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Author Topic: Going all grain  (Read 2886 times)

Offline Erik_Mog

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Going all grain
« on: June 17, 2016, 02:12:29 pm »
I'm going to make the move from extract to all grain.  I will bottle my Hefe either tonight or tomorrow, and that will free up my fermentation chamber, so hopefully brewing next week.  I think I have everything in place...mash tun, pH meter, 10 gal kettle, immersion chiller.  The only thing I don't have, that I can think of is a water report (my sample went out in the mail today), so I am thinking of using RO water and trying my hand at Bru'n Water, or just using my well water and seeing how it goes.

I'm torn between two beers that I want to do.  I would like to try the extract IPA I did, but as all grain.  I converted it beersmith and changed it a bit to drop the alcohol a little.  I am also thinking about a SMaSH APA with bitter orange.  I will post bot recipes in the recipe section to get some feedback.
Bottled/Drinking:  Born Again Heathenweizen, Mongrel Belgian
Fermenting:  None
Future:  Undecided...too many to choose from

Doggie Mutt Brewing Co.
"Beer....Because people suck."

Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2016, 02:42:08 pm »
I would suggest using all RO and Brunwater to add back, depending on the style selected to brew.  Otherwise, you are kind of shooting in the dark.  Adding some gypsum for the IPA is probably a no-brainer, but my well water is so bad that all I can reliably make from a pH perspective are dark stouts and porters and even they have too much iron to be palatable.

RO will let you dial in things much more reliably.  Best of luck.
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Offline Philbrew

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2016, 11:18:04 am »
I would suggest using all RO and Brunwater to add back, depending on the style selected to brew.  Otherwise, you are kind of shooting in the dark.  Adding some gypsum for the IPA is probably a no-brainer, but my well water is so bad that all I can reliably make from a pH perspective are dark stouts and porters and even they have too much iron to be palatable.

RO will let you dial in things much more reliably.  Best of luck.
+1 on the RO water if you are on a well.  I couldn't possibly brew beer from our water straight from the well.
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Offline denny

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2016, 11:28:01 am »
I would suggest using all RO and Brunwater to add back, depending on the style selected to brew.  Otherwise, you are kind of shooting in the dark.  Adding some gypsum for the IPA is probably a no-brainer, but my well water is so bad that all I can reliably make from a pH perspective are dark stouts and porters and even they have too much iron to be palatable.

RO will let you dial in things much more reliably.  Best of luck.
+1 on the RO water if you are on a well.  I couldn't possibly brew beer from our water straight from the well.

OTOH, my well water is amazing and I think one of the reasons my beer turns out as well as it does.  Sure, well water can be bad, but it's far from a given.
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Offline santoch

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2016, 11:28:51 am »
My suggestion is to brew the beer you are most familiar with from your extract experience.
Really, if you get it in your head that brewing AG is simply creating your own extract from scratch, then everything else about the batch would be familiar to you.  You'll know what the batch is expected to taste like, and so you'll know whether you hit your target and if not, then you'll know how you want to tweak it.


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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2016, 12:24:21 pm »
I would suggest using all RO and Brunwater to add back, depending on the style selected to brew.  Otherwise, you are kind of shooting in the dark.  Adding some gypsum for the IPA is probably a no-brainer, but my well water is so bad that all I can reliably make from a pH perspective are dark stouts and porters and even they have too much iron to be palatable.

RO will let you dial in things much more reliably.  Best of luck.
+1 on the RO water if you are on a well.  I couldn't possibly brew beer from our water straight from the well.

OTOH, my well water is amazing and I think one of the reasons my beer turns out as well as it does.  Sure, well water can be bad, but it's far from a given.
Much of the PNW, the Southeast (except FL) and the New England have soft water.

Sierra Nevada has a well at the new brewery in Mills River NC that supplies very soft water from a granite aquifer.
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Offline brewinhard

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2016, 12:50:02 pm »
I vote for 100% RO water and Brunwater for pH/mineral adjustments. You won't be disappointed. Ever since I swithched to this my beers have improved.

Offline chinaski

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2016, 03:08:24 pm »
I vote for using your well water as is and concentrate on just going through the steps of all-grain your first time.  You can use your taste buds as your guide as far as matching your water hardness to a grain bill.  I wouldn't stress about mash pH this early in the game either.  Just brew a baseline of your well water with a solid recipe and see how things go.

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2016, 03:57:59 pm »
I vote for using your well water as is and concentrate on just going through the steps of all-grain your first time.  You can use your taste buds as your guide as far as matching your water hardness to a grain bill.  I wouldn't stress about mash pH this early in the game either.  Just brew a baseline of your well water with a solid recipe and see how things go.

