ok i wanna do an all grain

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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brooklynbrew
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ok i wanna do an all grain

Post by brooklynbrew »

I want to by the base malt and all the other grains needed to make an all grain beer, I am gonna get a recipe from this page and buy everything i need. What special equipment do i need and is there any site that can take me step by step through the all grain process?? Thanks
brooklynbrew
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boil help

Post by brooklynbrew »

How can ur boil be larger than the amount you are gonna ferment? Alot of recipes are like this
jcassady
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Not an all-grainer but...

Post by jcassady »

From what I understand, when you go all grain you boil your entire wort. As a result you will have to adjust your boil amount for evaperation. Therefore you start with 6 gallons and after a good 60-90 minute boil you only have 5 left.
brooklynbrew
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ahh

Post by brooklynbrew »

ahh i get it...any idea on the other post about all grain
Azorean Brewer
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You have to prepare when you go all grain

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Brook,

I recommend that you read Charlie Papazian's "New Joy of Homebrewing" in the advanced all grain section at least twice over before you go all grain.

Things you WILL NEED are a BIG pot (mine is 10 gallon) a counter flow wort chiller, mash tun ( I use a 48 quart Gott cooler). A lauter tun (Charlie's ZAP-PAP lauter tun is great and what I use).

Going all grain is a noble adventure ( I prepared 4 months gatering all I need, and I guess everyone else here did the same).

My best advice is don't jump in with both feet until you know the temperature of the water, in other words be prepared. This way you will enjoy it and not be frustrated with unexpected surprises ... READ, READ, READ, and then do it... Going all grain is a wonderful jump but be knowledgably prepared ...

Paul.
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And I would add...

Post by BarleyMan »

I agree with Paul 100%. I read and prepared mentally for a long time before being willing to give it a go. If you don't want to construct your own equipment, you can find all-grain equipment kits at many homebrew shops and online with all you really need, minus the pot usually. I got mine from Williams Brewing in CA, and I've been happy with it (I have no affiliation with them, just stating one source). My one bit of advice is to find someone locally who already does all-grain, and sit in with them on a batch to see how it flows. It's a day well spent. Good luck.
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I too agree with Paul

Post by Dr Strangebrew »

Brook,

Read, read and read. Keep in mind that many people brew from extract for months if not years before going brewing all-grain. There are reasons for this. I would strongly recommend reading Charlie Papazian's "New Joy of Homebrewing." He will take you through the steps. Also, byo.com has wonderful hop, grain, and yeast charts. I also recommend "BrewChem 101" by Jansen. The title sounds technical, but the book really isn't. I also recommend "Principles of Brewing Science" by George Fix, but this book can be rather tough to read.

Cheers
Nate
brooklynbrew
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thanks

Post by brooklynbrew »

ok thanks everyone for your help, i think im gonna stick to extact for a little longer till i know how to do that. But along with the extract there are still recipes that call for steeping other grains, correct?
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Yes you can start now ...

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Brook,

To enhance the flavor or complexity of your next ale, try 1/2 pound (crushed) of 20 degree Lovibond crystal, just tell your supplier you want 1/2 pound of 20 crystal malt and 1/2 pound of (crushed) Cara-pils. When you get the grains add them both to a "hop" muslin sack and tie the end off. Drop this sack into a pot of 1/2 gallon of water heated to 165F, swish the sack around to get all the air out.

Shut the heat off and let it soak for 30 minutes. After 30 min. place the sack in a "Clean" colander over the soak pot, and slowly pour 1 gallon of 170F water over it to extract all of the goodies. Use this water as your base for extract brewing, you will get a pleasant surprise. This is the most basic level for adding "specialty" grains to your brew, it gets more complex from here ... good luck,

Paul.
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All grain in a nut shell

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Brook,

Since you asked about all grain brewing I thought that I would give you the nickel tour of my average day (or day before) to do an all grain batch. Look for my "Highland Gaelic ale recipe" here in the archive, that is what I will be brewing this Saturday. Just search for text containing "Highland Gaelic ale" for a list of ingredients OK?

Day before I brew, I clean everything I will be using. I make my yeast starter at least 24 hours ahead of time. I crush all of my grain (9-12 pounds) depending on the recipe.

Brew day, I heat 1 - 1 1/4 quarts of water for every pound of grain to 165-170F. Add this to my 48 quart cooler (mash tun) and slowly stir in the grains to remove air. This sits for 90 minutes stirring every 20 or so min. and checking the temp ( I want 149-154F) depending again on the recipe. Remove all the grain after 90 min. and transfer to Lauter tun. Sparge (sprinkle) with enough 170F water to collect 7 gallons total.

Start the boil, at boil add bittering hops set timer for 90 min., start cleaning the mash and Lauter tun. at 15 min. left on timer I add flavor hops and Irish Moss, at 0 min. I kill the heat and add the aroma hops. Swirl everything around to get a whirlpool going and to collect the junk in the bottom I don't want in the fermenter.

Start running my wort through the wort counter flow chiller, pitch yeast starter when temp is below 75F, lock it down and clean everything else up.

No matter how you look at it this is a 6-8 hour day. hope this clears some stuff up OK?

Paul.
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brewing to style

Post by xbrewer »

This method can enhance the flavor of your beer but you need to be sure the specialty grains are appropriate to the style of beer you are brewing.
brooklynbrew
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thanks

Post by brooklynbrew »

ok thanks alot paul, sounds like fun. I guess after i get good at using the extract and other grains i will buy all the equipment needed for all grain. I am 21 years old and will be moving into my basement apartment in my house in a few days so i guess thats good so my parents dont complain about making a mess with all that stuff. I am not sure if when u were calling me brook if u thought i was a girl named brook or not but just for ur info i am a 21 year old guy from Brooklyn NY,hence the name brooklynbrew.Thanks agian for all the info and i will keep u updated on my progress
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I understood it from the start

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Brooklyn,

We sometimes refer to eachother as a shortened version of our signon alias, I was using Brook as a shoter version of Brooklynbrew, no gender was being intended, sorry for the confusion OK? Good luck on the move ...

Paul,

(also known as AZ, Azorean, AZBrewer, AB, Abrewer, Paco, Paul, etc ... LOL ...)
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Watch that Carapils

Post by Putney Hill »

Here is the most helpful and recommended source for boning up on brewing:
http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html
Also, don't take a chance steeping Carapils. There is confusion as to whether it needs to be mashed or not. Play it safe and leave it out.
richanne
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Mini-Mash

Post by richanne »

Extract with specialty grain recipes are sometimes referred to as mini-mash or partial mash recipes, although the term is being used slightly incorrectly. You can find such recipes here and a number of other places, including BYO magazine and various sites and books. Simply halve them (except for the yeast) for the Mr. Beer fermenter. Do you have a home brew supply shop near you that you are using for ingredients?
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