Just about to all grain

[umpa]

Hi, just about to try an all grain batch (this sunday) and been looking on youtube on how its done. I have seen 2 ways of doing it (fly and batch spage) - both methods have two vessels, one heats the water to about 77C and the other has a filter in the botom of it, batch spage seems to be that you dump the water on all the grains and mix it in then run the wort off in to your bucket, and fly sparge seems to be where you trickle the water from the boiler over the grains and run off in to the bucket.

Thing is, I dont want to do either; I have a big plastic bucket with a heating element in it, can I heat my water up, and dump the grains in a big sock, and stir them in that way ? then run the wort of in to a bucket ? I know I will have to return to the wort to the bucket a few times, but I dont have that other vessle (tun?) with the copper filter in it.

T.I.A

Ump..

[BarryNL]

Basically, any technique where you can get your grains into hot water, hold them there at a temperature of around 65 deg.C for 60-90 mins and then drain off the liquid (or remove the grains), will work. The rest is all about improving efficiency but, hey, grain is not that expensive - if you have to use a couple of hundred grams extra malt to compensate for a less efficient sparge technique then so what? I'd rather spend an extra 50p on a brew to keep it simple.

Using a grain bag is likely to mean you end up with more trub in your wort but hopefully this will settle out during cooling and during fermentation. In the longer term, I would consider making yourself a cool-box and copper pipe mash tun - it makes life a lot easier.

[Andy]

umpa - From your post I'm not sure if you've completely got your head around the mashing / sparging processes. You may well have and it's just the way I'm reading your post so sorry if that's the case.

Anyway, have you read Jim's section of the site on Mashing and Sparging ? Two separate processes with sparging following mashing.

[umpa]

Hi thans for that,

That makes it a little clearer,

So I cant put my grains is a bag, sitting in 5 gallons of warm water for an hour then - I have to sparge ?

Ump..

[clogwog]

What you are describing is what we in Aus call BIAB, ie Brew In A Bag.

Here is a link to our premier homebrew site, which should give you a good head start, with the sticky on just that method.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i ... opic=11694

If you can't get into the particular thread, here is a link to the forum home page, you might need to join (it's free).

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?

[the red devil]

Umpa- Im no expert (not like a lot of these guys) but i tried a simple method of mashing in a pot on the cooker and sparging by just pooring the hot water over the grains, which were held on a muzlin cloth over a FV. It failed I didn't get enough sugar out of the grains and finished with a very 'thin' beer.
So i got a boiler and a sparging bag. Mashed in the boiler as per recipt. Placed the sparging bag over the FV and fly sparged using a home made sparger. Returned the wort to the boiler...... the rest is more simple After the boil and cool i checked the OG and it was v.good, so i knew i had all the sugar i needed from the grains. Beer is good
Will be doing my second AG this weekend, wil take pics of equipment if your interested?

[BarryNL]

So I cant put my grains is a bag, sitting in 5 gallons of warm water for an hour then - I have to sparge ?

No, you don't have to - just be aware that your efficiency will probably be around 60% instead of the more typical 75% if you don't, so add more grain to compensate.

[CarpHunter]

Umpa, whereabouts in Notts are you ?

I used to brew the way you describe years ago and found it more trouble than it was worth as Barrynl says a mash tun makes your life a lot easier, it may be worth trying both methods though in order to A, experience using both methods and B, check out what difference it makes to the finished beer.

I live Nottingham side of Leicester if you want to try using the mash tun method you are welcome to come over and do a brew using my kit if you want.

[Damfoose]

Umpa I would advise taking Carphunter up on his offer. I went over to Aleman's a few weeks ago and had a fantastic day learning how to make a brew the all grain method. It is definatley worth while.

[hoppingMad]

I would encourage you to go for it, and just do it the way you described at first. Do a couple of rinses to get a bit more wort, then check your gravity with an hydrometer, make the adjustment if necessary with some dry malt extract and you're away.
You're still making beer. Necessity being the mother of invention, you will modify and improve your system, if and whenever the need arises. Just do it.

And don't forget to dry hop.

[umpa]

Thanks for all your help and offers chaps,
I'll be sure to let you know how I get on and might very well take up carphunters offer - I'm in Mansfield.
I have cought a bad flu like cold so I'm hot going to do o'wt for a few days (man flu)

thanks again

Ump..

[CarpHunter]

Mansfield that's practically next door to me, cut across country to the A46 and chuck a right and in half an hour you will have a cuppa in your hand, I am a medic and as you are no doubt aware we always tell our patients to drink lots of fluids whilst they have a serious condition like streptococi manous sickypoorly, and with winter approaching you need to build your special fluid stocks up so you NEED to get brewing.

There is a nice factsheet http://www.manflu.org.uk/index.php?opti ... id=54]here re care required during this very stressful period

[CarpHunter]

Ok so the link did not work but here it is again.
http://www.manflu.org.uk/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=54

[umpa]

hi guys,

Update time, so I bought a big mashing sock and heated my water to 70C. I started to pour in the grains a bowl at a time, stiiring as I went. I stretched a bungie cord arrount the mash tun to hold the bag off the element. I kept stirring for an hour and kept drawing of wort and pouring it back in.

Then I opened the tap and put it in fv drawing some off for a hydrometer Reading . Then washed out my mash tun and filled it back up with the wor and began my boil. As it boiled I added my hops and put my hydrometer wort in the fridge to cool. Turned out to be 1.035 not bad for my first go from 3kg in 5gallons.

After the boil I put in my home made chiller, and put back in

[umpa]

continued (using an iPhone)

Back in to the fermenter and forgot to close the damn tap, 10ltrs of wort on the floor
Still I had 10 to work with so I pitched a Nottingham yeast and left it do work.

5 days later it had finished and was Reading 1.010 so I bottled. Tasted the hydrometer beer and it was nice, a little sweet and a bit grainy. 1 week on I tried some more and it gave a cracking head, not so sweet but still grainy.

Can anyone tell me if this grainy taste will mature out and what has caused it. I popped into my hbs and picked another 3kg of pail grains up and I'm going to have another bash at it and see if I can get the full 22ltrs this time LOL

Thanks
Ump.