Will this procedure work?

[bleedbluesgtr71]

I want to make a 5 gallon batch of a recipe i created using all grain. It's gonna be a ordinary bitter, it would be my first AG. I plan on using 3 pounds of 2-row pale, 1 pound carapils, and 2 pounds of crystal 20. Now my question is, can i just steep the grains for 45 minutes to an hour at 156 degrees then rinse the grains with 170 degree water? I calculated the gravity at 1.041.

 

[FarmBoy530]

It sounds to me like you have some studying up to do before you brew all grain. Make sure you have you system set up, procedure down, and a test run in place before you start! I will address a couple issues that are obvious just from your original post. The og you came up with was at 100% efficiency. When using grain, this is based on how much sugar you pull from the grain. The % of sugar extracted vs % extractable. You don't know your efficiency until you run your system, but even the pros may be in the low 90% high 80%. Most home brewers setups seem to run 75% to 85% efficiency. So on a first time run I would say most are lucky to get up to 68%. so setting your calc. at 65% efficiency puts you at an og of 1.013. or a aprox abv of 2.6% Now bump the 2 row up to 8 lbs and your talking around 1.043 og! Still I think the beer will be too caramel-ish and a maybe sweet with the 3lbs of non fermentables. That just depends on what your going for. Most bitters and pales finish pretty low though.
When you steep (mash) your grain between 148'F and 162'F your promoting specific enzyme activity to convert sugars. This can take time. The answer to "can I just steep the grain for 45min to 1 hour" is yes and no. You need to "mash" until your sugar is converted, or it won't be there to sparge out. Some mash for an hour, Some 90min. 90 min is usually tops. However if you learn to do an iodine test you can become more familiar with your mash, and also be sure its converter all the sugars it can. I hope this helps a bit, and others can take this a lot further.

 

[Dan]

Farmboy, I think that is great advice. The 2lbs of crystal caught my eye and probably I would have just mentioned that.

OP take Farmboy's advice. It speaks a lot of wisdom. You might want to stick to a known recipe first. Beer kits are a good place to start but quite honestly they're taste/ABV expectations are hypothetical because they don't know your system but at least you'll start with a balanced recipe.

 

[FarmBoy530]

Dan, thanks. I try lend all the info I have or I feel like I shouldn't be posting. Sometimes they turn out pretty long though..

Brewing is like cooking. For the first couple times, you stick to your recipe. Then maybe you tweak it to make it more enjoyable for yourself, then before you know it you just know how to cook even without someone else recipe. And specialty grains should be treated like garlic, hot peppers, and vinegar. You will love em all at least a bit, some more then others, but its easy to go overboard with any of them!

 

[bleedbluesgtr71]

Well i tried a extract plus specialty grain recipe for a bitter and the specialty grains were too light and didnt quite balance the bitterness out. I've read about the iodine test in "The Brewer's Bible" by Brian Kunath. My thought process was that itd be kinda like partial mashing but using all grains and no extract. But the way you described it it seems more difficult than that. Ive been trying to figure out effeciancy, but i dont understand how to do it.

 

[FarmBoy530]

You can't! That is, not until you brew on your system! before that, its a guess. That's why i suggest shooting for 65% on your first run. This gives you a starting point to adjust a recipe for your system. If you do better then 65% it means you end up with a bigger beer! This means you need to use more grain to come up with the same beer.

It is the same as making a partial mash only with no extract. However, In a partial mash your not getting as much sugar out of your grain as you may think. Its more like a tea for flavor and color. Even the 2 row. When your trying to get the sugar (and your not using extract) you have to work harder and at more specific times and temps, to get it out.