Dorky but functional guide to easy all grain brewing. Extract brewers, you can do it! I follow the Denny Conn method of batch sparging. More details and guides to building some of this equipment: www.donosborn.com
Tags: All-Grain, Batch, BEER, Brew, donosborn, Easy, Extract, homebrew, homebrewing, how, Simple, sparge, to
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thanks for the quick reply!
can’t wait till my holiday is over with so i can get some equipment and get brewin’
Comment by darkmetallica — April 26, 2010 @ 10:59 am
Hello Don. I am an extract brewer and I find your videos on brewing very inspiring. I am about to make the transition to all grain very soon, just to have to buy a mash tun and a bigger brew kettle. Great job, your brewing videos are the best on youtube 5/5 thumbs up
Cheers!
Comment by Mrius86 — May 2, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
@Mrius86 Wow thanks for the nice words. Glad they help.
Comment by donosborn — May 3, 2010 @ 10:49 am
Hi Don, I am a new brewer I have only done extract so far. I like them but they are missing a certain something. You are the first all grain brewer I have watched who made the all grain process seem like something I could do. Thanks.
Comment by snobrdsms89 — May 3, 2010 @ 4:24 pm
Hi Don,
I’m ready to make to move to all-grain from partial mash. I have 1 question. When I’m ready to mash out, you said on your website to add boiling water to bring it to 168. On a 5 gallon batch, how much water should I boil & do I just add a little at a time until 168 is reached? I guess I was just a little nervous to add boiling water since I read so much about tannins when the temperature is too high.
Comment by premierdrumdr — May 5, 2010 @ 3:36 pm
@premierdrumdr It depends. “Mash out” water is usually a small amount of boiling water that you add because: 1. it raises the overall temp some, but rarely brings it all the way up to 168. 2. it brings the volume of water that you will collect in the first runnings closer to about half of the total volume. It is with the sparge water that you can bring the overall temp right up to 168, and collect the second half of the wort. Send me a msg if you want a xls file to help with this.
Comment by donosborn — May 5, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
@donosborn Also, adding boiling water will not extract harsh tannins since the overall temp will still be below 170.
Comment by donosborn — May 5, 2010 @ 3:47 pm
Ok, thanks for clarifying. I think as long as I know I’m not trying to reach 168 with the mash out water I think I’ll be ok. I think it also just takes doing it a few times & developing a system like I’ve done with partial mash. Thanks again for the answer & for the clear instructions. A lot of videos I’ve seen are long, boring & filled with non-important information especially for those of us who already brew & are just stepping up.
Comment by premierdrumdr — May 5, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
Hello, I am hoping to try my first all grain batch soon. I understand that an insulated cooler keeps a good constant temperature, and I understand how to build the homemade mash tun. But is the mash tun more difficult to clean with the steel tubing inside as compared to using a grain bag? Are there significant advantages to using a converted cooler instead of using a regular cooler with a grain bag?
Comment by hairyparis — May 13, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
@hairyparis Are you talking about the “brew in a bag” method as described on Basic Brewing Radio (and Video)? I have never tried it. But no, the mash tun, even with the steel braid, is easy to clean. I scoop out as much grain as I can with a pitcher, and then dump more out, and just rinse it out with a hose or cups of hot water, and wipe it down with a sponge. cheers.
Comment by donosborn — May 13, 2010 @ 12:44 pm
@donosborn Yes, the brew in a bag method… From the standpoint of someone who’s never tried it, it sounds easier than adding all those extra parts to the cooler, and more importantly, there are less parts to keep sanitized. But since converting a cooler seems to be the preferred method, I assume there must be some advantages to this over the brew in a bag method. Do you think these methods would produce differences in the beer, or should I just try it out and compare the results?
Comment by hairyparis — May 13, 2010 @ 3:54 pm
@hairyparis I suggest looking up Basic Brewing Radio (James Spencer) and his experience with brew in a bag. He did a Basic Brewing Video episode on it too. I have never tried it so I can’t speak to any experience. In theory, your efficiency would drop a little and you would have to buy more grain. However some say the efficiency is about the same. It seems to be an ok way to do it.
Comment by donosborn — May 13, 2010 @ 4:00 pm
I’m assembling this all grain kit today. This is a great way to do all grain cheaply. Thanks so much for your ingenuity!
