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All-Grain Brewing
All-Grain beer making is more involved than the extract method of making beer. The main difference is that with the all-grain method, you convert the starches in the grain to fermentable sugars. This is done in a procedure called mashing. In mashing, you are making a wet cereal mixture and "cooking" it at very specific temperatures. This is done either though infusion mashing, or step mashing. (Actually there are probably many, many more ways of achieving a mash, but these are the two easiest methods.) The method you use will be dependent on the recipe that you are making. Often, recipes will specify which procedure to use. Here is how you make it. This is all the equipment that you will need and/or want. Round, Insulated Cooler with a Lid and a Spigot. A 5 gallon or larger Rubbermaid or Gatorade cooler will work well, and are usually available at local housewares store for $30 or less. Large Grain Bag. It will need to be large enough to fit in the cooler and open around the sides of the cooler. A coarser mesh will be better than a very fine mesh. Tincture of Iodine. Purchase this at most pharmacies or drug stores. Some stores may have this on the shelf, while others may require you to pick it up at the pharmacy. This is used to determine if the mash is complete. Vegetable Steaming Basket. The steaming basket should be the type that is made of perforated metal and opens up to about seven inches in diameter, basically just a little smaller than the inside diameter of the cooler.They are commonly available from most home supply stores for just a few dollars. Alternately, a perforated metal base can be purchased from your local homebrew supply store for $30. 30 Quart or Larger Brewpot. Stainless Steel if you can afford it. You will need every bit of this volume, as your initial boil volume will be six gallons (24 quarts) Propane Burner The type used for turkey fryer. With the larger volume of liquid, the typical stove top burner will take a very long time to get up to temperature. The same is true for the electric burner. If you don't have the burner, use what you have. The two previous items can be purchased together as a stainless turkey fryer, and can cost under $100. Don't be tempted to use it for both purposes, The pot will be difficult to keep as clean as needed. Used cooking oil in the wort is not a good thing. The rest of the equipment needed is the same as for the extract brewing method. Start by planning your brew batch. You need to know how much grain you are using, and what type of grain. The type of grains being used determine whether you need to use a step mashing method, or infusion mashing. To keep it simple, if you are using any six row malt, then use the step mash. If you are using only two row malt, then the infusion method can be used. The infusion method is easier, with fewer steps. If you do not know which malts you have, then you can always use the step mash, it will still work fine. Infusion Mash: Follow these steps for the infusion mash method. 1. Determine the amount of mash liquid that you need. This is critical, as it will determine the temperature of the mash. Mash temperature (the temperature of the grain and water combined) should be between 145 F. and 155 F. Even this slight difference in temperature will have an impact on the body and alcohol content of the beer. If the mash temperature is low, around 145 degrees, the resulting beer will have a lower body, but a slightly higher alcohol content. If the mash temperature is higher, around 155 degrees, then the beer will have more body, and a slightly lower alcohol content. The amount of water to add is 1 quart for every pound of grain in the mash. For example, if your recipe calls for 7 pounds of 2 row malt,1 pound of crystal malt, and 1/2 lb of chocolate malt, then you have 8-1/2 pounds of grain. Therefore, the amount of mash water will be 8-1/2 quarts of water.  The temperature that this water will need to be is approximately 15 - 18 degrees hotter than the target mash temperature. If you are attempting to mash at 150 degrees F, then the mash water will need to 165 -168 degrees. This temperature may vary slightly, depending on the temperature of the grain, and the size and material of the mash container. 2. If you have not already done so, then grind the grain using a grain mill. This is the best way to achieve a proper consistent grind. 3. Clean and sterilize the cooler, grain bag, steaming basket, stirring spoon, and anything else that will come into contact with the wort.    4. Place the steaming basket or equivalent into the bottom of the cooler.
