Can someone post the instructions for the mini mash please.
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J_P
Hi Folks
Apologies if this seems to be a bit of a thread-jack however it is loosely related.
I have cobbled together the kit to do a mini mash, hopefully this weekend. The smallest buckets I was able to get hold of were two two gallon buckets, one of which I have fitted with a tap and the other one I am busy drilling 2mm holes in the bottom of.
bottom bucket
Top Bucket
I was wondering if I would be able to mash the grain in a cool box like I've seen in some of the folks here doing rather than monkeying around using my stock pot and the oven.
Would the efficiency be affected by the smaller volume of grain and liquid? If so would it be better to double up the quantity of grain and mash water and do two boils?
Apologies if this seems to be a bit of a thread-jack however it is loosely related.
I have cobbled together the kit to do a mini mash, hopefully this weekend. The smallest buckets I was able to get hold of were two two gallon buckets, one of which I have fitted with a tap and the other one I am busy drilling 2mm holes in the bottom of.
bottom bucket
Top Bucket
I was wondering if I would be able to mash the grain in a cool box like I've seen in some of the folks here doing rather than monkeying around using my stock pot and the oven.
Would the efficiency be affected by the smaller volume of grain and liquid? If so would it be better to double up the quantity of grain and mash water and do two boils?
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J_P
Excellent - Cheers
I will double up the quantities and do two boils. One with EKGs and one with Fuggles and see how they compare. I'm quite excited to see if I can cut the mustard in the world of all grain.
Who knows if these two batches turn out OK then I may be able to justify buying a boiler as an early Christmas present
(sorry to use the "C" word)
I will double up the quantities and do two boils. One with EKGs and one with Fuggles and see how they compare. I'm quite excited to see if I can cut the mustard in the world of all grain.
Who knows if these two batches turn out OK then I may be able to justify buying a boiler as an early Christmas present
(sorry to use the "C" word)
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Wez
J_P this sounds very very familiarJ_P wrote:Who knows if these two batches turn out OK then I may be able to justify buying a boiler as an early Christmas present
(sorry to use the "C" word)
I think it took me 2 weeks from doing a mini-mash to getting the gear for going for a 25L batch, once you have proved to yourself that you can do a small scale brew you're knackered it's AG all the way from there. Good luck bud.
PS - My Chillies are comig on a treat
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J_P
I've heard that the beer is in a different league, not that the beer I've made from kits isn't tasty I just want to see if I could produce beer that would be comparable to drinking down the local.
As ever I appear to find myself on one of life's slippery slopes
Pleased to hear the chillies are coming along fine - I have pods on the chillies in the greenhouse. I did however manage to knock off my first tomato of the year potting them into the growbags though
As ever I appear to find myself on one of life's slippery slopes
Pleased to hear the chillies are coming along fine - I have pods on the chillies in the greenhouse. I did however manage to knock off my first tomato of the year potting them into the growbags though
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Chiltern Brewer
J_P the truth is that AG is a lot easier than you think, it just takes longer than making a kit or using extract and there's more cleaning up to do.J_P wrote:Excellent - Cheers
I will double up the quantities and do two boils. One with EKGs and one with Fuggles and see how they compare. I'm quite excited to see if I can cut the mustard in the world of all grain.
Who knows if these two batches turn out OK then I may be able to justify buying a boiler as an early Christmas present
(sorry to use the "C" word)
For a mash tun I used a food grade 25L jerry can for years (a 25L bucket or coolbox would do) wrapped in an old duvet. After 90 minutes I'd then gently "pour" the mash to my 15L lauter tun (bucket in a bucket) for run off and sparging.
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Chiltern Brewer
The previous incarnation of my lauter tun was made with 10L buckets like yours - which worked but I had to be very careful as I couldn't empty the mash tun in one go (had to partially drain the lauter tun) or it would over flow. Eventually I decided it was worth the effort of drilling another 300 holes in a bigger bucket! 
However, it does mean you could reuse your 10L buckets as you move to a bigger batch size (you know you will).
One of the things that attracted me to brewing beer was the promise of being able to brew something comparable to a commercial product. I have not been disappointed.
There is also that immeasurable pleasure that you get when supping a pint and thinking "I made that, and it's bloody good"!
However, it does mean you could reuse your 10L buckets as you move to a bigger batch size (you know you will). One of the things that attracted me to brewing beer was the promise of being able to brew something comparable to a commercial product. I have not been disappointed.
There is also that immeasurable pleasure that you get when supping a pint and thinking "I made that, and it's bloody good"! -
J_P
Cheers for the encouragement chaps.
The time and effort isn't an issue really, as me Da says, it's not work when you enjoy doing it.
I'm really doing the minimash to see what the end product is like and see how it compares to my kits. I've already been tweaking and experimenting with different hops and yeasts with my kits with great results.
I suppose the main challenge if I take it up will be getting my head around the calculations although if the outcome is beer related then I reckon I'll master it pretty quick despite not being well schooled in conventional maths!
The time and effort isn't an issue really, as me Da says, it's not work when you enjoy doing it.
I'm really doing the minimash to see what the end product is like and see how it compares to my kits. I've already been tweaking and experimenting with different hops and yeasts with my kits with great results.
I suppose the main challenge if I take it up will be getting my head around the calculations although if the outcome is beer related then I reckon I'll master it pretty quick despite not being well schooled in conventional maths!
