First All Grain Brew

[benken25]

Its about time I have a go at all grain brewing. I'm going to have a go at the biab method. I was going to get a 19Lt pot from Big W, however what it the best material to use for the bag? This is the recipe I am thinking about doing

3Kgs ale malt
1.5Kg wheat malt
250g biscuit malt


Will there be enough room in the pot and approx how much water will I need?
Also the hops I'm planning on using are Amarillo(8.2%) and Galaxy flowers(13.2%) . The boil will be something like this

25g Amarillo 60mins
15g Amarillo 30mins
15g Galaxy 30mins
10g Amarillo 10mins
15g Galaxy 10mins

Dry Hop 30g Galaxy flowers in secondary

Sorry about all the questions but does this sound like a good start or is it a bit complicated for a first go :icon_cheers:


Ben

 

[RdeVjun]

Hey Ben, good on you for having a chop at all- grain! :super:
Yes, you can mash that amount of grain in the 19L pot, its not really a standard BIAB but is known as Maxi-BIAB or here locally on AHB as 20L stovetop. However, even though BIAB is inherently simple that's a bit more complex with sparging, concentrated boil and dilution, so my advice to novices is to stick with the stock BIAB that doesn't have the extra farting around and so on as invariably something goes to shit on your first one, so use the small stock BIAB as a pilot and get yourself comfortable with that before going nuts with the big brother. The $30 AG thread (just scale it up slightly to the 19L pot) or else the Mini-BIAB guide should tell you how to proceed.
Get your bag from one of the sponsors above (the purpose- designed bags available nowadays are excellent, wish they were available when I started!) or just nab a yard or two of voile from Spotlight or similar haberdasher.
As far as the recipe goes, I suspect you're hoping to emulate a particular craft beer, but I am not sure which one it is (I could also be mistaken!). What I'd do is nail down the specifications, so the IBU, OG and FG for the particular style and then work from that, preferably with a tested recipe, there's no point experimenting with with formulation as well when you're just coming to grips with all- grain as there's just too many variables to keep a lid on. However, the recipe sounds like it might work to me, but its not really my preferred style (hoppy APA?).
Let us know if you hit any strife. :icon_cheers:
Ps. FWIW, the 19L stovetop method is not to be sniffed at. At BABBs Annual comp a few weeks ago the six beers I entered (that's the maximum permitted) which were made in that very same big double ewe 19L pot on my crusty old kitchen gas stove all landed a medal (so 30 or more points out of 50), oh and plus there were two thirds and a first. Can't complain about that for performance! B)

 

[benken25]

Thanks for your help. Would I better off sparging in another pot? Im not trying to clone anything but I love these hops espically the aroma of the galaxy :lol: I will report back after brew day. Thanks

 

[RdeVjun]

Yes, you certainly would have to sparge in another pot if using the 19L for mashing, a second vessel is definitely required if you wish to sparge a BIAB. With respect to the original BIAB philosophy that second vessel and sparging is an abomination in some brewers' eyes, but personally, while I accept the over- riding concept of one single vessel for mashing and boiling, I am not bothered as the end results have made the extra vessel and effort more than worthwhile, plus it has been rewarding in more ways than one. Alternatively, with the 19L pot and stock BIAB I would have a brewday twice as long because it would mean two batches, one after another, for filling the 25L fermenter. FWIW over the weekend I made >24L of 1.048 Munich Helles from just 5.0kg of grain by a single Maxi-BIAB, and that was really nothing special- quite normal for efficiency in the high- 70s and into the 80s without blowing a foo foo valve.
But again, stick with the simple stock BIAB first is my advice for novices as there's no sparge or anything fiddly or difficult, even if you do it just the once- you don't want your first BIAB and all- grain cherry- pop to be a disappointing disaster because something went wrong. IMO there's about ten times greater chance of something going tits up with virgin Maxi-BIAB compared to stock BIAB, but once you're comfortable with the latter and ironed out any kinks in your system, by all means go hard with the former.
Oh, I've just realised (sorry, the penny didn't drop until now), you're in Toowoomba Ben- I'd be more than happy to demo the Maxi and Mini techniques for locals or anyone visiting, we should bang the rocks together and have that brewday with Mearsey and his shiny new Braumeister (there's someone else as well, isn't there?), maybe around Carnival of Flowers/ in the school holidays? :icon_cheers:

 

[benken25]

A brew demo would be great anytime would be great just inbox me with some details. I am more than keen i cant wait to give this a go B)

 

[Mearesy]

Im still keen!

 

[RdeVjun]

Cool Mearsey, let's lock a date in some time in the next month or so. I'm away with work most weeks from Wed to Friday, so a weekend, moreso a Sunday would suit me best and probably everyone else I guess. Carnival is coming up too, usually the tucker & plonk festival writes me off for the weekend, I'm not sure of the dates though.

 

[benken25]

The food and wine tent was great last year had a skin full of white rabbit dark ale :chug: I hope there is something similar this year. i am free most sundays

 

[Mearesy]

Yup sunday sounds good here too

 

[RdeVjun]

OK, weekend of 17-18th is a write- off!
I'd be struggling to be set for 11th September, so 25th at the earliest then, 2nd October seems OK for me too at this stage.

 

[going down a hill]

I'm drinking my first BIAB brew at the moment and about to dint the second one. You wont look back when you start brewing like this.

 

[Mearesy]

25th is out for me, 2nd Oct looks good though!

 

[benken25]

2nd sounds good for me aswell

 

[benken25]

2nd sounds good for me aswell

my bad the wife han informed me we are going to the gold coast that weekend

 

[RdeVjun]

Not to worry Ben, I'm happy to reschedule for some time after then.

 

[benken25]

Not to worry Ben, I'm happy to reschedule for some time after then.

cheers mate im sure we will sort it out. i have got hold of a couple of old 50l kegs im going to turn one into a pot

 

[yandy5000]

Good work. Get that brew day done and report back!

I tasted my first AG pale ale - it's fantastic. It's still a bit green but it's shaping up to be great - rich malt flavour, super fresh hop taste (dry hopped with 40gm cascade for a week) and a very clean, dry finish.

No more extracts here, they don't make beer they make twangy beer flavoured drinks (no offence intended but extract is not good for beer in large amounts). It has a bad aftertaste and cloying sweetness.

Also, with sparging, I didn't do it. I just used the full volume of strike water and mashed for 90 mins, it all ended up fine.

Best regards,
Yandy

 

[yandy5000]

I'm not disrespecting the extract process, I've done many an extract brew and it teaches you how to boil and do mini mashes. But when you are sick of that flavour, you know where to go! to BIAB! Even partials taste a lot better, but I can still detect a twangity tang cidery off taste in there. Yeast just don't like concentrated goo as much as fresh toasty grains.

The equipment isn't that expensive overall, the main one is your boiler. A 47 litre esky and a big grain bag don't cost much. Rubbermaid is expensive, go a cheap 47 litre from bunnings with a tap. It's well worth the time and investment if you want better flavour. But this I'm sure you know already

best regards,
Yandy

 

[benken25]

im really looking forward to getting one started just have to pull my finger out and cut the top of the keg off probably should by a hydrometer and a couple of other bits a peices as well. ended up putting a kit of cooper pale ale with a kg of malt cascade, lemon grass and kaffir lime 2nd time i have made this kit cant wait to have a go at an AG version :icon_cheers: