Basic Mash Starter Kit

[T.D.]

Oh, and I highly recommend using decent brewing software - one of the best beer-related investments I have every made! Makes it so much easier to design recipes etc. I use Beersmith, but there's also Promash. Both are highly regarded.

 

[pint of lager]

Brewing software is great stuff. It helps you keep accurate records of your brews and designing recipes.

But I don't think it is necessary for new brewers who often get confused about efficiencies, hopping rates, multi step mashes etc. Learning to brew and at the same time learning beersmith or promash complicates the process. New brewers get bogged down in the fine detail.

TD is right, you can mash off your own bat. I did heaps of partial mashes and then when it came to ag, it was just one extra step up. Am up to over 90 ag brews and still haven't seen anyone else mash.

Get your HBS to crush the grain.

To mash in, something as simple as a bucket wrapped in bubblewrap will work.

To sparge through, bucket in bucket.

To boil, a couple of large pots on the stove.

To chill, dunk the pots in tubs of water.

Then the sky is the limit to what brew gear you can build/buy and upsize to..

 

[T.D.]

Yeah, that's a great way to get a taste of AG brewing (so to speak). If you decide it is for you (which I am sure you will!) you can start to replace that equipment with some more serious stuff, including computer software. I should probably point out that I didn't get brewing software until after my first AG attempt. I think POL's advice is very good, you don't want to over-complicate things. But when the time comes (and it will) brewing software is a must.

Any brewer could do an AG batch with stuff they have lying around the house. You will be able to brew a batch of Ag beer by following a few simple rules:

Mash water to grain ratio of around 2.5 litres per kilo of grain

Heat mash water to 75degC.

Add grain and check to make sure mash tem is now around 65-68degC. Mash grains for 60mins.

Heat around 3-3.5 litres per kilo of grain af sparge water to 75degC

Add sparge water gently to the top of the mash (trying not to splash or disturb the grain bed)

Drain wort from mash tun at a maximum rate of 1 litre per minute.

Bring the collected wort to the boil and add bittering hops (use one of the many web-based bitterness calculators to achieve the desired bitterness level, say 30 IBUs)

Add around 1 gram of finishing hops per litre late in the boil and then another at the end of the boil.

Cool down to 20-25degC pour into your fermenter.

Oxygenate the wort by vigorously stiring it with your mash paddle and pitch your yeast.


These are EXTREMELY rough instructions, but they will get you a result. Pretty easy, just follow the steps. :beer:

 

[T.D.]

And obviously sanitising of all equipment is implied!

 

[warrenlw63]

It's probably been quoted quite a few times before "however" John Palmer's excellent how to brew site is a must for people cutting their teeth.

Shows you lots of handy stuff and gets you on the road to setting up AG equpiment. :beerbang:

link

Take a bit of time to read it and start your path to AG.

Warren -

 

[WillM]

Don't forget a thermometer with a range of 0- 100C. You can get an analogue one from Bilo in the kitchen section, or many of the digital multimeters have temperature probes. J-Car sells one for $20.