about to make the jump

[jimlin]

I have the ingredients for one more extract/steeping grain brew (Stone IPA clone), and then I plan to move on to AG.

Got an ancient igloo 48 qt rectangular cooler and have picked up the hardware to do the conversion to mash tun. Already have the turkey fryer (been using the burner, but will now also use the aluminum pot to heat my water). I bought a 9 gal SS pot (no ball valve or anything, just a plain pot) in which I have done 2 full boils (bav hefe, and an APA) which were my 3rd and 4th 5 gal extract batches in total. (I had done some MrBeer stuff first).

Sooooo... I'm thinking I should stick to something basic, that uses no wheat, for my first attempt. I have a preference for hoppy APAs, american style IPA, or maybe even an amber on the hoppy side. (I'm on the east coast, so it's not like everything I reach for is hoppy enough). But I also like a good robust porter (Smuttynose is local and tasty). Any suggestions or warnings as to a first AG brew?

Also, do I need much else in the way of equipment to make the jump? I'm using plastic buckets at this point. Would I be better off with a particular style thermometer to take the mash temp? I've been using a simple thermometer that came with the turkey fryer setup, and temp hasn't been vital (just taking water temps for steeping grains thus far).

Is it common for LHBSs to crush your grain for you? I don't have a barley crusher and figured I'd hold off a bit IF I can. I see someplace like Northern Brewer offers to crush an entire recipe's grain when ordered, but wasn't sure if mom and pop shops typically do this, considering the amount needed for AG batches.

Oh, and will the stainless longhandled mixing spoon I got from NorthernBrewer work as a mash paddle, or is that something I should buy specifically for the job?

Thanks for any help!!

[Bugeater]

Congrats on making the jump to all grain!

You are on the right track about doing something simple for the first time out. An APA or a hoppy amber ale might be a good place to start.

Equipment wise, you seem to be in pretty good shape. The one problem I see is the thermometer. Those turkey fryer thermometers are not accurate enough to use for brewing. A difference of 3 or 4 degrees can make a big difference on how your beer turns out. At a minimum use one those 6" dial thermometers you use in the kitchen, if you have one. If you need to buy one, Williams Brewing, MoreBeer and other places sell a 12" stem dial thermometer with a 2" face that is perfect for brewing without breaking the bank. This will allow you to check the temp in several places in the mash tun to ensure you have it stirred well enough to eliminate hot or cold spots.

On the topic of stirring, your spoon should work just fine. Being a cook, I picked up a 16" wire whisk like this from one of our restaurant suppliers.



Most restaurant supply places will sell to the general public if you pay cash. This thing works phenomenal for breaking up dough balls in the mash without doing a lot of extra splashing and getting a bunch of air into the mash.

Having your LHBS mill the grain for you is perfectly fine, though down the road you will want to get your own mill so you can do a better job of fine tuning your crush and take advantage of buying your grain in bulk (50-55# bags) to save some money. If you can, have them crush it while you are watching. After the first pound or so, check the crush. If you see a lot of uncrushed grain, have them tighten the gap between the rollers (or run it through a second time if the mill is not adjustable). You want the kernel broken into small pieces with only a little flour and with the husks pretty much intact (i.e. in large pieces). If the husks are pulverized into tiny bits, you need to open the gap just a bit.

Be sure to check your preboil gravity before you start your boil. If your preboil gravity is too low (indicating poor mash efficiency), you can add some DME to make up the gravity to where it needs to be.

Good luck and be sure to let us know how it comes out!

Wayne

[jimlin]

I should cool some of my ruunings in order to take a pre-boil gravity reading, yes?
I still need to mark/notch my spoon handle or something so as to have gallon measurements too. Will a sharpie mark work on my SS spoon handle? Or is there a better object/material to use?

[spiderwrangler]

Don't do it man! You have so much to live for!


Oh... not that kind of jump... Good, glad you're not trying to off yourself. Congrats on the all grain man!

In your thermometer, you will want to check it against boiling water to make sure it's calibrated correctly.

For your pre-boil gravity, you will want to take that on a cooled down sample not of some of your runnings, but once you've collected all of your runnings and combined them. The gravity of your initial runnings will be quite a bit higher than your final runnings. For your gallon measure, I'm assuming you are talking about in your mashtun? If so, you could just use a wooden dowel with notches cut in it... Sharpie may tend to rub off your SS spoon.

[spiderwrangler]

Sharpie may tend to rub off your SS spoon.

Yeah, I said "rub off"...

[TheDarkSide]

I should cool some of my ruunings in order to take a pre-boil gravity reading, yes?
I still need to mark/notch my spoon handle or something so as to have gallon measurements too. Will a sharpie mark work on my SS spoon handle? Or is there a better object/material to use?

The sharpie will eventually wear off. But then you can just touch it up when it does. I'd be careful putting scratches in it, because that will give it a place to rust.

You've already done full boils so do you have a wort chiller of some kind? If not, I'd say that would need to be your next purchase. You want to cool the sample a bit and adjust using the hydrometer charts or get a ATC refractometer ( although I still let it cool before putting the cover down ).

[jimlin]

Don't do it man! You have so much to live for!


Oh... not that kind of jump... Good, glad you're not trying to off yourself. Congrats on the all grain man!

In your thermometer, you will want to check it against boiling water to make sure it's calibrated correctly.

For your pre-boil gravity, you will want to take that on a cooled down sample not of some of your runnings, but once you've collected all of your runnings and combined them. The gravity of your initial runnings will be quite a bit higher than your final runnings. For your gallon measure, I'm assuming you are talking about in your mashtun? If so, you could just use a wooden dowel with notches cut in it... Sharpie may tend to rub off your SS spoon.

Gotcha on the final combined runnings. As for the gallon measurements, I'm actually thinking more about in the boil kettle so I can have a good idea of how much my initial runoff has given me, as well as to be able to measure how much I'm boiling off.

[jimlin]

I should cool some of my ruunings in order to take a pre-boil gravity reading, yes?
I still need to mark/notch my spoon handle or something so as to have gallon measurements too. Will a sharpie mark work on my SS spoon handle? Or is there a better object/material to use?

The sharpie will eventually wear off. But then you can just touch it up when it does. I'd be careful putting scratches in it, because that will give it a place to rust.

You've already done full boils so do you have a wort chiller of some kind? If not, I'd say that would need to be your next purchase. You want to cool the sample a bit and adjust using the hydrometer charts or get a ATC refractometer ( although I still let it cool before putting the cover down ).

DarkSide... I actually do have a chiller. Got one from NorthernBrewer (or was it more beer... I think it was NB). Made sure I had that when I went to full boil. I'm on the MA/NH border and have well water, so it's pretty cold water year round. I figure I can take enough of a sample from the combined runnings from the cooler and chill that in the freezer for a bit to take a pre-boil gravity reading.