First All Grain Brew - any advice?

[mrgrimm101]

Hello,

My first all grain brew is set for tomorrow. I'm brewing a hoppy American stout. I brewed an extract version before and I've converted to all grain.

I'm pretty sure I got the process down in my head and I got all my equipment ready to go. I am going to get things clean and mostly set up tonight so there is less to do tomorrow.

I was hoping to get some words of wisdom or general advice from this awesome community. Anything at all would be helpful for me to take into consideration.

Thanks in advance!
-MrGrimm

 

[chickypad]

Take good measurements - volumes, gravites, etc. - so you can dial in your system for reproduciblity.
And have fun!

 

[Aristotelian]

Assume low efficiency, like 60%, for your first time. You can always top off if it comes out too strong. Much tougher to fix if it is too dilute.

 

[kh54s10]

It sounds like you are ready. Review all the steps ahead of time. A list would help. Pay attention.

And most of all HAVE FUN.

All grain is really no more difficult, there are just more things to keep track of.
For hop addition I put each addition in a cup labelled with the time they go in and set them in order on my table.

 

[mmb]

Don't worry about numbers, temps, gravity, or volumes all that much. You're really just focusing on process for the first time. Keep your sanitation practice solid and you'll make beer.

You have hundreds of future brew sessions to obsess about the minutia.

 

[kh54s10]

Assume low efficiency, like 60%, for your first time. You can always top off if it comes out too strong. Much tougher to fix if it is too dilute.

This is pretty good advise but I would not go that low.

Most start at 70% so I would go with 65% That extra 5% could make a very big difference. Possibly resulting in 7 gallons after top up instead of 5 gallons etc. Or a very strong 5 gallon batch.

 

[Aristotelian]

Don't worry about numbers, temps, gravity, or volumes all that much. You're really just focusing on process for the first time. Keep your sanitation practice solid and you'll make beer.

You have hundreds of future brew sessions to obsess about the minutia.

I disagree to a point. You shouldn't obsess or expect to get things exactly right the first time, but if you can track exactly what you did, you can adjust your recipe or process next time.

Also keep a very close eye on mash temp. Better too low than too high. You can always raise it.

 

[Aristotelian]

This is pretty good advise but I would not go that low.

Most start at 70% so I would go with 65% That extra 5% could make a very big difference. Possibly resulting in 7 gallons after top up instead of 5 gallons etc. Or a very strong 5 gallon batch.

True but depends on method. I try to keep things simple so I do Biab no sparge. I have been getting 62% that way.

 

[kh54s10]

True but depends on method. I try to keep things simple so I do Biab no sparge. I have been getting 62% that way.

Ah yes, I was not thinking of BIAB.

 

[RM-MN]

True but depends on method. I try to keep things simple so I do Biab no sparge. I have been getting 62% that way.

How do you get 62% efficiency with BIAB? My first batch was 80% and I rarely get that low anymore?

 

[Aristotelian]

How do you get 62% efficiency with BIAB? My first batch was 80% and I rarely get that low anymore?

No idea! I just do single immersion, no sparge. Maybe I am not that good at squeezing? I never thought that 62% was a problem so I haven't bothered to change.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I am using Beersmith to help calculate my volumes, so I was letting that do a default efficiency. Should I change it to about 65%? Would this only change my water volume?

 

[Clonefan94]

Try to relax and enjoy it. It sounds like more than it is, but other than the extra time, I actually think all grain brewing is easier than extract. You have more down time in between steps to think about your next move.

Not sure what kind of system you are using, cooler, BIB? I you are doing a cooler MLT, fill them up with a little water, and drain, so you have a rough idea of your dead spaces.

You'll make beer, so don't worry, just use this as a learning tool though, take good notes along the way, track volumes, etc. As others have said though, don't sweat the numbers. If something looks a little off, just go with it, take a note and correct on the next go around.

As I said, I really do find the all-grain process a lot easier than extract. You wait for water to heat, you wait for the mash to complete, you wait for it to drain, etc. Then in the boil, all you have to worry about is hop additions. I always found getting the extract ready to go, when to add it, combined with the hop additions to be a little taxing.

Just remember to review your steps and know your next step, set your timers and most of all, enjoy the day.

