Thinking of making the leap to AG

[Luke_Buckaz]

G'day fellow brewers!

So as the title suggests I'm thinking of making the leap from brewing kits to all grain. So my question is...realistically how much money do I need to spend to get me into all grain brewing.

I have so many questions, please bare with me haha.

Can you make 40 pint batches with all grain?

I have an electric hob that isn't up to much, I understand some people use propane heaters?? Obviously this would have to be done outside, thus restricting my brewing during the winter months.

I've also read that it works out a lot cheaper than brewing kits?

Does it take up much more time?


Any advice welcome.

Thanks folks!

 

[Clint]

You can make 40 pints. If your hob isn't up to it providing your pot is suitable you could get an induction hob. It is cheaper. .minus the kit price.
You could do part mash. .
Time...I'm new to ag and take around 5 hours from weighing out to washing up,pitching.

 

[Slid]

Hi Luke. The Have a go at Simple All Grain shows how easy it is to make small-ish batches.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51779

The HBC BIAB equipment kit might give you a marker for brewing 20L or so batches.

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk...iler-chiller-mashing-bag-mash-kit-p-2426.html

I would definitely endorse both of these.

 

[Irishwizard]

Second hand induction hob, a 15L pot, a grain bag, a kitchen sieve, a thermometer and off you go. You DONT need anything else other than a few recipes, whatever anyone might say.... but they will Im sure.

 

[MyQul]

You dont need a propane burner as Irish says you can use an induction hob or you can buy an element boiler as slid linked. This means you can brew indoors year round

 

[pvt_ak]

Do it buddy ! I made the leap a couple of months back and I’m gob smacked at how good the results are.

How much do you have to spend and the peeps on here will advise of the best kit.


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[Covrich]

I have a propane burner and use it all year around, the only thing I would say in colder months shielding from wind can help a lot

 

[MyQul]

I have a propane burner and use it all year around, the only thing I would say in colder months shielding from wind can help a lot

Do you just brew out in the garden whatever the weather then?

 

[dan125]

I brew outdoors on propane all year round, like @Covrich says the wind can be a PITA, especially during the winter.
I do tend to keep an eye on the weather forecast and only brew when its not going to rain, although have had to use a golf umbrella to protect the pot once or twice.
Now its getting colder I keep looking at the Blichmann hellfire burner and wondering if I can justify the cost :???:

 

[Ciaran12s]

There's many options. Stove top, homemade mash tun and boiler, grainfather etc. It comes down to weighing up the options, what you want and what you want or don't want to spend.

I looked in to stove top initially but found the price of large stock pots etc offputting. Mainly as it would result in smaller batches and I would want to expand fairly soon I presumed.

I then made the coolbox mash tun, kettle element boiler and immersion chiller for just under a hundred quid. I've only done one brew in it and plan to bottle it tomorrow, but on the brewery I was well chuffed with it all. I went for a 60 litre boiler as the price difference wasn't significant and it allows expansion down the line if I desire.

So my main considerations were batch size, potential batch size and cost of kit.

I do the brew in the shed which is ok, I was put off the stove top because I knew I'd have to listen to whingeing about the smell and my extractor fan is useless.

 

[Cwrw666]

If you do BIAB - brew in a bag - the only extra equipment you need other than what you already have for kit brewing is a boiler and a grain bag. Cost me just under a hundred quid. But it doesn't take long to recover the cost as AG is way cheaper than kit brewing if you buy the ingredients in bulk. I buy everything I need for 6 brews all at the same time - about eighty quid.
If you brew in the house you'll need a heck of an extraction fan as otherwise the kitchen will be dripping with condensation. So I brew in an outhouse where it doesn't matter.
Takes about 5 hours though most of that time you'll be sitting in a chair drinking beer while you wait for things to finish.

 

[Irishwizard]

If you do BIAB - brew in a bag - the only extra equipment you need other than what you already have for kit brewing is a boiler and a grain bag. Cost me just under a hundred quid. But it doesn't take long to recover the cost as AG is way cheaper than kit brewing if you buy the ingredients in bulk. I buy everything I need for 6 brews all at the same time - about eighty quid.
If you brew in the house you'll need a heck of an extraction fan as otherwise the kitchen will be dripping with condensation. So I brew in an outhouse where it doesn't matter.
Takes about 5 hours though most of that time you'll be sitting in a chair drinking beer while you wait for things to finish.

Im confused here. If you spend half an hour reaching strike temp, mash for 1 hour, boil for one hour and spend anther hour prepping and tidying up, where do you get 5 hours from? Im curious.

