how much grist is too much?

[O-Ale-Yeah]

For 5 gallon batch a brew, how much grist it too much? 15 lbs? 20 lbs? 25 lbs?

Also, does adding several extra pounds of grist greatly improve the body of the beer?

 

[mulletmaster]

How big is your mash tun or biab vessel? Body improvements probably depends more on type of grain selected more than quantity.

 

[grampamark]

The larger the grain bill, the more fermentables will be available, which creates the potential for a higher ABV. As noted, the volume of grain alone has nothing to do with body.

You can use a boatload of pale malt, mash low, and end up with something dry and boozy. If Schlitz Malt Liquor is your thing, well, there you go.

OTOH, you can make something like a RIS or barleywine, and have a brew with a high ABV but with a much more complex flavor and body.

As a general guideline, the alcohol tolerance of the yeast, along with the size of the mash tun, are the limiting factors when determining how big a grain bill can be.

 

[O-Ale-Yeah]

How big is your mash tun or biab vessel? Body improvements probably depends more on type of grain selected more than quantity.

My mash tun is 10 gallons. So just add pound of flaked oats for body?

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I guess you eventually hit too much where your mash is too thick. I do BIAB in a 5 gallon kettle and have done 10 lbs before when my efficiency was bad with no issues.

 

[Dland]

My mash tun is 10 gallons. So just add pound of flaked oats for body?

Besides flaked oats, other grains can impart body. What grains to use depends on what style of beer you are trying to make. Perhaps check out some recipes for types of beers you like with body to get some ideas.

Sounds like your mash tun for batch size is big enough to make most "big" beers.

 

[kh54s10]

How much grist is too much is an answer that cannot be truly given. It depends on what you are trying to achieve. For instance if you want a low ABV pale ale you can't do that with 25 pounds of grain. That would make a very HIGH ABV beer.

Also different types of grains make different styles of beer.

A good book to learn about grains is Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels.

 

[O-Ale-Yeah]

How much grist is too much is an answer that cannot be truly given. It depends on what you are trying to achieve. For instance if you want a low ABV pale ale you can't do that with 25 pounds of grain. That would make a very HIGH ABV beer.

Also different types of grains make different styles of beer.

A good book to learn about grains is Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels.

I'll definitely chevc that out, thanks.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

The only real answers to this are a) how much grain will physically fit in your mash tun at an acceptable water/grist ratio and b) work backwards from what level of alcohol will kill your yeast. From that you can work out the maximum amount of sugar you want if the yeast are not to die before all the sugar is fermented, and from that you can work out where the limit is for your grist.

 

[Jtk78]

What type of beer and how much of it are you trying to make. More ABV% does not always equal better.

 

[O-Ale-Yeah]

What type of beer and how much of it are you trying to make. More ABV% does not always equal better.

5.5 gallons. Dark Ale. I don't care about AVB. I'm shooting for fullest body.

 

[Qhrumphf]

"Too much" is "won't fit". At a relatively thick water to grist ratio, a 10 gallon mash tun will probably fit 23-24 lbs of grain (filled to the brim). For a 5 gallon batch, that's a pretty big beer.

As far as body, all things being equal, at the same apparent attenuation a bigger beer will have more body than a smaller one.

However, things are not equal. I've made 3% Milk Stouts with far more body than 10% Tripels.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm going to guess, from the nature of the question, that the OP is a new brewer.

IMO, new brewers should stick with established recipes at the outset, see what they produce, and only then, begin to explore what might be changed to alter the outcome. For instance, increasing the grist will increase the gravity, but if you want to change the body, then you should be looking at mash temps.

No offense intended, but it sounds like taking a stab at something, anything, in the hopes the outcome might be better. It might be more valuable to find established recipes in the style desired and then work from there.

One more question: OP is trying to produce "fuller body." What, in a dark ale (what's a dark ale?) is going to typify "fuller body?" What, specifically, are you trying to produce? Better mouthfeel? Maltier? More flavorful and satisfying finish?

 

[O-Ale-Yeah]

"Too much" is "won't fit". At a relatively thick water to grist ratio, a 10 gallon mash tun will probably fit 23-24 lbs of grain (filled to the brim). For a 5 gallon batch, that's a pretty big beer.

As far as body, all things being equal, at the same apparent attenuation a bigger beer will have more body than a smaller one.

However, things are not equal. I've made 3% Milk Stouts with far more body than 10% Tripels.

Thanks, I'm going to shoot for more body on the next batch.

 

[Lefou]

5.5 gallons. Dark Ale. I don't care about AVB. I'm shooting for fullest body.

Then aim for a higher mash temperature with a moderate water-to grain-ratio. Keep your crystal, caramunich, Munich dark, or melanoidin at or below 10% of the grist. Unmalted grains added in the mash can contribute and if you feel like adding some dark extract that would be an option, too.
I'm going to amend the post a bit ... I just checked a nice brown ale recipe that uses up to 25% caramel/crystal but it will be heavier than a mild or London brown.

 

[Lefou]

What type of beer and how much of it are you trying to make. More ABV% does not always equal better.

That said, I do so love a good bock or Dopelbock bock but there are alternatives like a London brown ale. Extra grain will lead you off into the heavier porters and stout ranges with an accompanied higher ABV level you may not want.

 

[BarleyStanding]

5.5 gallons. Dark Ale. I don't care about AVB. I'm shooting for fullest body.

Porter, stout, brown ale, bock, Belgian dark strong; I've tasted "thin" and "thick" bodied brews in all of these styles. You can use a combination of adjuncts and mash temperature to fine tune the body of your brew. Maybe find a "tried and true" recipe in the recipe database with characteristics you are looking for and give it a shot. Good Luck.

 

[Lefou]

A variation of this recipe could include something called tmave pivo.
It's more or less a Czech version of a dark lager. When I was in Augsburg, Germany a local place offered a cloying brown house beer some people liked and some people didn't. I've been kicking around a couple variations of a 5gal brew to re-create the brown house beer - minus the heavy crystal and butterscotch.
There's a good blog done by beer brewer Mike Tonsmeire. It's called "The Mad Fermentationist". It's very informational and I've been following it for a couple years.