Cedar Rapids Brewing Society

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.

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?

Sent from space using Tapatalk.

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.

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.

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

Sent from space using Tapatalk.

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.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

I would like to second the false bottom helped alot

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

Sent from space using Tapatalk.

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.

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.

I'm still having my grain crushed @ biy

Sent from space using Tapatalk.

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.

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

Sent from space using Tapatalk.

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.

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

Sent from space using Tapatalk.