 

[pvt_ak]

Im confused here. If you spend half an hour reaching strike temp, mash for 1 hour, boil for one hour and spend anther hour prepping and tidying up, where do you get 5 hours from? Im curious.

For me it’s:

Prep.
Waiting for water to reach strike then boil.
Cleaning up, disposing of grain etc.
Waiting for chill so can pitch yeast.
More cleaning up.
I got it down to 4.5 hours Sunday.


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[anders]

Im confused here. If you spend half an hour reaching strike temp, mash for 1 hour, boil for one hour and spend anther hour prepping and tidying up, where do you get 5 hours from? Im curious.

5 mins - fill kettle
30 mins - heat water
5-10 mins - dough in
60 mins - mash
30 mins - sparge
30 mins - heat wort to boiling
60 mins - boil
40 mins - whirlpool/settle/chill
5 mins - aerate wort
20 mins - clean up

Just very rough approximations as I've never properly timed a full brew (apart from mash & boil). It always runs on a bit longer than planned, but that's not really a bad thing :thumb:

 

[The Baron]

Im confused here. If you spend half an hour reaching strike temp, mash for 1 hour, boil for one hour and spend anther hour prepping and tidying up, where do you get 5 hours from? Im curious.

I usually find
prep about 15 mins
3/4 of an hour to get to strike
1 hour mash
3/4 to get to boil temp from mash
1 hour boil
1/2 hour to cool
cleaning up time 1/2 hour ish some can be done in between like getting reid of grain etc
so minimum of 4 3/4 hours usually 5 by the time I have finished

 

[Cwrw666]

Im confused here. If you spend half an hour reaching strike temp, mash for 1 hour, boil for one hour and spend anther hour prepping and tidying up, where do you get 5 hours from? Im curious.

Well I can only speak for my own brewday using my own equipment and my own timings.
I fill the boiler and put it on to heat.
Then I grind my grain and weigh out any speciality grains. Not sure how long this takes but when I'm done grinding and weighing the water is just up to mash temperatures. Think that's about an hour.
I mash for about an hour and a half.
Then lift out the grain bag and while I'm dunk sparging it I have the boiler on to boil. Then tip the sparge water in and carry on heating. Bringing 5 gallons from mash temperature up to boiling takes longer than you might think.
Then I boil for 1 1/2 hours.
After switch-off I leave it alone for half an hour and then drain into the FV while still hot as I do no-chill.
I usually start at 9 and am finished by 2pm.

Well, finished except for leaving the FV to cool til bedtime when I have to remember to take the OG and add the yeast.

Yes, I could trim the brewday a bit by a shorter mash and boil but why bother, it's only sitting down time.

 

[The Baron]

I usually find
prep about 15 mins
3/4 of an hour to get to strike
1 hour mash
3/4 to get to boil temp from mash
1 hour boil
1/2 hour to cool
cleaning up time 1/2 hour ish some can be done in between like getting reid of grain etc
so minimum of 4 3/4 hours usually 5 by the time I have finished

Should add I do full volume so it takes longer for heating of water and boil also I use the Ace so just a small kettle sparge while grain is draining over mash and heating up

 

[Covrich]

Do you just brew out in the garden whatever the weather then?

If its peeing it down that can be a problem , what I tend to do is delay it or I put it in my conservatory inform of the double doors wide open..

Other than that it is fine.. if its windy I might have it at the side of my house like a path entry where it is sheidled pretty well.

Electric may be preferable for this guy but if he was considering propane no reason not to brew in winter its absolutely fine for it..

I may treat myself to a grain father one day, that's the way I will go back to leccy, the whole dodgy electric ACE boiler put me off...

 

[fourbob]

Have a go at the "Have a go at a simple AG" thread. That'll give you an idea of the processes involved - then you can make decisions about whether / what you want to invest in to suit your own ambitions and pocket.

I did over 50 brews with little more than a Wilko stock pot, before investing in an Ace boiler to facilitate moving up from 10-12 litre brews to 21 litres (ish).

 

[chesters-mild]

I went with a home made mash tun for about £35, including the tap and a home made bag to go in the tun, with a small SS strainer over the tap inlet inside the tun, this way I get a clear run of liquor from the first running to the end of sparge. Add some extra lagging ie. camping/yoga mat and it will keep at a good mash temp. I did treat myself to a Pico boiler and cooling coil though! Overall cot to date is about £150. You can do 10 to 12 lit brews on a kitchen gas hob - that's how I started.
Once you go all grain you will never go back to kits :thumb: