First AG help needed

[johnnie]

I'm planning my first all grain for Sunday, I've got my bolier and mash tun etc. sorted out and I'm planning on a recipe from the Wheeler book so that I can use up some of the hops I've got left over from my extract brews. But I'm not to sure about how much water to use. Should I use the volumes recommended in the book or try to work out my own volumes? If I try to work out my own volumes I need some help with the following.
1. Boiler, I've worked out the dead space, but where does the hops come into this as they absorb some of the water.
2. Mash tun, also worked out dead space, but as above, where does the grain come in as it as it also absorbs some of the water.
3. Loss due to evaporation. Doing my extract brews I used 18l of water plus 2 tins of LME (2.2l) and I was left with 14l. Does this seem like a lot?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Muddydisco]

Right I can't rememeber the figure for hops and soaking up water think it's 1.5lt per 100grm????
My boiler is filled to 32 ltrs and I end up with 25ltr for most average brews based on 90 min boil.
My grain is normally 2.5 ltr per kg of grain, but thats a wetter mash than so people here use. Not knowing your weight I can't answer the exact figure.
I would say treat as much water as you can in the Hlt as you can always wash up with it afterwards rather than trying to treat and heat in an emergency.

 

[pittsy]

hi there have a look at this brew tool and save it for future use , on average you may need an extra 7L of wort for pre boil to end up with approx 23 l post boil but that may differ from equipment extra also if you use 1kg of grain it will use up around 1 l of water so to get 30l of wort from mash tun with say 7kg grain you will need 37l of water for mash tun so take off the 7l then half it is 15l, now 7kg add 7l of water equal nothing now add 15l more equals 15l back after mashed so first amount of water equals 22l second amount equals 15l for sparge total 30l .....anyway just look at this and add all your info and it will work it out for you
http://www.brewblogger.net/index.php?pa ... ion=strike :thumb:

 

[Good Ed]

Enjoy your first AG brew; I'll add my pennyworth to the good advice above, and also it's only by doing a few brews that you will get used to your equipment and can make adjustments. So based on a 23L brew length

For the mash the standard is 2.5L/kg of grain, pre heat your mash tun, aim to get the mash liquor to 8-10C above your mashing in temperature, stir the water before taking the temperature. To sparge I just fill up my boiler to the top which is 30L. You've got your dead space of your boiler, then add for hops = 1kg of hops displace 1L and 1kg of hops absorb 15L so this equals 1.6L per 100g of hops used. I have a Backer 3KW element to my boiler and get an evaporation of 8-10%/hour, and then I add on another 1L for the hot wort cooling. So adding all that up, and say based on using 100g of hops for a 90min boil I usually collect 31L before the boil to end up with 23L.

Good luck :