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Chiltern Brewer
Hey, I'm still learning after 10 years of doing AG. You've got the advantages of this forum and having a damn fine LHBS - Hop and Grape - close by.
You can make the calculations as complex or as simple as you like. My rule of thumb is that for a meduim strength brew (OG 1040-50) allow approx. 1Kg of grain per gallon, so 5Kg for 5 gallons/23L. These are the formulas I have written down in the front of my brewing log:
Degrees Gravity = Quantity of Grain (Kg) x Degrees Extract / Batch Volume (L) x Mash Efficiency (%)
EBU = Weight of Hops (grams) x Alpha Acid x 2 / Batch Volume (L)
I then have the 75% extract values written down for the most common grains (simplifies the first equation), the 100% extracts for different sugars, and the typical alpha acid levels for the most common hops.
e.g. for 4.75 Kg of pale malt and 0.25K crystal at 75% extract and 75g of Goldings:
(222 x 4.75) + (0.25 x 201) / 23 = 48 degrees or 1048 OG
75 x 5.3 x 2 / 23 = ~35 EBU
Simple innit? To be honest especially with the hop levels, you have to get a "feel" for how your setup works. We could both use the same hops and amounts and because our water and equipment is different we'll get different results. Also you might not get 75% extract levels at first, or ever - it doesn't matter if you factor for it in future brews.
You can make the calculations as complex or as simple as you like. My rule of thumb is that for a meduim strength brew (OG 1040-50) allow approx. 1Kg of grain per gallon, so 5Kg for 5 gallons/23L. These are the formulas I have written down in the front of my brewing log:
Degrees Gravity = Quantity of Grain (Kg) x Degrees Extract / Batch Volume (L) x Mash Efficiency (%)
EBU = Weight of Hops (grams) x Alpha Acid x 2 / Batch Volume (L)
I then have the 75% extract values written down for the most common grains (simplifies the first equation), the 100% extracts for different sugars, and the typical alpha acid levels for the most common hops.
e.g. for 4.75 Kg of pale malt and 0.25K crystal at 75% extract and 75g of Goldings:
(222 x 4.75) + (0.25 x 201) / 23 = 48 degrees or 1048 OG
75 x 5.3 x 2 / 23 = ~35 EBU
Simple innit? To be honest especially with the hop levels, you have to get a "feel" for how your setup works. We could both use the same hops and amounts and because our water and equipment is different we'll get different results. Also you might not get 75% extract levels at first, or ever - it doesn't matter if you factor for it in future brews.
Last edited by Chiltern Brewer on Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Chiltern Brewer
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Chiltern Brewer
No, I spotted that and didn't take offense (as if). 
It was the other way around for me and I wanted to calculate things left, right and centre - I even knocked up a spreadsheet to do the workings - now I just think "I want about 5% of this, and 10% of that, not too bitter...." and then just work out the likely outcome!
Any way, I'm off to bed before I upset someone!
It was the other way around for me and I wanted to calculate things left, right and centre - I even knocked up a spreadsheet to do the workings - now I just think "I want about 5% of this, and 10% of that, not too bitter...." and then just work out the likely outcome!
Any way, I'm off to bed before I upset someone!
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J_P
Ah I see that wasn't too painful next question(s)Chiltern Brewer wrote:
Degrees Gravity = Quantity of Grain (Kg) x Degrees Extract / Batch Volume (L) x Mash Efficiency (%)
EBU = Weight of Hops (grams) x Alpha Acid x 2 / Batch Volume (L)
I then have the 75% extract values written down for the most common grains (simplifies the first equation), the 100% extracts for different sugars, and the typical alpha acid levels for the most common hops.
e.g. for 4.75 Kg of pale malt and 0.25K crystal at 75% extract and 75g of Goldings:
(222 x 4.75) + (0.25 x 201) / 23 = 48 degrees or 1048 OG
75 x 5.3 x 2 / 23 = ~35 EBU
- How do you work out "Degrees Extract" then?
Is there anywhere the EBC and EBU levels of commercially available beers are written down so I can work out what I want to make?
I assume that mash efficiency is Available Gravity Points/ Actual Gravity Points?
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Chiltern Brewer
I take my values from Wheeler - which I can post here when I get home - you don't calculate them as such. I assume that you can find them published somewhere on the Internet?
For EBU/IBU - try The Real Ale Almanac by Roger Protz or some of the material posted on styles here and elsewhere. If you have a particular beer in mind then you can always post a question here.
Efficiency is the actual gravity you hit divided by the theoretical 100% maximum extract - e.g. 64/48 = 0.75 or 75%. Using 75% as a starting point is a safe bet, but don't overdo the hops on your first brew in case your efficiency is much lower than that and you don't have the alcohol to match the bitterness level.
For EBU/IBU - try The Real Ale Almanac by Roger Protz or some of the material posted on styles here and elsewhere. If you have a particular beer in mind then you can always post a question here.
Efficiency is the actual gravity you hit divided by the theoretical 100% maximum extract - e.g. 64/48 = 0.75 or 75%. Using 75% as a starting point is a safe bet, but don't overdo the hops on your first brew in case your efficiency is much lower than that and you don't have the alcohol to match the bitterness level.
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Chiltern Brewer