 

[m00ps]

I would start with ~70% efficiency first. Theres really no way of knowing what yous systems efficiency will be. Depends on a ton of factors. But 70% would be a good starting point IMO. Then, if your OG (adjusted for final volume attained) is more/less than predicted, you can fine tune it from there

 

[arnobg]

Yeah I disagree with the efficiency. I've only done about 6 brews and the last 2 were BIAB...so I am obviously not too experienced. I got 80-82% efficiency both times with a light squeezing.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I should have explained my setup. I am using a 12 gallon square cooler MLT and a 15.5 gallon sankey keggle. Based on my recipe, I will need roughly 10.5 gallons of water total.

I guess I didn't take efficiency into consideration. What does this mostly affect? Would it pertain to the amount of water I would need in order to hit a particular OG reading?

 

[m00ps]

it mostly affects the amount of grains/sugars you need to hit a particular OG

with extracts and simpel sugars, you basically get 100% efficiency since all of the weight of fermentables you add get converted, because they already are sugars

 

[Aristotelian]

I should have explained my setup. I am using a 12 gallon square cooler MLT and a 15.5 gallon sankey keggle. Based on my recipe, I will need roughly 10.5 gallons of water total.

I guess I didn't take efficiency into consideration. What does this mostly affect? Would it pertain to the amount of water I would need in order to hit a particular OG reading?

Typically it would mean you need to increase your grain while holding your volume constant. If the recipe assumes you are getting 70% of the sugar out, and your process ends up with 65%, then you need a larger amount of grain to get the same amount of sugar as the recipe calls for.

 

[mrgrimm101]

Typically it would mean you need to increase your grain while holding your volume constant. If the recipe assumes you are getting 70% of the sugar out, and your process ends up with 65%, then you need a larger amount of grain to get the same amount of sugar as the recipe calls for.

That makes sense. Unfortunately I'm going to get ingredients BEFORE I will be able to go home and make some tweaks in Beersmith.

I guess for this brew I'm going to just go for it as-is and hope all goes well.

 

[m00ps]

yeah dont worry about it. Just get what you planned and compare it to get a benchmark on your system

 

[mmb]

I disagree to a point. You shouldn't obsess or expect to get things exactly right the first time, but if you can track exactly what you did, you can adjust your recipe or process next time.

Adjustments made with no baseline process established are akin to raking leaves in a wind storm. There will be no set point from which to make dependable adjustments.

I am using Beersmith to help calculate my volumes, so I was letting that do a default efficiency. Should I change it to about 65%? Would this only change my water volume?

It would change your water volume AND your grain bill. Adding grain changes the ratio of the mash, so BeerSmith will adjust your strike volumes to compensate.

yeah dont worry about it. Just get what you planned and compare it to get a benchmark on your system

Brew a few times to get a set process. It's going to change as your process changes to how you like it.

Then, get a baseline by brewing the same recipe a few times and take detailed records.

 

[mrgrimm101]

This is all great information, thank you everyone! I am beyond excited to get going on this batch.

 

[mmb]

This is all great information, thank you everyone! I am beyond excited to get going on this batch.

No matter what, you've made beer from seeds, which is pretty much godlike. :rockin:

 

[RM-MN]

No idea! I just do single immersion, no sparge. Maybe I am not that good at squeezing? I never thought that 62% was a problem so I haven't bothered to change.

If you like the beer you brew, don't change. Efficiency is fun to talk about but good beer is good to drink.

 

[mmb]

If you like the beer you brew, don't change. Efficiency is fun to talk about but good beer is good to drink.

Exactly. At our scale, it saves $1, if that?

 

[z-bob]

1) Keep the recipe simple.
2) Don't go crazy trying to make a huge beer the first time. (the efficiency goes way down, and also a normal-strength beer will be ready to drink sooner.)

 

[mrgrimm101]

I'm worried about chilling with my 25' IC. We just got our first snow of the year here in MI. In the past I used to place my 5gallon BK in the snow to help chill. Would I be able to do the same with my keggle, considering there is a ported valve on it? I don't want to mess up the valve..

 

[mmb]

I'm worried about chilling with my 25' IC. We just got our first snow of the year here in MI. In the past I used to place my 5gallon BK in the snow to help chill. Would I be able to do the same with my keggle, considering there is a ported valve on it? I don't want to mess up the valve..

Your IC will work fine. For added help, stir the wort with a sanitized spoon as you chill for a little more cooling speed and a bit of a whirlpool.

