More AG questions

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:12 pm

Hi Guys,

More questions from me in readines for my 1st AG next month.

I have been thinking about a boiler and did think about using a Plastic FV but safety considerations have led me to think I should get a 33 litre stainless steel boiler with will have a tap and heating element in it. So I can use this for my Wort and Hop boil, but I then started to think about having enough heated Liquor for my Mash Tun which will be a 45 litre Igloo MT. Will a 45 litre Igloo MT have enough space for the 4kg of Grist and enough heated Liquor to make a 23 Litre's of Wort for my FV.

Also what is the 'Sparge' Is that just the putting of heated Liquor onto the Grist in the MT?

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:30 pm

you need to read up a bit more before you plunge!

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:41 pm

far9410 wrote:you need to read up a bit more before you plunge!

I know I have a lot to learn but each and everyone of us has to start somewhere and gain the necessary knowledge that's why I am posting on here. The good thing is I am a quick learner

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:50 pm

You're right mate and I dont want to put you off, this site has taught me so much, but you need to understand the basics, I would suggest buying Graham Wheelers book ( how to brewetc) then ask away.

spannerhands · Post by **spannerhands** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:05 pm

+1 for far9410's advice. Don't rush in, spend cash, then find out you've got mismatched kit

You need to decide on your basic process by reading up, then set up your kit to match, then fine tune with trial-and-error and advice on here.

Good luck.

PS a 45 litre igloo is pretty huge if you're aiming for a 23 litre brew length, sparging will give you a LOT more liquor than that

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:06 pm

The answers to most of your questions can be found from the top of this page.

Click on

and you should be able to learn about sparging and many other things.

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:24 pm

spannerhands wrote: a 45 litre igloo is pretty huge if you're aiming for a 23 litre brew length, sparging will give you a LOT more liquor than that

Thanks Spanner, I have been searching and reading on the net. But answers to basic questions like is a 45 litre MT big enough for a 23 litre brew are not that easy to find & that's why I am asking Daft Newbie questions

. Before I posted asking what the Sparge was I read about Sparging and was met with the terms Fly Sparging, Batch Sparging & Continuous Sparging which left me even more confused than before I started.

I will off course continue to search the net but NOTHING beats speaking to guys like yourselves who already have hands on experience.

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Then look at the links on here instead of the forum loads a stuff

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:31 pm

Sorry mate, I don't want to appear unfriendly, look at all the links at the top of this page, most of the basics are there

pas8280 · Post by **pas8280** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:47 pm

You can't beat the advice already proffered mate, but I can empathise reading about process can also confuse a tad, perhaps you could post where in the country you are and a local brewer would let you assist on a brew day. Failing that utube watching how it's done "jimmy the brewer" video gave me s good insight when I first started along with many forum members.
Don't stop asking questions everyone has to start somewhere and as they say knowledge is power
Paul

fatbelly · Post by **fatbelly** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:52 pm

far9410 wrote:Sorry mate, I don't want to appear unfriendly, look at all the links at the top of this page, most of the basics are there

Doing that now Bro

Things are a tad clearer.

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:57 pm

Pm me mate, I' ll give you a basic rundown of necessary things

Horden Hillbilly · Post by **Horden Hillbilly** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:03 pm

Click on the uk homebrew link in my signature to see my set up & step by step brewday guide.

Scooby · Post by **Scooby** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:05 pm

4kg of grain mashed at a ratio of 2.5l of water per 1kg of grain will require about 13l of tun space.

Continuous and fly sparges are the same. It's basically directing a fine spray of hot water over the grain bed to
rinse out the sugars from the husks of the grain. You balance the incoming spray with the sweet wort from the
outlet tap. No extra space is needed in the tun. The amount of water require for the sparge is approx equal to
the brew length (23l)

Batch sparge is different, Once the mash is complete, hot water is added to the tun, stirred and then run off. A
second lot of water is then added and the procedure is repeated. The amount of water added is calculated so that
the first and second run offs are equal, you end up with the same amount in the kettle as continuous sparging.
Extra space is required in the tun. For the above example the required space in the tun is approx 26l

Listen to the friendly advice already posted.

BTW it can be a simple or as complicated as you make it, to start try to keep it simple.....and cheap

Stoat on a rope · Post by **Stoat on a rope** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:07 pm

Download 'beer engine' it's free and you can mess around with different grain types and quantities and it will tell you where your brew is going, you will get an idea of grain and hop quantities with that, also it goes hand in hand with graham wheelers books since he wrote the program. They are a good start and will tell you what to aim for in particular styles. When I started I jumped straight in but first thing I did was read 'home brewing for dummies' cover to cover. Graham's books will tell you the same things really but in less pages.

Then gather together the basic all grain gear and for a first brew, buy a pre weighed out all grain kit, it comes with step by step instructions and the correct weighed hops and grains.

Your mash tun doesn't need to be any bigger than your kettle as a general rule, if they were the same size and you were using them to full capacity you could probably make about a 7-8% beer.

How that helps.

Edited - much of what I said scooby beat me to it!

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