5. Place the grain bag in the cooler.
6. Put the grain in the grain bag. Do not tie off the top of the grain bag, leave it open. 7. Bring the mash water up to temperature as determined in step one. In a second pot, bring a quart of water up to the same temperature. This water may be used if the grain does not achieve the desired temperature. Also set aside a couple cups of cool water. This also is for adjusting the mash temperature if it is too hot. Hopefully you will not need either the extra hot water, or cool water, but until you understand the thermodynamics of your specific mash system, some adjustment may be necessary. 8. Add the mash water to the cooler by carefully pouring it on top of the grain. Stirring of the grain is necessary to achieve a uniform temperature of the mash. Measure the temperature to make sure it is within the range desired, (145-155 degrees). If the temperature is too high, add cool water to reduce the temperature. If it is too cold, then add more hot water. Place the lid on the cooler. 9. Every 5 - 10 minutes, stir the mash. During this time, the enzymes in the grain will be converting the starch into sugar. Depending on the temperature of the mash, it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes for all the starch to be converted into sugar. 10. While the mash is "cooking", prepare water for sparging. Sparging is the process of washing the sweet liquid out of the mash cereal. You will need to heat up two quarts of water for every pound of grain in the recipe. The temperature of the sparging liquid should be 170 degrees F. 11. After around 30 minutes, begin checking for conversion of the starch to sugar. do this by draining off about a cup of the liquid and pour it back in the top of the cooler, then take about a tablespoon of liquid. Add one drop of the iodine to the liquid. If the starch has been completely converted to sugar, then the iodine will not change color. If there is starch remaining in the liquid, then the iodine will turn very dark purple, almost black. If the conversion from starch to sugar is not complete, then give it another 10 minutes and try it again. Repeat this process until the conversion is complete. If you do not have iodine, then let your mash "cook" for 90 minutes. It should be done by then. 12. Sparge the liquid into a 6 gallon pail. This is done by opening the spigot at the bottom of the cooler. Prop the spigot open, of have someone with a lot of patience hold it open for you if necessary. A bottle cap can be wedged in the spigot button of some coolers and hold it open. The first couple cups of liquid may be very cloudy. If so, then add it back to the top of the cooler. The grains in the cooler will act as a filter, so the liquid will be clear, not cloudy. If the liquid does not seem to be very clear, don't worry. Eventually it will be seperated from the beer. Slowly start adding the sparging liquid to the top of the cooler, pouring it around evenly over the entire top of the mash. The entire process could take a while, 30 minutes or more. If the flow of liquid stops, but there is still liquid in the cooler, check for loose grains in the spigot by sticking a toothpick or similar object in the outlet hole. The grain bag should prevent this, but it is always possible for grains to find there way to the spigot. Be patient, let all the liquid drain out. Do not be tempted to squeeze out the liquid from the grain bag. That will only add undesirable solids to the wort. 13. Pour this sweet wort into the brewpot, and add water, if needed, to bring it up to 6 gallons. 14. Place the wort on the burner and bring it up to a boil. Be careful. as the liquid approaches a boil, reduce the temperature and very gently increase the temperature. As the wort begins to boil, it will want to foam up and overflow the pot. Boil-overs can happen very quickly! After a few minutes of boiling, the foamy head will subside, and the risk of bol-over is greatly reduced. 15 Add your hops and Irish Moss at the schedule prescribed but the recipe. 16. At the end of the boiling, typically one hour, the wort will need to be cooled down as quickly as possible. A wort chiller is the best way to do this. Make sure the chiller has been sanitized and connect one end to a faucet. Tthe other end needs to be able to drain outside the brewpot. Turn on the cold water. Caution: The water that comes out the exit end of the wort chiller can be extremely hot! Stir the wort with a sanitized spoon / paddle to help cool down the wort faster. When the temperature reaches about 80 degrees or lower, turn off the water and remove the wort chiller. 17. Transfer the wort to the primary fermenter. Be careful, as everything that comes in contact with the wort must be sanitized. During the process of transferring the wort, allow as much air to be incorporated into the liquid as possible. Oxygen is needed by the yeast during the initial stage of the fermentation. Some people use an air stone similar to one used in aquariums. These are fine, however there is a lot of surface area in these stones that can harbor bacteria and other micro-organsims. Be sure to sanitize the stone and tubing extremely well before using. Another way of accomplishing this is by filling the primary approximately half way, make sure the lid is on securely, and shake the primary for a few minutes. Then add the remaining liquid. 18. At this point, the yeast can be added. Follow the manufacturers directions. Most dry yeasts recommend activating it first by adding it to warm water. This is fine, however the dry yeast can also be sprinkled directly to the top of the wort. Liquid yeasts require more care, and may actually involve making a starter the day before. If using a liquid yeast, definately follow the manufacturers directions. In either case, just remember that the yeast cells do not like drastic changes in temperature, so try to make sure they are at the same temperature when added. 19. Install the air lock. Use boiled water, a sanitizer solution, or vodka in the airlock. This is just in case some of the liquid makes its way back in to the primary. Place the primary in a dark place to begin fermentation. For ales, this will need to be at least 70 degrees F.. If your primary is a glass carboy, wrap a towel or blanket around it to help keep out the light. Fermentation should begin within 12 - 48 hours. If not, you may need to add more yeast.