If you plan to move beer through the valve I wouldn't put it on the ground. But it would still most likely be ok if you did. Keeping stuff clean is about the most important part of the process to maintain a quality product.

 

[badmajon]

Congrats on moving into all grain. Like others said, take good notes. Make sure to measure liquid volume and weigh out your grains properly.

 

[mrgrimm101]

So all in all, it wasn't the greatest brew day. I think the biggest obstacle was the fact that it had started to blizzard in the morning here in mid-Michigan. It was about 30F outside, which didn't help my temperatures. I also missed my OG by about 15 points.. I had everything measured out, I conditioned my cooler to about 160. I heated my strike water up to about 168 and I realized I would have to transfer it out of my keggle through my valve, which took a bit too long, so by the time it was done I was at about 158..Ok no problem. Then I added my grains and it dropped the temp down to about 148F. So I heated up another gallon of water to almost boiling and added it to the mash tun hoping it would bring the temp up to about 153ish. It did, but it took the whole gallon. So I had an extra gallon in the mash and didn't adjust down my sparge water to compensate. So by the time I finished the sparge I had too much wort in my keggle (which doesn't have a sight glass so I didn't know exactly how much was there.) I don't think my boiloff was very much either. By the time my boil was complete, I had to figure out the chilling, which wasn't as bad as I thought. I moved the keggle from the garage (where it was safe from the falling snow) onto my back porch so it could reach my kitchen sink. I also dropped a lid to a 5gallon kettle right INTO the wort. By the time I was transferring into primary, I had 6 gallons, and still a half gallon left in the keggle! My OG was low by about 15 points

All in all it was a great learning experience. I think next time I need to be more careful with temperature and water volumes. Maybe I can add the grains when it's higher, so that way by the time it's all stirred it will stay at a good mash temp. I also need to get a sightglass or something so I can accurately measure the volume in the keggle. I honestly can't say what the efficiency was because of all the other problems I had. It felt like such a hectic, nerve wracking day that I completely forgot to take notes.

My concern now is that I rehydrated and pitched 2 packs of US-05, in anticipation of a higher OG. I'm afraid it may be overpitched. But it's taken off and has started out like a champ so far, so I'm hoping for the best!

 

[Peruvian802]

That's what the first time brewing with a new set up is all about. A sight glass from brewhardware.com will resolve most of the issues that you had (except dropping a lid into the wort!)

 

[mrgrimm101]

That's what the first time brewing with a new set up is all about. A sight glass from brewhardware.com will resolve most of the issues that you had (except dropping a lid into the wort!)

Haha, yea that was my fault entirely. I dropped it in and my wife and I looked at eachother like, "****!" I was able to fish it out with my 24" whisk.

 

[mrgrimm101]

So if it happens again that I hit my pre-boil volume BEFORE all the wort is drained from the cooler MLT, do I either:

a.) Leave wort behind in the cooler
or
b.) Transfer it all and then do a longer boil to hopefully boil off some of the excess wort?

 

[theseeker4]

So if it happens again that I hit my pre-boil volume BEFORE all the wort is drained from the cooler MLT, do I either:

a.) Leave wort behind in the cooler
or
b.) Transfer it all and then do a longer boil to hopefully boil off some of the excess wort?

Either one is an option, and it depends on your pre boil wort gravity and what you want your OG to be. If your volume is where it should be pre-boil, and your wort gravity is at your pre-boil gravity target, AND you don't mind throwing away the sugars in the wort left in the mash tun, go ahead and just boil what you collected so far. If your gravity is a little low, or you are perfectly fine with coming in at a higher gravity than planned, collect more wort and boil longer to hit your target post-boil volume. You also could collect it all, boil it the same length of time, and end up with more beer. Entirely up to what you are shooting for.

 

[mrgrimm101]

Either one is an option, and it depends on your pre boil wort gravity and what you want your OG to be. If your volume is where it should be pre-boil, and your wort gravity is at your pre-boil gravity target, AND you don't mind throwing away the sugars in the wort left in the mash tun, go ahead and just boil what you collected so far. If your gravity is a little low, or you are perfectly fine with coming in at a higher gravity than planned, collect more wort and boil longer to hit your target post-boil volume. You also could collect it all, boil it the same length of time, and end up with more beer. Entirely up to what you are shooting for.

Thank you, this is excellent information! My next brew day will (hopefully) go a lot smoother.