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mjrinkenbaugh

mjrinkenbaugh

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Hey all!

I'm planning to buy a bunch of equipment upgrades within the next few days to begin my switch from extract brewing to all grain brewing. My upgrades will include two 10 gallon coolers for a MLT/HLT, a MegaPot 1.2 as a kettle, a basic sparge arm, copper coil wort chiller, a barley crusher, wort aeration system (like an aquarium pump with a filter), refractometer, and a used propane burner setup that I'm getting from my uncle. I will probably be getting everything else from Northern Brewer. I'll likely be getting one of the new Big Mouth Bubblers from Northern Brewer too. Am I missing anything to have a successful first batch? Also, with the cooler setup, who all is actually doing a mashout with a cooler setup? I've read a lot of people just skip the mashout when their MLT is a cooler.

Any all-grain brewers out there have a bad first experience due to something they should have researched more on ahead of time? Any general comments are appreciated!!

Thanks!:mug:
Mike
 
Sounds like an awesome shopping spree!

My only suggestion is that you'll have better results from pure O2 than with an aquarium pump. You can get an oxygen-specific regulator and aeration stone from Northern Brewer or Williams for around $50.
 
JonM said:
Sounds like an awesome shopping spree!

My only suggestion is that you'll have better results from pure O2 than with an aquarium pump. You can get an oxygen-specific regulator and aeration stone from Northern Brewer or Williams for around $50.
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Ok, what about actual oxygen tanks? I went to Home Depot asking for an oxygen tank at one point with the plan to use O2, but they just looked at me very suspiciously! lol
 
The little Bernzomatic tanks are by the welding/brazing supplies.

Oh - and you'll need heat resistant tubing. As much as I love Northern Brewer, the prices on thermoplastic tubing are pretty ridiculous. Look at McMaster-Carr for better prices. While you're there, you can find inexpensive metal quick disconnects that will make life much, much easier on brew day.
 
mjrinkenbaugh said:
Ok, what about actual oxygen tanks? I went to Home Depot asking for an oxygen tank at one point with the plan to use O2, but they just looked at me very suspiciously! lol
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Home Depot also told me they didn't have them. The I went to their tool area and down on the floor by the welding supplies...BINGO!
 
Malty_Dog said:
Home Depot also told me they didn't have them. The I went to their tool area and down on the floor by the welding supplies...BINGO!
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Also very awesome! Thanks!! I'd already searched the giant store for them already and found nothing. So when they told me they didn't have them, I believed them!
 
I just purchased a carb stone and inline hepa filter for about 10$ on amazon and got it in the mail yesterday. I just need some hose and the O2 from home depot and I'm looking at about 25$ for it all. I enjoy DIY
 
Why two coolers - one you say is for a Hot Liquor Tank? How do you plan to heat water in a cooler? Usually an HLT is a kettle.
 
I would echo the thoughts of others. If yo are going to invest in an aeration device get an O2 setup.

The $10 tanks of O2 last along time. Mine is 8 batches and going strong.

I got all my SS fittings and disconnects from Bargainfittings.com

They have great prices and also have silicon tubing.

Best of luck.
 
You can skip the pure O2, it's entirely optional and it's both possible and easy to overoxygenate the wort using a stone with pure O2.

The 2nd cooler is optional too, most use the brew kettle to heat strike/sparge water. Be sure to preheat the mash tun by heating the strike water a few degrees hotter than your calculated strike temp and let it drift down to the temp you need before adding the grain.

Relax and have fun, all grain isn't hard, it's just an extra step but it's much more satisfying IMO.
 
You're gonna luv the taste of your beer after switching to all grain! I did almost 30 batches of extract/mini mashes before switching and noticed an immediate improvement in my lighter beers.

I use a cooler (54qt) to mash in and I've noticed I lose about 3 degrees of strike water temp just dumping it in, so you might want to watch for that. I also notice that I can lose about 8 - 10 degrees of strike temperature just dumping in the grains, so ya have to guess-ti-mate for that as well.

Like the previous poster noted, it's best to overshoot your temp and then it drift down before you add grains. Record temps and keep notes during your brew sessions and before ya know it you will see the trend with you equipment ( ;
 
Just a couple suggestions.

As others have said, you can eliminate the second cooler. Save your money for something else.

You mention that you're using a cooler for the mash tun, just want to be sure you realize you need to convert the cooler so you'll need all the parts to build your manifold for converting the cooler. Unless you're buying it already made from Northern Brewer...
 
masonsjax said:
You can skip the pure O2, it's entirely optional and it's both possible and easy to overoxygenate the wort using a stone with pure O2.