Comment by ChastainProductions — May 15, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
I started out brewing canned beer cuz it was super easy then I moved to extract brewing for better beer and never thought I would ever do all grain brewing cuz it’s so much work and money. Then a friend of mine that brews all grain said he saw ur videos and he started all grain. He showed me this video and I’m so impressed on how easy the way u do it my next batch is gonna be all grain. Thank you for this video. If it wasn’t for u I wouldn’t do all grain
Comment by rickyboy951 — May 17, 2010 @ 12:43 am
Nice vid. I think I’m going to make the notch stick for gallon measurements, that is a cool idea. I pick up the kettle and dump it, but its a bit of a chore. Going to have to get a pitcher like yours, seems much easier to scoop it.
Comment by Buebie — May 20, 2010 @ 11:45 am
Okay, so my inaugeral all-grain voyage is today. I heated my strike water to about 155 degrees, which was higher than my target 150-152 degrees. Unfortunately, once I added the grains to the water they cooled it to 140 degrees – about a 15* difference! I just noticed as I’m typing this that you heat your water to 185 degrees, does that keep it in the 150 range?
Comment by ChastainProductions — May 22, 2010 @ 10:32 pm
@ChastainProductions You should use something to calculate your strike water temperature and amount. I use an Excel spreadsheet. Send me a YT message if you want me to send it to you (send me your email). But generally you would mash in around 165 or so if you want to hit about 152. You have found out that you lost a bit of heat to the grains. It will go better next time.
Comment by donosborn — May 24, 2010 @ 10:53 am
I’m just about to start my first batch ever. I’ve been reading quite a bit on brewing, but naturally still lack any sort of experience. I’m debating doing my first batch all grain, but I’ve heard it’s easy to screw up. Would it be worth it to give it a shot? Also, judging by some of the prices, it seems like all grain would be cheaper. Is that so? Or do you have to buy a lot more of the whole grains to get the same strength?
Great vid here, and for the wort cooler one too.
Comment by amanofsoup — May 27, 2010 @ 10:52 am
@amanofsoup Most people start with extract. Frankly, it is a lot easier, and you can get the basics of brewing down (cleaning, sanitizing, racking, bottling, watching fermentation temps, etc) without also having to worry about getting your sugars out of the grain. Your sugars are all ready prepared for you in the extract. AG is cheaper once you have the equipment, but it is definitely more to take on if you are just starting.
Comment by donosborn — May 27, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Great video thanks!
Comment by bobseverson323 — May 27, 2010 @ 11:04 pm
Thanks for posting this great video, I’m about to make the jump from extract to all-grain and this is HUGELY helpful in my understanding of the process. How long do you steep your strike water on the second batch before running off into the brew kettle? Also, I’ve heard that you run the risk of grain oxidation in the batch sparge method since you pull the grain bed dry, any truth to that in your experience? Again, thanks for the helpful video.
Comment by jrpell100 — May 30, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Thanks for posting this great video, I’m about to make the jump from extract to all-grain and this is HUGELY helpful in my understanding of the process. How long do you steep your strike water on the second batch before running off into the brew kettle? Also, I’ve heard that you run the risk of grain oxidation in the batch sparge method since you pull the grain bed dry, any truth to that in your experience? Again, thanks for the helpful video.
Comment by jrpell100 — May 30, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
@jrpell100 You only need to let the grains sit with the sparge water (if that is what you are asking about) for a few minutes to settle a little. Then do the vorlauf and collect the 2nd runnings. About your second question, that is not something I have ever heard, and I have read countless books on brewing. No, it is not a concern in the least. Oxidize the grain bed? Who cares. You are worried about oxidizing fermented beer (splashing it, etc), but that is about it. good luck.
Comment by donosborn — May 30, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
@donosborn Thanks Don, that helps. The grain oxidation angle was something I read on an AG homebrew recipe from Steve Wagner @ Stone, sounds like a non-issue. Thanks again.
Comment by jrpell100 — May 30, 2010 @ 6:33 pm
@donosborn Is there a reason why the collected pitcher has to be returned after the sparge water is added? What is the purpose of the collection to begin with? Thanks.
Comment by ACTeslaMachineDC — June 5, 2010 @ 9:23 am