| So, you may have a few extract batches under your | | | | temps will fall between 140 - 160F. The closer to |
| belt and are ready to take the plunge into all-grain | | | | 140F, the more fermentable sugars will be produced, |
| brewing, or you may be skipping the extract method | | | | meaning a dryer, thinner beer. Closer to 160F will |
| all together. Either way, you're ready to brew some | | | | produce a sweeter, less fermentable beer. So, if you |
| homebrew the traditional way that has been done | | | | are looking for a really malty ale or a sweeter belgian, |
| for several hundreds of years. The equipment, while | | | | mash closer to 160. A happy medium is 152F. |
| adapted to today's technology, is still very similar to | | | | Make sure that when you add your strike water that |
| the equipment used by colonial American brewers | | | | you stir your grains well, to break up any clumps or |
| and even trappist monks in the 1600s. | | | | dry spots. Close the lid on your cooler and start your |
| The main difference in all-grain brewing from extract | | | | timer for 90 minutes. Every 15 minutes or so, open |
| brewing is the additional equipment needed. | | | | the cooler and stir the grains, making sure not to |
| Items you will need: | | | | harm the manifold at the bottom. Also, check your |
| Mash Tun (a converted cooler does well) | | | | temperature to make sure that the cooler is keeping |
| Minimum 8 gallon brew pot | | | | your temperature steady. You may need to add |
| Propane burner (with the ability to boil 7 gallons of | | | | boiling water to get your temperature back up. If it's |
| liquid) | | | | too hot, add some ice to cool it down to your |
| The rest of the items you will already have from | | | | desired mash temp. After your 90 minutes is up, it is |
| your extract brewing. | | | | time to collect the sweet wort. If you have kept |
| Let's talk about the Mash Tun. This is the vessel you | | | | your mash between 140 and 160, you should have |
| will use to extract your wort in all-grain brewing, the | | | | converted your grains and have wort that will |
| sweet liquid used to make beer, from your grains - | | | | ferment into beer. Make sure that when you collect |
| then drain your wort into your brew kettle to boil. A | | | | your "first runnings" that you add the very first few |
| Mash Tun can be assembled using a stainless steel | | | | quarts of wort (that has loads of grain particles in it) |
| braid, like the ones found on water supply lines to | | | | back to your grain bed in your mash tun. You want it |
| appliances such as toilets, a little bit of vinyl tubing | | | | to start running clear (or almost clear) before you |
| and an insulated cooler. I use a rectangular 48 quart | | | | collect the wort you're going to use. This method of |
| igloo cooler. Just make sure, when choosing your | | | | collecting and pouring back in the first few quarts of |
| cooler, that it has a drain plug. I also use a copper | | | | wort is called "vorlaufing." |
| fitting and some hose clamps to connect the stainless | | | | But we're not done with those grains. We haven't |
| braid to the vinyl tubing. I'm not going to go too far | | | | collected enough wort to brew our batch yet and |
| into mash tun construction. You can do a simple | | | | those grains still have plenty of sugars that we must |
| internet search and come up with hundreds of | | | | harvest. So, we are going to "sparge." Sparging is a |
| different plans on how to make your mash tun. Steel | | | | fancy way of saying that we are going to rinse the |
| braids, PVC, copper manifolds, ball valves, you name | | | | sugars off the grains. So, heat up your "sparge |
| it. Find what works for you and improve on that. I | | | | water" to 170F. You basically want to end up with |
| say the simpler the better. | | | | about 7 gallons for your boil, so subtract the amount |
| OK, you have your mash tun ready to go - and it's | | | | of wort you collected in your mash - and that's how |
| not leaking, right? Good. On your brew day, you will | | | | much sparge water to use. So, add the sparge water |
| take your bag of crushed grains out of the | | | | to the mash tun and stir. Let it sit for 10 mins. or so |
| refrigerator and let it warm up to room temp. This | | | | and then drain the wort into your brew kettle along |
| will help you hit your mash temperature. You are | | | | with the first-runnings. Don't forget to add the first |
| going to pour the grains into your converted cooler. | | | | few quarts back to the grain bed (vorlaufing - |
| On the propane burner, heat up your strike water to | | | | remember?). |
| about 8-12 degrees warmer than your desired mash | | | | After you have collected all your wort from sparging, |
| temp - your strike water is equal to 1.25 quarts of | | | | you are ready to boil. At this point, it is very much |
| water per pound of grain (i.e. for 16.5 lbs of grain, | | | | the same as extract brewing, except that you are |
| heat up 20.625 quarts - or 5.15 gal. of water). Mash | | | | doing a full 5-7 gallon boil. Happy Brewing! |