This is fine providing your well water tastes fairly good and is free of chlorine/chloramine.

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2016, 04:15:05 pm »
well-water homebrewer here - coastal locals on wells that I interact with (including one pro) split 50/50 with RO water and add gypsum & a tiny bit of lactic acid. Having done the water chemistry it is close enough for Pale Ales and so on (thank you Martin).  I'm curious if someone could recommend an affordable, efficient RO filter?  Additionally, are there large scale brewers work with RO exclusively?

Outside of RO, I'd think a water report is required for just about everyone. Work with what you've got.

Cheers!
« Last Edit: June 18, 2016, 04:18:45 pm by surfin.mikeg »

Offline Erik_Mog

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2016, 05:00:49 pm »
Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I think I will probably use the well water as is, unless I get the water report back before I brew and the water is trash. 

I think I am going to do a modified version of the Orange SMaSH, just not a SMaSH.  This is what I am looking at (saw where Denny had posted this on another forum and it sounded good....I am just going to add some bitter orange peel late in the boil).

10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM)
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min 34.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins)
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) 
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min 6.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 mins)
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml]

 
Beer Profile
 
Est Original Gravity: 1.052
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.3 %
Est Color: 9.2 SRM
Bitterness: 41.2 IBUs
Bottled/Drinking:  Born Again Heathenweizen, Mongrel Belgian
Fermenting:  None
Future:  Undecided...too many to choose from

Doggie Mutt Brewing Co.
"Beer....Because people suck."

Offline denny

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2016, 09:48:29 am »
Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I think I will probably use the well water as is, unless I get the water report back before I brew and the water is trash. 

I think I am going to do a modified version of the Orange SMaSH, just not a SMaSH.  This is what I am looking at (saw where Denny had posted this on another forum and it sounded good....I am just going to add some bitter orange peel late in the boil).

10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM)
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min 34.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins)
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) 
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min 6.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 mins)
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml]

 
Beer Profile
 
Est Original Gravity: 1.052
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.3 %
Est Color: 9.2 SRM
Bitterness: 41.2 IBUs

Keep in mind that bitter orange peel is usually used for bitterness, not orange flavor.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline Erik_Mog

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2016, 09:52:37 am »
Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I think I will probably use the well water as is, unless I get the water report back before I brew and the water is trash. 

I think I am going to do a modified version of the Orange SMaSH, just not a SMaSH.  This is what I am looking at (saw where Denny had posted this on another forum and it sounded good....I am just going to add some bitter orange peel late in the boil).

10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM)
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min 34.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins)
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) 
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min 6.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 mins)
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml]

 
Beer Profile
 
Est Original Gravity: 1.052
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.3 %
Est Color: 9.2 SRM
Bitterness: 41.2 IBUs

Keep in mind that bitter orange peel is usually used for bitterness, not orange flavor.

Good to know.  I thought it would add orange flavor.  Would sweet orange peel do the trick or am I still barking up the wrong tree?  Or, should I buy 5 or so oranges and add the zest like a dry hop, or do you think the Amarillo would add enough citrus/orange by itself?
Bottled/Drinking:  Born Again Heathenweizen, Mongrel Belgian
Fermenting:  None
Future:  Undecided...too many to choose from

Doggie Mutt Brewing Co.
"Beer....Because people suck."

Offline denny

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2016, 10:11:57 am »
Good to know.  I thought it would add orange flavor.  Would sweet orange peel do the trick or am I still barking up the wrong tree?  Or, should I buy 5 or so oranges and add the zest like a dry hop, or do you think the Amarillo would add enough citrus/orange by itself?

I think my approach would be to see what I get from the hops.  If that's not enough, I'd ad some zest to the finished beer.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline Erik_Mog

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Re: Going all grain
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2016, 10:19:32 am »
Good to know.  I thought it would add orange flavor.  Would sweet orange peel do the trick or am I still barking up the wrong tree?  Or, should I buy 5 or so oranges and add the zest like a dry hop, or do you think the Amarillo would add enough citrus/orange by itself?

I think my approach would be to see what I get from the hops.  If that's not enough, I'd ad some zest to the finished beer.

Thank you Sir
Bottled/Drinking:  Born Again Heathenweizen, Mongrel Belgian
Fermenting:  None
Future:  Undecided...too many to choose from

Doggie Mutt Brewing Co.
"Beer....Because people suck."