20. After the wort has fermented for several days, the foamy head will reside. At this point you may want to transfer the liquid to a secondary fermenter. The purpose of this is to seperate the liquid from the dead yeast and other proteins that have accumulated at the bottom of the container. This is called "trub", pronounced troob. If the brew is allowed to stay in contact with the dead yeast, it will result in an off flavor in the beer. By transfering the liquid to the secondary you will be able to allow the beer to clarify more before bottling and condition more. Once in the secondary, the beer is safe to keep for a few more weeks before bottling. If you do not have a secondary, then allow the beer to continue fermenting for several more days, until all bubbling has ceased. The beer should not sit in the primary any longer than necessary, even if you do not have a secondary. Two weeks should be the longest it stays in this container. The only downside to using only a primary fermenter is that you may end up bottling beer when the beer has not clarified as much as you would like. Eventually the beer will clarify in the bottle, you may just have a little more yeast at the bottom of the bottle. Start by cleaning and sanitizing all equipment that will cone in contact with the beer. To transfer the liquid, use a syphon. Buy one! (See the equipment list) While it is possible to start a syphon by just using a length of tubing and sucking on the outlet end of the tube, do not do this! The few dollars that you save by not buying a syphon will be wasted by ruining an entire batch of beer. For the liquid to continue to flow, the level of the outlet end of the syphon hose will need to be lower than the level of liquid in the first container. Keep the inlet side of the syphon as far from the bottom as possible. This will prevent sucking yeast into your second container. Remember, we are trying to seperate the liquid from the yeast at the bottom of the primary. Keep the outlet side of the syphon submerged if possible. If not then allow the liquid to discharge onto the inside of the container. The point here is to prevent adding any oxygen to the beer. This will spoil it. As you get close to the bottom of the primary, there will be a little bit of liquid, and a lot of yeast. By tilting the container slightly (slowly and carefully) you will be bale to get most of the liquid out without the yeast. Don't be tempted to get every last bit out of the container. You may end up sacrificing a bottle of beer or two, but this is better than sucking a bunch of yeast into the secondary. 21. Just before bottling, make sure you have enough bottles for the amount of beer that you have made. For a five gallon batch this will be about two cases (48)12 oz bottles. Always have a few extra, in case you have more liquid than expected. The bottles need to be washed, scrubbed with a bottle brush,and rinsed to make sure there is no foreign material on the inside of the bottle. After they have been washed, sanitize the bottles and keep stored upside down to drain out any liquid, and allow them to dry. A bottle tree works well for this, or they can be placed back in the carton upside-down. place several sheets clean paper towel in the bottom of the carton to absorb any liquid that drains Remember, your bottles will be the home for you beer for the next several weeks to months, so it needs to be as absolutely clean and sanitary as possible. 22. Add about 3/4 cup of corn sugar and an equal amount of water to a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil. This extra sugar wil allow carbonation to form in the bottle. Do not use regular cane sugar!!!! This will give your beer a cidery taste, and it also will convert into much more carbonation than the corn sugar. You risk blowing up bottles if you use cane sugar. The corn sugar should be the dry corn sugar available from you homebrew supplier. Do not use the liquid corn sugar available in the grocery store. 23. Sanitize you bottle caps. The best way of doing this is to soak them in a sanitizing solution. Alternately, they can be placed in boiling water. 24. Clean and sanitize a container large enough to hold the full five gallons of beer. A standard 5 gallon pail works fine for this. Ale Pails are a good example of what to use. These are nice because they have a spigot on the bottom that can be used to fill the bottles. If you are going to do this, then remember to clean and sanitize the inside of the spigot out too. Add the corn sugar mix that you boiled in the previous step. Transfer the beer using the same procedure as above for transferring beer into the secondary fermenter. 25. Stir the beer carefully and slowly to mix the corn sugar with the rest of the beer. Be careful to not introduce air into the beer. 26. Fill the bottles to within 1/2 - 1 inch from the top of the bottle. Once again, be careful to not allow the beer to foam while you are filling the bottles. With the spigot, the beer can be dispensed directly into the bottles, and the level controlled by opening and closing the spigot. The other option is the bottle filler attached to the syphon tube. This works by starting a syphon into the bottle filling tube. There is a plunger on the bottom of the filler. As long as the plunger is down, no liquid will flow. Insert the filler into the bottle until the plunger is on the bottom. Beer will begin to flow and fill the bottle. When the liquid level reaches the top, remove the filler. As the plunger comes off the bottom of the bottle, the liquid will stop flowing. As the filler is removed from the bottle, the volume that was occupied by the filler will be reduced, and the level of liquid should be correct. 27. Place a cap on the bottle, and secure it using the bottle capper. Place the bottles back into the carton and store them for ar least 1 - 2 weeks. This time is necessary for carbonation to become complete. If you drink it sooner than this, the beer may be flat. Also, the flavor of the beer will improve as it ages. If you can wait at least 4 to 6 weeks, that would be best. (If you can't wait that long, I can't bame you.)
Serving Your Beer: Different beers are intended to be served at different temperatures. I suggest that you serve it at the temperature that you enjoy it best. Because your beer is naturally carbonated, there will be yeast in the beer. This will settle out with time and form a layer on the bottom of the bottle. For that reason, your beer will best be served in a chilled glass. After you open the bottle, pour it carefully so as not to "chug" it from the bottle. This can stir up the yeast layer. While the yeast won't hurt you, it does not look as nice if your beer is cloudy. As you get the the bottom of the bottle, watch for the sediment layer. Stop pouring just before the yeast gets to the neck of the bottle. You will end up with about a 1/2 inch or less of beer left in the bottom of the bottle. After you have poured out the beer, wash, rinse and store the bottle upside down. This will make cleaning bottles for your next batch much less work. Relax and enjoy your beer. Pour Carefully. Drink Responsibly. |
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