Newbie help

[gnasher]

Hi all,

I am new to home brewing, but I am diving into the deep end and excitedly awaiting delivery of an all-grain setup (boiler, sparging arm and mash tun).

I have a few questions for the more experienced on here and would welcome any help:
I haven't got a separate HLT, so would it be better to use a fermenting bin to hold the sparging liquor while I run off into the boiler, or better to run off into the fermenter and then run it all back into the boiler after sparging? Any other techniques I haven't considered?

I'm a bit nervous about lifting vessels full of hot liquid, but you appear to need several levels to allow all the various run-offs - what is the best method?

Finally, I have Graham Wheeler's 'Home Brewing' from the library, but this is nearly 20 years old. Are there any more recent books that cover the subject in the same detail? Will CAMRA's Complete Home Brewing, due out in September be an updated version of this?

Cheers all.

[HighHops]

Hi gnasher

There's more than one way to skin a cat, but this is how i do it.

Like you I don't have a HLT. I've got 1 boiler and 1 mash tun.
I bring about 12L up to mash temp in my boiler.
Mix with grain in the mash tun.
Lift the mash tun on to the work top.
While it's mashing bring about 20-25L of water up to sparge temp.
Run out the mash tun in to a fermenter. Start sparge by jugging in to the mash tun.
When the boiler is empty of sparge water, there is usually about 10-12L in the fv.
I then pour the contents of the fv in to the empty boiler and continue the sparge run off in to the boiler.
This way the boil is coming up to temp while the last of the sparge runs off.

Hope this helps, but don't worry, you will find what works best for you.

[kane]

Hi gnasher,

There is another alternative, are you set on fly sparging?
If not you could always use a no sparge method, i tried this for my last brew (as i also don't have a HLT, or 'mash tun' for that matter).

Here is how i did it:

Heat mash liquor to just above strike temperature (~80C).
Pour into mash tun (in my case this was a bottling bucket lined with voile/net curtain).
Wait for temperature to drop to strike temperature (for me this is about 75C).
Stir in grain, insulate.
Whilst this is mashing heat up sparge liqour (calculated using batch sparge calculator http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/batchcalc.php )
When mash is complete, before running anything off, add sparge liquor to mash tun (i then left it for a further 10 minutes).
Then run the whole lot off into your boiler.

I heard alot about this no sparge method before i tried it (like large drops in efficiency to 50-60%), however i managed 70% efficiency, which i think isnt too bad compared to the cost of setting up a HLT (for now )

LIke gnasher said, there are many ways it can be done, in the end it will all make beer! (and great beer at that!)

Cheers
Kane

[BeeryBear]

Hi Gnasher

I'm a newbie myself and here is my recent experience. I have gone for fly sparging and created my own system using some bits of copper pipe that should have been used for the bathroom plumbing! (I'd post a pic if i could work out how to) I have managed a 3 level approach by having the boiler on the work surface, the mashtun on some steps and a fermentation bucket on the floor. does mean that you have to then jug it back to the top but that is no great big deal.

I am thinking of getting myself a separate boiler to run off calor gas in the future so that i can get bigger batches done.

[Gadders]

Hey Gnasher,

I only have 1 boiler and a mash tun aswell and use a normal height kitchen table with the boiler and mash tun on top with a spare spare bin/bucket/container underneith. I follow a similar approach to Kane but do a batch sparge at the end so:
I use about 38L of water in a 23L brew so add the full 38L to the boiler the night before with a timer switch so it is ready first thing in the morning.
Heat to about 80c and add about 12L (depending on how much grain used) to mash tun and add grains when at about 74c.
When mash is done fill up the mash tun with water about 75c leave for 10min then drain off into a spare bin/bucket/container.
Add the remaing water left in the boiler to the mash tun, stir and leave for 10min.
Add the wort collected in the spare bin/bucket/container to the now empty boiler and heat.
Then drain off the remaing water in the mash tun into the spare bin/bucket/container and add to the boiler.
Works well for me get about 80% effiency with it.

Good luck and Im sure you will sort somehting that works for you. Also Graham Wheeler has a new book. Its the first one I brought and covers alot in detail BYOBRA Book

[Texy]

Hi gnasher

There's more than one way to skin a cat, but this is how i do it.

Like you I don't have a HLT. I've got 1 boiler and 1 mash tun.
I bring about 12L up to mash temp in my boiler.
Mix with grain in the mash tun.
Lift the mash tun on to the work top.
While it's mashing bring about 20-25L of water up to sparge temp.
Run out the mash tun in to a fermenter. Start sparge by jugging in to the mash tun.
When the boiler is empty of sparge water, there is usually about 10-12L in the fv.
I then pour the contents of the fv in to the empty boiler and continue the sparge run off in to the boiler.
This way the boil is coming up to temp while the last of the sparge runs off.

Hope this helps, but don't worry, you will find what works best for you.

Same here although I only have 2 brews under my belt so far. This works well for me and I brew in the garden and use a heavy patio table and chairs to
get the levels right. I,m right next to the outside tap and drain for the IC cooler to do its stuff. I also bought a second FV to rack the fermented brew
into a 'secondary' that also has a 'little bottler' tap fitted as I bottle my finished beer.

Regards,

[Rick_UK]

I don't think it really matters how you do it, the main thing to concentrate on is getting the mash right, especially the temperature.

For my first 2 AG brews I ran off into the FV then transferred to the boiler and it worked fine. However I soon realised that I could use my old 15l stockpot (from extract brewing days of yore) as a HTL. As I batch sparge in 2 batches (due to my MT only being 24l in capacity) it is no problem heating all my brewing liquour up in roughly 3 batches of around 12l (depending on amount of grist). I also use hot water from the combi boiler so it only takes about 10 mins to reach 80' (on the kitchen stove) for sparging.

Happy brewing and good luck! No shortage of good advice from the helpful chaps on here so don't be shy if you need any.

Rick

[gnasher]

Thanks everyone.

There are obviously a myriad ways of doing this, so it'll be a case of working out what works best for us.

The kit arrives just after the bank holiday, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in as soon as possible.

[greenxpaddy]

The most important things as any chemist will advise is the temperature at wish you mash. You need to hold a Steady mean, I mean average, temperature over the 90 mins. Insulate well and avoid scorching the mash if you top up.

If you keep a steady ongoijg temp OI dont think it matters a jot if you fly or batch sparge - all the sugars run out either way

[leewink]

+1 on hightops way here too sorta

I only sparge with about 3 ltrs a time with a "tipped up" at one end mashtun, my igloo 48, then pump recirculate that to sparge with, I do alot of these tiny sparges to max the result ending up with literally a near perfect clear final run off.

I sparge say 50% of my final sparge water, emptying the tun into a ferment bucket, another bucket is used to take the final 50% from the boiler, these are only rough figures, its whatever grabs me on the day, the run offs then goes into the boiler, as soon as theres enough to cover the element by an inch or so - on it goes, again to speed up the heat to boil, rather than having the whole lot sitting in a bucket getting cold, then as I sparge the remaining it goes in to, my boil starts from the physical rolling boil start.

I agree though, its whatever suits you personally, I like to keep the whole day moving, clean as i go etc etc, so my way to me suits me well.

I dont have an extra boiler as an HLT, as to me again, I dont need it.

The key here right throughout it all, again, is do as what suits you personally, if you can "work it" and work methodically go for it, if you need a little time to have it work for you that way - a little slower maybe, no problems either way, just make sure you have fun

Brew on, Lee