Two common issues that new all grain brewers come across are low efficiency and missing (or failing to maintain) the proper mash temperature. These are certainly two key components, so here is quick look at common causes of these issues and what you can do to prevent them from happening for better home brewing.
Efficiency can be tricky for someone just getting started in all grain home brewing, but it is important in order to produce better beer, as well as to get your money's worth from the grains you purchased. One common cause of poor efficiency is not using enough water in the mashing or sparging processes.
For mashing, you need to figure that you will need 1 to 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain, and about 1/2 gallon of water per pound of grain for sparging. This may seem like a lot of water, and this will produce a lot of wort. However, in order to maximize efficiency, you will need to use the proper amount of water and boil down the wort until you reach the desired volume. It may mean that you have to boil over 10 gallons of wort down to 6 or 7 gallons or less. Needless to say, this will take time. Obviously, if you do not have a brew kettle capable of holding this volume, then you will have to compensate by using more grain.
You still want to keep the mash volume of water the same ratio, but you must adjust the sparge to complete the desired volume. Your efficiency will be lower as a result. It is a dilemma for all grain brewers. You can try to produce the target kettle volume (less water) and spend a couple extra bucks on grains, or you can try to maximize your efficiency and spend extra hours of boil time (as well as extra propane). It is a choice that comes down to your preference, as there really isn't one right or wrong answer.
If you are serious about making the jump into all grain home brewing, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest an extra large brew kettle, one 12 gallons or larger, and a propane burner with extra BTUs. These will help you cut down on boil time and maximize efficiency. Another factor that gets overlooked in efficiency is the crush of the grains. Sometimes the grains you get online or at the home brewing supply store aren't crushed well enough.
Many home brewers see a big jump in efficiency with a finer crush from their own mill at home. you can also ask the supplier to crush the grains finer. You can also buy a mill, or make your own adjustable two roller mill. This is one of many home brewing do it yourself projects out there, and by searching online at home brewing forums, you can find step by step instructions. Or, simply use a rolling pin or meat mallet.
It is another common mistake when it comes to proper mashing temperature. The right temperature will extract as much sugar as possible while leaving behind the tannins. Different types of beers require different temperatures for mashing. New brewers often experience trouble with maintaining the proper temperature during mashing as opposed to simply hitting it at the start. This can often be attributed to using a converted cooler as a mash tun. The coolers can actually lose heat over the course of a 60 or 90 minute mash, and drop the temperature below the desired mashing temperature.
You should not trust your cooler the first time you mash. It is a good idea to test it out first to see how it will perform. There are a couple ways you can remedy losing mash temperature. First, pre heat the mash tun by rinsing it out with hot or boiling water. This will pre heat the cooler, and drain this water just prior to adding your strike water. This will help prevent the cooler from pulling too much temperature from the strike water and mash.
You could also adjust the temperature of the strike water by a few degrees and heat it to a higher strike temperature than your actual target. Pour it into the cooler and let the temperature drop until you hit the desired mashing temperature. This might take a little practice to figure out what the perfect temperature is, and how much heat is lost in your cooler. Once you have added the grains to the mash, it is best to keep the cooler sealed. You will want to check the temperature a few times, especially on the first few batches. But do not check constantly as this will allow heat to escape. Many brewers will wrap their tuns in blankets, pillows or towels to help their tun maintain temperature.
Efficiency can be tricky for someone just getting started in all grain home brewing, but it is important in order to produce better beer, as well as to get your money's worth from the grains you purchased. One common cause of poor efficiency is not using enough water in the mashing or sparging processes.
For mashing, you need to figure that you will need 1 to 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain, and about 1/2 gallon of water per pound of grain for sparging. This may seem like a lot of water, and this will produce a lot of wort. However, in order to maximize efficiency, you will need to use the proper amount of water and boil down the wort until you reach the desired volume. It may mean that you have to boil over 10 gallons of wort down to 6 or 7 gallons or less. Needless to say, this will take time. Obviously, if you do not have a brew kettle capable of holding this volume, then you will have to compensate by using more grain.
You still want to keep the mash volume of water the same ratio, but you must adjust the sparge to complete the desired volume. Your efficiency will be lower as a result. It is a dilemma for all grain brewers. You can try to produce the target kettle volume (less water) and spend a couple extra bucks on grains, or you can try to maximize your efficiency and spend extra hours of boil time (as well as extra propane). It is a choice that comes down to your preference, as there really isn't one right or wrong answer.
If you are serious about making the jump into all grain home brewing, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest an extra large brew kettle, one 12 gallons or larger, and a propane burner with extra BTUs. These will help you cut down on boil time and maximize efficiency. Another factor that gets overlooked in efficiency is the crush of the grains. Sometimes the grains you get online or at the home brewing supply store aren't crushed well enough.
Many home brewers see a big jump in efficiency with a finer crush from their own mill at home. you can also ask the supplier to crush the grains finer. You can also buy a mill, or make your own adjustable two roller mill. This is one of many home brewing do it yourself projects out there, and by searching online at home brewing forums, you can find step by step instructions. Or, simply use a rolling pin or meat mallet.
It is another common mistake when it comes to proper mashing temperature. The right temperature will extract as much sugar as possible while leaving behind the tannins. Different types of beers require different temperatures for mashing. New brewers often experience trouble with maintaining the proper temperature during mashing as opposed to simply hitting it at the start. This can often be attributed to using a converted cooler as a mash tun. The coolers can actually lose heat over the course of a 60 or 90 minute mash, and drop the temperature below the desired mashing temperature.
You should not trust your cooler the first time you mash. It is a good idea to test it out first to see how it will perform. There are a couple ways you can remedy losing mash temperature. First, pre heat the mash tun by rinsing it out with hot or boiling water. This will pre heat the cooler, and drain this water just prior to adding your strike water. This will help prevent the cooler from pulling too much temperature from the strike water and mash.
You could also adjust the temperature of the strike water by a few degrees and heat it to a higher strike temperature than your actual target. Pour it into the cooler and let the temperature drop until you hit the desired mashing temperature. This might take a little practice to figure out what the perfect temperature is, and how much heat is lost in your cooler. Once you have added the grains to the mash, it is best to keep the cooler sealed. You will want to check the temperature a few times, especially on the first few batches. But do not check constantly as this will allow heat to escape. Many brewers will wrap their tuns in blankets, pillows or towels to help their tun maintain temperature.