Hi all
Have been brewing for 3 yrs now extract that is including beers, ciders etc with added malt and hops thats about. I went the kegging route and quite happy with it.
How do I transition to all grain as whenever i try to read on websites it just looks too complicated. Is there some hidden or simpler instructions to go about it…
cheers for any help.
To be honest so far everyone I invited have been quite happy with the beers i have brewed. But all grain mostly for self satisfaction.
It’s really not all that complicated to start (though you can make it as complicated as you want). Technically speaking you are going to simply crush the grain, let the entire mash soak at about 150 degrees (a 1.25 qt per pound ratio mixed with 170 degree water will get you close enough) for 30-60 minutes and then rinse the sugars from the grain with 170 degree wayter until you reach your final volume. You need one good source to go by. I recommend www.howtobrew.com. Also check out Denny’s batch sparge method (do a search for “Denny brew”)
I strongly recommend following majorvices advice, and just go for it. With the small investment of a larger kettle and a cooler mash tun your good to go. Also, assuming you already have a 5 gallon kettle you can make smaller batches with only the miniscule investment of a bag with the brew in a bag method.
I remember it seemed daunting at first but just going ahead and doing it is all it takes, it’s not hard at all.
Look for brewing classes at the local homebrew supply store. Many places offer them for a nominal charge.
Ask around at the homebrew club in the area. Ask if you can help someone the next time they brew.
Its a ways away, but learn to homebrew day is in November. Learn to Homebrew Day Nov. 2, 2024 It seems like you are ready now and don’t want to wait until November.
My suggestion is to check with your local homebrew supply store and the local club. Lots of people are willing to help a person learn.
Here’s a video from the AHA based onmy equipment and process…https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/How-To-Batch-Sparge.pdf
Was there supposed to be a link to the Introduction to All-Grain Brewing video series? It’s referenced in the PDF you linked, but not sure if it’s actually available online.
I read the how to at http://www.dennybrew.com/ when I did my first AG batch in August of 2005!
There is a bit of a learning curve to this. Join your local homebrew club to shorten the learning curve the most. Someone there will surely invite you to brew with them so you can get a hands on experience and give you some tips.
At its core you are just:
Adding hot water to milled grain;
Letting it sit (mash);
Draining the liquid;
Repeating steps 1 and 3 (batch sparge);
Combining all the runnings to boil.
Beyond that you need to know water volumes, water temperatures, vorlaufing and very little water chemistry. Brewing software easily helps calculate volumes and temperatures. You don’t need to know water chemistry right away.
Vorlaufing is not a difficult process. You’re just draining some of the runnings and adding it back to the top of the mash until the runnings drain without grain particles. Then you permanently drain the mash tun.
BIAB is a good method to take the first step into AG brewing, especially if you’re familiar with extract+steeped grain. It has the advantage of requiring little additional equipment.
I recommend you just do it. I just did my first AG 2 weeks ago after worrying about it for 2 years. I kept talking myself out of it thinking it was so complicated. I had read a lot of materials that focused on step mashing, which is what really freaked me out.
Then I found all the new info on BIAB and Single Temp Infusion Mash and went with that. I got done doing my first batch and thought “That was it? Why in the world did I get myself so worked up over this?”
In the end it’s just like making oatmeal (albeit an 8-15 lb bowl of oatmeal), draining the liquid to a kettle, and then doing exactly what you did before with boiling/hops/yeast/etc.
Yep, this^^
If you have been able to steep your extra grains and keep it around 150F, then you are most of the way there. Denny’s page is a good place to start.
What’s a BIAB? So how many buckets I need or pots and how big? Ya I will try all grain very very soon. I will also be making youtube video for absolute newbies like me who wants to transition to all grain beer making. I am quick learner but I need theory as to why I gotta do what i gotta do…
When I did a partial mash, I said that is it? When I did my first all grain, I said - that is all there is to it?
Just do it and don’t look back.
BIAB = Brew In A Bag - http://homebrewmanual.com/brew-in-a-bag/
As far as equipment goes, I started with a large stockport (I used a 30L pot for producing 19/20L batches), a thermometer, something to insulate the pot whilst mashing (I used an old sleeping bag) and a brew bag. I quickly added a wort chiller (easy to make using copper pipe and hoses), but you don’t really need anything more than that. If you find all grain brewing is for you, you can always add the additional equipment required to go to a 3 vessel approach.
About 6 years ago, when I was only brewing with extract and specialty grains, I accidentally ordered a minimash kit. When I opened the box, I thought "oh sh*t. But, I followed the directions, and realized how easy that was, and from there is was just logical to go all grain.
Yes watched few videos now on youtube looks do able but the only thing is I have to get pots large enough for boil and cooling of wort copper coil etc as everyone has different setup in the videos I watched I know what to do with grains etc now sparging etc
All grain has its positives and negatives. Make sure you way them out before you jump in. What you gain from all grain brewing is essentially better color control, ease of making dryer beer, and raw grain is cheaper than extract. Imo a well brewed extract matches well brewed all grain and there are many taste tests that have proven it. Things you lose is time (takes more than twice the time to all grain brew) a “proper setup” adds a lot of cost. Additional cost in equipment can be only 100 if you do a poor man setup but as they say the cheapest man suffers the longest. Really look at spending a minimum of 4 to 500 to save yourself the headache. Mills ain’t cheap, grain storage containers add up quick, and so do the necessary extras.
Ya I bought 2 keg fridges already for with 4 kegs each so total 8 kegs capacity I already have. This hobby is not cheap but I think it’s worth if you can make a good tasting beer. I make ciders from scratch now so transition to beer is the way next. Ya I do agree with going cheap route and suffering later on…
How about those all in 1 system like grainfather etc. Would this make same beer as those individual sparging and boiling pots?
If you can afford to jump straight into a Grainfather, then it’s a decent bit of kit. I’ve got one and it’s simple to use and makes good beer. I like it because it doesn’t take up much space, and is easy to use and to clean. You’ll still need something to heat your sparge water in though (a stockpot on a stove is sufficient for that, I use my old BIAB boiler)