Want to go AG, but can't do full boils?!?

[Chello]

I am very interested in going AG. I can easily get a cheap/easy mash tun working and get rolling, but my problem is that i can't do full boils. I don't have the pot and my electric stove just wouldn't handle it. I have been doing extract brews with 3 1/2 gallon boils and topping off when done.

Can you brew AG without doing full boils? Would i just use more grain and expect a lower efficiency? If it would work is there any good way to figure out how much extra grain i would need?

 

[Got Trub?]

Why not do a partial mash? You can do all the steps of AG and learn the process while saving up for the equipment you will need. Doing a full batch boil is likely the single biggest step forward in your brewing career so it is a goal worth working towards. That said I understand it is a big $ investment as it is not as simple as buying a bigger pot. You will need a propane burner to heat it and wort chiller to cool it.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yup, although I'd normally recommend skipping partial mash, in this case it's a good compromise. Mash as if you were doing a 2 gallon batch, collecting about 3 gallons preboil. Boil down for an hour and then add enough DME to get your gravity up to your 5 gallon size. Top off with 3 gallons of water. You could also go all grain if you get another smaller pot and do side by side boils of 3 gallons each.

 

[RichBrewer]

Agreed. Do partial mash brewing. It will be the perfect solution for you until you get the capability to do fill boils. Check out this thread I did awhile back. It is pretty lengthy but lots of good information.

 

[slnies]

Why not do a partial mash? You can do all the steps of AG and learn the process while saving up for the equipment you will need. Doing a full batch boil is likely the single biggest step forward in your brewing career so it is a goal worth working towards. That said I understand it is a big $ investment as it is not as simple as buying a bigger pot. You will need a propane burner to heat it and wort chiller to cool it.

I like the partial mash answer, but there is another alternative. In BYO they outline reiterated mashing to gain high gravity wort for Big brews, if you have the time you could do the same for a small set up, the draw backs would be the use of more grain and time. I still like the partial mash answer though. S.

 

[Chello]

Yeah, i was thinking PM was probably going to be the answer i was going to get. I really want to go AG so i can cut out the extract expense, but i guess PM will cut that down a little bit as well.

 

[killian]

you could brew 3 gallon batches. Im going to be brewing 3 gallon batches to have the option to brew in the kitchen during the winter. Im going to primary in my 5 gallon carboy and secondary in a 3 gallon. you should end up with a case of beer post fermentation.
you can learn all grain with out spending a lot on grain/hops and you wont have to make starters for the average beer.
the only "draw back" is that you will have to brew more often.

 

[david_42]

Short of doing two boils, there isn't an alternative to PM or wasting a large portion of your grain. As an example, I did a session ale OG 1.046. First running was 1.5 gal @ 1.078, 2nd 2 gal. @ 1.037. Combined that would have given me 3.5 gallons at 1.054. This would have ended up around 1.034 for 5.5 gallons, about 25% lower than the actual.

So, If you are willing to boost your grain bill by 25-30%, you can do it. You will also use more hops for bittering. You have to balance those two factors against the cost of the make-up extract.