg! I am only getting 3gals when it shpuld be atleast 5gals. I am using a Spike Solo 10gal system.

This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with OP’s post. Your post should have its own thread (you’ll get better suggestions). If able, please move to new thread.

In reference to your kettle-to-fermentation vessel transfer, have you considered running it through some kind of filter?

 

[Brewer Mike]

@coffeer0aster
Join a Homebrew Club. You'll likely have no trouble finding someone to join you for your first brew and show you the ropes.

 

[jerrylotto]

You maybe correct! I started getting a lot of trub when transferring because I had the pickup tube in kettle pointing downward. I may be stopping the transfer to early because I was tired of getting a lot of trub floating around

Trub generally doesn't float. You can skim floaties off with a slotted or mesh spoon. The whole point of a racking arm is to leave trub at the bottom of the kettle where it sits. You start with a rotating racking arm pointing upwards and then rotate it downwards when you are draining to the fermenter until you start to pickup trub. You are clearly leaving a lot of viable wort behind in your kettle from the picture you shared, at least 2 gallons. Trub is usually less than a quart left behind including all of the hops you use in the boil. I generally use a 400-mesh bag to filter my wort into the fermenter and the trub forms a nice damp ball in the bag.

 

[We2smart]

Trub generally doesn't float. You can skim floaties off with a slotted or mesh spoon. The whole point of a racking arm is to leave trub at the bottom of the kettle where it sits. You start with a rotating racking arm pointing upwards and then rotate it downwards when you are draining to the fermenter until you start to pickup trub. You are clearly leaving a lot of viable wort behind in your kettle from the picture you shared, at least 2 gallons. Trub is usually less than a quart left behind including all of the hops you use in the boil. I generally use a 400-mesh bag to filter my wort into the fermenter and the trub forms a nice damp ball in the bag.

The Spike Solo Kettles, do not have a racking arm. That on the fermenter. The Solo does have a pickup tube same function but not rotatable. After several research and advice from this blog, I discovered that my Kettle pickup tube should not be pointing downward and is recommended although not documented in Spike Manual, to point it to the right allowing for the whirlpool process to collect trub in the middle which should reduce trub transferring to the fermenter. I have also replaced my keg diptube with a floating diptube to avoid any settlement in the keg from getting in the beer.

 

[jerrylotto]

The Spike Solo Kettles, do not have a racking arm. That on the fermenter. The Solo does have a pickup tube same function but not rotatable

Oh that makes a lot more sense. In that case, you do want it facing sideways such that the open side is facing away from (with) the whirlpool direction.

 

[We2smart]

Oh that makes a lot more sense. In that case, you do want it facing sideways such that the open side is facing away from (with) the whirlpool direction.

Yes, thanks, my next batch will be Saturday, I will give it a try