The 2nd cooler is optional too, most use the brew kettle to heat strike/sparge water. Be sure to preheat the mash tun by heating the strike water a few degrees hotter than your calculated strike temp and let it drift down to the temp you need before adding the grain.

Relax and have fun, all grain isn't hard, it's just an extra step but it's much more satisfying IMO.
Click to expand...

^^^What he said.

Moving to AG, give your self a chance to get accustom to the new process. Not a huge deal but different. A little more to keep up with that's all. You can acquire a second cooler for fly sparge/lautering later if you are so inclined. Start off batch sparging with a single 10 gallon cooler with a false bottom and heating your strike water in a 5 to 7 gallon kettle.

Now, in the mortal words of Nike; Just do it!

Enjoy! Your about to become a real home brewer... ;)

:mug:
 
JLeuck64 said:
You're gonna luv the taste of your beer after switching to all grain! I did almost 30 batches of extract/mini mashes before switching and noticed an immediate improvement in my lighter beers.

I use a cooler (48qt) to mash in and I've noticed I lose about 3 degrees of strike water temp just dumping it in, so you might want to watch for that. I also notice that I can lose about 8 - 10 degrees of strike temperature just dumping in the grains, so ya have to guess-ti-mate for that as well.

Like the previous poster noted, it's best to overshoot your temp and then it drift down before you add grains. Record temps and keep notes during your brew sessions and before ya know it you will see the trend with you equipment ( ;
Click to expand...
Thanks! I wasn't sure yet how to best guess or calculate how much hotter to get the strike water for it to come down once it's mixed with the grains and put in the cooler. Sounds like you just gotta jump in and learn what your equipment does with the amount of grain you're using, eh?
 
I'd already placed my order by the time everyone else said to skip the second cooler and to skip the pure O2. I read somewhere about over oxygenating wort, so I'll be sure to limit the O2 time to 15-30 seconds. I think what really prompted that is the fact that I'd really like to do some big beers. That's why I've gone with a 10 gallon cooler setup. I hear with as much grain as you need for a big beer, you'll need a 10 gallon cooler for a 5 gallon batch. True enough? Thanks for the comments! Looking forward to getting started!!
 
On the oxygenation discussion, I use O2. I got the kit from Williams and the Bernzomatic cylinder from Home Depot by the welding supplies. I found this information on the Wyeast web site to be very helpful:

https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm

Also, investing in a good thermometer is essential, IMO. I had so many problems because I was using a cheap thermometer. Those problems went away when I bought a thermapen. Expensive, but I think it is worth it.
 
There are pros and cons to EVERY setup. There is no perfect setup. If there was, we'd all have it. Work within the limitations (and enjoy the advantages) of your setup, and you will be soon be tuning in your process. Enjoy!
 
Stirring vigorously is the most important part if you're batch sparging. A 10 gal cooler is a good size to allow for that stirring and to do fairly high gravity brews without being so big that it loses heat over a normal mash.
 
Bobby_M said:
I think you're missing the most important part... the O2 regulator.
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You're right. That thing isn't cheap... I'm gonna have to suck it up and buy it though. I see the kits for about the same price as it would cost to put it together after you purchase the tank. Live and learn. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Ski12568 said:
You're right. That thing isn't cheap... I'm gonna have to suck it up and buy it though. I see the kits for about the same price as it would cost to put it together after you purchase the tank. Live and learn. Thanks for pointing that out.
Click to expand...

All you have to do is click on Bobby_M's signature and he will fix you right up! ;)
 
My 2 cents, consider a Monster Mill 2.0 - they are awesome! And some gasket sealing buckets for grain storage if you plan to stock up :)
 
Sounds like you are on the right track. 10 gallon cooler will work well for 5 gallon batches.

I actually use a 5 gallon cooler as HLT. I just heat the sparge water to 170 and put it in the cooler until I'm ready. It may lose 1-2 degrees as it sits, but I don't have to worry about timing the sparge water or wasting propane to have it sit at temp if I screw up on my timing.

I would say you have what you need for now. Give it a go and see what you feel you would like to have post brew.
 
I already have a thermapen, actually! I love to BBQ as well, and so the thermapen was something I'd been wanting for a good long while (up until about six months ago). It did come in handy for my first all-grain brew day!
 
mjrinkenbaugh said:
Thanks! I wasn't sure yet how to best guess or calculate how much hotter to get the strike water for it to come down once it's mixed with the grains and put in the cooler. Sounds like you just gotta jump in and learn what your equipment does with the amount of grain you're using, eh?
Click to expand...

There should be no guessing here. There are all kinds of calculators out there. just google strike temp calculator. Input the numbers based on your recipe and it will tell you exactly what temperature your water should be before you add the grain to hit your mash temp. No worries, have fun!
 

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