Blonde Ale - 1st All Grain

[daryl]

My first all grain brew is in the bucket. I need to tweak my mash/lauter tun; it did not flow well at all. It is an igloo cooler, with a stainless braid,ball valve, and a very fine cloth material (like what you would use for brew in a bag or hop spider). I think the cloth is far too fine; I am going to replace with a more coarse weave and see how that goes next time.

It tastes pretty good, I think this is the lightest colored beer I've brewed.

It should be ready for submittal at the July meeting for the competition.

[brianhall1024]

I use a 10 gallon igloo cooler to mash. I'm still pretty new to it as well, i only use the hose braid. What are you using the cloth for? And where are are you using it in the cooler?

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[czubak]

Good to hear Daryl. I am also unsure what you are using the bag for if you have a braid in the bottom. That's all I used before I built my new setup.

[daryl]

The sleeve came with the system. The Hop Spider that came with it used the same material and was double layered. It did not drain very well.

Next time, I will likely use the braid alone. And use my own hop spider...the double layering was overkill.

But, even with the issues, all-grain is not as hard or mysterious as I first thought. In fact, the one-hour mash gives me time to set-up for the boil and do a little clean-up.

I did not participate in the grain buy this year; and I think it was a good decision. At most, I'll make another 6-8 batches this year and will happily buy my grain from Joe at BIY. I can do some experimenting and figure out what grains I would like to have on hand for the types of beers I like to drink.

Thanks for the feedback. The help I get on this board and club, is well worth the cost of membership.

[brianhall1024]

Yeah, the club has been great for the knowledge base. And I'd like to think I've made a bunch of new friends too

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[JimF]

When I first started all-grain brewing, I used a braided stainless filter and frequently had a stuck sparge. I switched to a false bottom in my cooler and had much better results. I never used any type of bag in the mash tun.

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[bf514921]

I would like to second the false bottom helped alot

[brianhall1024]

I may need to convert over to a false bottom. Although I may jinx myself, I've not had a stuck sparge yet!

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[TappedOut]

That's interesting. I use a braid in a cooler, and the only times I've had a stuck sparge were when I was doing something crazy like a pumpkin brew. I crush pretty fine, too.

[czubak]

Only stuck sparges I had were from too fine of a mill. I had to blow compressed air back through the valve to get it moving a couple times last year. I am still tweaking my milling and had a few issues on my blonde a couple weeks ago while recirculating do to my fine crush. My efficiency went up to 80, where I am usually around 70-75 according to beer smith. Grain crush is something I am always trying to get right and makes a HUGE difference in my experience.

[brianhall1024]

I'm still having my grain crushed @ biy

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[czubak]

Good call and for the very small price it's worth it. I have the same mill Joe uses and love it. I am just trying to learn which grains crush differently and have a lot to learn.

[brianhall1024]

Yeah, That's exactly why I haven't bought that piece of equipment yet. I want to dial in my brewing techniques and processes before I add more variables. I'm still a rookie. Hehe

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[czubak]

I am right there with ya, I have not done all grain that long (couple years maybe) and did a huge leap to a 'fancy' single tier. I have some things I would like to change, but trying to keep it as is for a long time to get the technical aspect dialed in. Wouldn't hurt to announce when I am brewing to get some members over so we can all learn more.

[brianhall1024]

I typically brew weekdays due to work schedule and living with 4 females ages 3-34. I agree about brewing with other club members when feasible

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