Brain Dump

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I'm familiar with all-grain. I brew on a 1 gallon system right now. My brother and I brew on an AG system. But I'm going to be moving from an apartment into a house. Which means I can finally go full all grain. This has been in the works for some time so I already have some of the gear. I have 2 5 gallon brewing buckets with lids etc. From my current system I still have things like Airlocks, cappers, etc. I know I need some stuff to get the basic system started like an auto-siphon, tubing, etc. Moving on to th enext phase I'm debating a few things.

Mash Tun - I'm kind of stuck with what to do here. Do I go with a 10 gallon upright and a larger volume flatter model? Concern with the former is potential brews. If I brew a Russian Imperial Stout, will I be able to comfortably fit my grains and all the water I need? I think so but would I be likely to get a stuck bed if I do? Downside to the flatter ones is making a grain bed if I make a smaller beer. Also I don't want too much air space. I'm thinking of getting the 10 gallon upright first.

That leads to my next mashtun question. Is getting a false bottom and a braid overkill? I've used either/or but neverdone both or really heard of anyone doing both. Is there a negative to it?

Hot Liquor Tank - This is where I'll ask someone who's more familiar with recipe building, it seems to me when playing with beer smith, your sparge volume is typically close to 5 gallons, is that typical? Can I mash with more and sparge with less? I guess I can partially answer my question with playing with beer smith, I just don't really want to spend another 20-30 bucks to buy and convert a 5 gallon cooler.

Lastly, Is there anything else I should consider? Stirplate is on the docket, and will probably be done first as they're cheap. Kegging is a bit down the line for me. I've been down that road with my brother as he converted his old freezer into a kegerator. I want to get a mill but will do some research on it first. Plus in the interim I can just keep ordering crushed grains as long as I use them quick enough. But I want to eventually have storage for my grains as I don't have a LHBS and when I do that, I need a mill.

 

[hunter_le five]

Mash Tun - I'm kind of stuck with what to do here....

Hot Liquor Tank .... I just don't really want to spend another 20-30 bucks to buy and convert a 5 gallon cooler.

When I switched from extract to All-Grain, I went with the traditional 3-vessel system. Brew kettle, mash tun, and HLT.

To be honest, I wish I had just done BIAB. Easier, cheaper, and takes up less space. If I can ever find someone to buy off my 3-vessel setup, I'm going to replace it with a simple single vessel electric BIAB setup.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

The issues I've had with BIAB are as follows (for me)

1. Temperature retention. It can be a pain having to monitor the temp and get it right. IIRC from someone I talked to more knowledgeable on the subject than myself, if you go this route, having a really nice thick kettle is 100% a must.

2. When you're dealing with that much grain, the bag gets incrediblyheavy. I've seen all kinds of crazy systems around. Especially for the drain. Watched someone attach a wooden beam to the bag 2 people hoist it and then put it on 2 A-frames to drain. Then the other risk of the bag breaking. If that happens your brew is wrecked.

I used to do BIAB for my one gallon brews. I've found the 3-vessel system was way easier and more efficient. That is of course with a pretty crappy kettle that I struggled with BIAB holding temp. If I had a better kettle maybe I would have been better, who knows.

 

[tim_c7]

Congrats, Soon you will have the gift of more beer. For what it is worth, I have a 10 gallon upright cooler and I have made a few big beers (1.090-1.110). I tend to make more around 1.050 beers though. There are multiple compromises that can be made and still get what you want out of a 10 gallon cooler. For large beers you can
1) Lower the grain to water ratio
2) Do two large mashes ( Don't waste the opportunity to double partigyle)
3) Lower the yield to like 3.5 gallons (which makes the yeast starter easier)
4) Perhaps this doesn't apply, but I bought a cooler kit which contained two coolers. (1 MLT and 1 HLT). I never use the HLT so it has been converted to a part time fermentation chamber, part time MLT, and part time water bottle.

As for the mash tun, choose one option for filtering the grain. A false bottom or a braid (or a bag).

One thing to think of is heating and cooling your wort. You will have to boil 7-8 gallons of liquid. Make sure you have a pot and burner that can get you there. Waiting for wort to cool is lame but doable. I started off without wort chiller, I am so glad I have one now so I don't have to wait as long to get fermentation started.

I have no LHBS either. Buy grain (and hops if you can) in bulk as save some money. I have a cheap corona mill that I got off amazon.com for around $20. It does the job in a few minutes with the drill. http://www.instructables.com/id/Corona-Mill-Mods-for-All-Grain-Brewing/?ALLSTEPS

I store my grains in plastic paint containers from the hardware store.

ENJOY!

 

[TheMadKing]

The issues I've had with BIAB are as follows (for me)

1. Temperature retention. It can be a pain having to monitor the temp and get it right. IIRC from someone I talked to more knowledgeable on the subject than myself, if you go this route, having a really nice thick kettle is 100% a must.

2. When you're dealing with that much grain, the bag gets incrediblyheavy. I've seen all kinds of crazy systems around. Especially for the drain. Watched someone attach a wooden beam to the bag 2 people hoist it and then put it on 2 A-frames to drain. Then the other risk of the bag breaking. If that happens your brew is wrecked.

I used to do BIAB for my one gallon brews. I've found the 3-vessel system was way easier and more efficient. That is of course with a pretty crappy kettle that I struggled with BIAB holding temp. If I had a better kettle maybe I would have been better, who knows.

It's pretty easy to hold temps in a any kettle. You can build an insulated jacket from reflectix, or just wrap your kettle in blankets and sleeping bags or if it's small, put it in the oven.

I can easily lift a 17lb dry grain bill (1.09 OG beer) out of the wort by myself without trouble. I use paracord and cheap Walmart pulley on a bike hanger to lift it and tie it off. I would estimate that it weighs 50lbs or so when fully wet.

High quality bags won't break. Look into wilserbrewer's bags or The Brew Bag. They all have either nylon straps or triple stitched seams.

 

[d3track]

I 3 vessel with a rectangle cooler, but for small grain bills (<10#) I do biab.

There is no rule that you can only use one method.

 

[Happywanderer]

Here's something I posted on reddit for a new all-grain brewer. It is long, but it is my Brain Dump for all-grain. Enjoy.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/3z7bkj/new_to_homebrewing_so_what_do_i_need_to_know/

Scroll till comment three or four, from paulshoop - that's my list.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

One thing to think of is heating and cooling your wort. You will have to boil 7-8 gallons of liquid. Make sure you have a pot and burner that can get you there. Waiting for wort to cool is lame but doable. I started off without wort chiller, I am so glad I have one now so I don't have to wait as long to get fermentation started.

I have no LHBS either. Buy grain (and hops if you can) in bulk as save some money. I have a cheap corona mill that I got off amazon.com for around $20. It does the job in a few minutes with the drill. http://www.instructables.com/id/Corona-Mill-Mods-for-All-Grain-Brewing/?ALLSTEPS

I am getting the Bayou classic burner, KAB6, I picked up the 15 gallon kettle from Spike Brewing when they had that clearance sale a few months back, those should be able to kick the boil's ass. I've used smaller kettles for these and it sucks having to constantly monitor the heat, I look forward to the massive headspace and just letting it boil.

I don't know officially what I will do for cooler. I've debated on doing a plate chiller and chug pump, or just a classic immersion chiller. I'll probably go for the latter because of familiarity and lower cost. I'm thinking my GF's father may have some copper piping he'll sell for a deal or may know someone who'll sell it for a steal.

I'm not sure about the grinder, I am debating between the Corona and between the more high end models. I may just start with a Corona and leave it as an emergency one.