I must go all grain

[axis714]

After careful consideration, Ive decided that all grain is the only alternative for me. In the past month I have literally spent comma money{being the type of money with a comma in it} on upgrading my equipment, and buying steeping grains. I now have an incredible storage amount of grains , hops , and everything to do a partial mash and after 2 PM brews its just not enough.
State Fair competition is coming up this summer and i want very much to compete this year and ,not that i think extract is cheating its the equivelant of fresh squeezed OJ to concentrate....so in using that analogy,Ive decided with the amount of grain I have ,and adding a little base malt, with a false bottom i could either go all grain with my TAD or stay extract and go into kegging.....guess which I prefer? so ToneyC has inspired me with his posts , and I think Im ready to go, and after acquiring a grain mill....Im just way too intense into this hobby to stop now.So I have ordered a sparge arm and a false bottom and I have 1 question...Is the igloo cooler method ok Or should I go SS as with my brew pot does this make a huge diff? with my limited knowledge and posts from this forum I feel fairly confident in doing this but without your help Im afraid I would never try this...thx alot guys ..Im addicted !

[GunNut76]

I'm this close to AG myself and I have been asking about this at another board. The concensus is that a cooler (igloo or otherwise) is just fine. I am going to go with a rectangular cooler for my MT as I will just do batch sparging seeing as I have been told that the method is easier (and cheaper :D ). If you have 2 pots and a cooler you should be good to go...a turkey frier or two would not hurt either.

[toneyc]

I would be interested in more information on this. Currently, I mash in a SS brewpot, then dump it into a 6.5-7 gallon fermenter bucket with a false bottom in it for recirculating and sparging. Seems to work ok and the only thing I had to buy was the false bottom. I went with the SS one from St. Pats for $20. I also picked up some copper tubing last week that I want to try to make a sparging thingie out of, I just haven't quite gotten that far.

:)
Toney.

[Tweek]

I use a cooler. I find this setup is pretty easy. Once you get use to it it is relatively easy to hit your temps and if you get a good cooler it will hold the temp for the entire mash. Make sure you get a cooler that is designed for heat, if not you can get plastic flavors in your beer.

[Jughead]

You need to decide what kind of mash schedules you are likely to do. It can be difficult to do multiple mash steps with a cooler. I can only do two or three steps in my cooler before running out of room. However, most of the beers that I have done use a single step schedule, so the cooler works great.

[Brownbeard]

I have 3 days off this week, in that time I plan on converting a cooler, like in the latest issue of BYO. I am gonna make a chiller too. I did a partial mash recently. I used my Rubbermaid 5 gal beverage cooler and a large sparging bag for my partial grains. It worked really nice, but I want to go to all grain, and I think the cooler conversion is the way to go. I plan on batch sparging, because it seems so much easier.

[axis714]

Brown beard ..I believe you hit the nail on the head! I just got my grain mill and wortchiller and turkeyfryer, so Im with you on the cooler conversion and batch sparging....Ill tell you what since your current brown ale recipe seems to be a work in progress and I have no all grain experience whatsoever...{and if you dont mind me borrowing your recipe}I think Id like to use the same ingredients and method so as to compare notes and see if I learn anything...at least this way if it turns out bad I know its not my fault:D , Just joking. But really Let me Know how your setup goes and pick a brew day (Im off all week) and Ill see if i can match ya step by step...If thats ok

[Brownbeard]

I am not goin got be able to brew until the 15th. As per the scrapbooking accord of 2003. But I am sure down with the idea.

[axis714]

sounds cool to me...Ill be on the road for a couple weeks anyway Cleveland,St. Paul, Kansas City, St Louis then home so Ill be ready about the 15th....I went with the square cooler and pvc manifold system..Made a trial run on a batch of Helles Bock everything seemed to work pretty good, I was a little clumsy about temps. but I think Ive got the bugs worked out and as far as I know it should be an adequate AG system.....Just need to practice my technique now. Mistake #1 making a lager first time out as Itll be forever before I know if its even good..lol

[axis714]

heres a link for the mash tun directions I followed in case anyone doesnt know what Im talking about or has an opinion or preference for a mash tun.
http://homebrew.com/articles/article09280301.shtml

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by axis714
sounds cool to me...Ill be on the road for a couple weeks anyway Cleveland,St. Paul, Kansas City, St Louis then home so Ill be ready about the 15th....I went with the square cooler and pvc manifold system..Made a trial run on a batch of Helles Bock everything seemed to work pretty good, I was a little clumsy about temps. but I think Ive got the bugs worked out and as far as I know it should be an adequate AG system.....Just need to practice my technique now. Mistake #1 making a lager first time out as Itll be forever before I know if its even good..lol

I'm sure you already know but - when you do AG, mash temp becomes very important...you can easily make a wort that will ferment away to nothing(mash temp too low) or wort that will stay way too sweet(mash temp too high). I know it was your first batch but paying attention to mash temps will help you make better beer.

[Beerconnoisseur]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
I'm sure you already know but - when you do AG, mash temp becomes very important...you can easily make a wort that will ferment away to nothing(mash temp too low) or wort that will stay way too sweet(mash temp too high). I know it was your first batch but paying attention to mash temps will help you make better beer.

Right... I got into all-grain a while back, and went with a 2-cooler system. While that's fine for carefully monitored single infusion mashes, it can be a real pain if you want to do step mashes, or even decoction mashes.

If you plan on spending "comma money" anyway, and want to skip ahead to the best stuff money can buy, MoreBeer has some all-grain brewing sculptures that are worth a look. I particularly like the following sculpture option description:

M - Control Panel Upgrade (Deluxe Control Panel): There are several reasons to consider a Deluxe Control Panel.

.... #4) Further increases the resemblence of your BrewSculpture to the space ship cockpit of the Milenium Falcon in Star Wars.

It's all about having the best toys, right? :p

[axis714]

LoL @ beerconnisseuer......I am an avid morebeer shopper and i believe youre right....a brew sculpture is indeed in my near future.
Im fascinated by bright shiny things....and yes i agree "he who dies with the most toys....WINS!" However Im about tapped out of comma money right now being right after xmas and all so for now its just a dream.....the catalog sits leering at me from my throne.

[OldHooky]

I'm using a 10 gallon Gott beverage cooler with a false bottom. It hold the mash temp dead on for 90+ minutes. I've heard that the manifold systems work better than the false bottom, but I'd avoid using cpvc. If you've ever had a drink of water at a house that has cpvc plumbing, you'll understand. Copper is cheap, and if you boil it in a vinegar solution it gets rid of any residue from manufacture.

The problem I've had with the false bottom is that it floats a little and allows some grain to get under it. I should have purchased a SS one.

[bierboy]

Check out Denny Conn's article in the Jan-Feb 2004 BYO. He shows you how to make a simple mash/lauter tun. Mine is very similar and works great although I went even simpler than Denny. Total cost is around $40 depending on where you shop.

[Brownbeard]

I am using Denny's setup for my cooler.

[axis714]

Brown beard are you ready to go with your all grain brown ale? just curious? I made it home for this weekend just to brew...My set-up is alright and im hoping for a perfect malthead brew...If you have already brewed it up...howd it go?////

[Brownbeard]

I actually just bought a whole bunch of hockey tickets, kind of spent my brewing fund on them. I am gonna have to wait a couple of weeks. I am itching to brew it though.