Topic: All Grain Brewing
Sparge Temperatures
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI remember when I first began homebrewing back in 1986 and almost immediately wanted to start brewing all-grain. At that time the information related to homebrewing was a little more difficult to find and my quest for information quickly landed me in the stacks of McKeldin Library on the University of Maryland campus in College
Starches in the Mash
FREEThis is really a great question and one that brewers started contemplating shortly after RIMS (recirculating infusion mashing systems) brewing became popular. The two main goals of malt milling are particle size
Build a Mash Paddle
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIf you are an all-grain brewer, or if you do larger partial-mash batches, a mash paddle (or some equivalent) is a critical piece of brewing equipment to ensure that any “dough balls” (dry spots in the mash) are busted apart, that the mash temp is evenly distributed throughout the mash tun, and to generally just
Large-Scale Homebrew Systems
FREEBe sure to check out the comparison chart of all the models covered here at the bottom of this article. Homebrew systems have gone BIG. Large three- vessel brewing systems are simply
Full Batch All-Grain Brewing in a Small Space
Digital and Plus Members OnlyMy brewing obsession began when a friend invited me to his house to make beer with him. He had a large house with a basement where he kept all his beer equipment, and his setup was impressive. He had one of those computerized brew stands with three burners, a mash tun, hot liquor tank, and
An Introduction to Step Mashing
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe move to all-grain for the homebrewer has been made easier in so many ways over the past decade. Better access to equipment and information has changed the game. The ease of all-grain brewing can leave the science and details behind the process a bit fuzzy for the first-time (and tenth-time) all-grain brewer. Mashing, the
Converting starches
FREEOne of the most important aspects of measuring anything is to understand what is being measured and how the measuring device works. The iodine test indicates the interaction between iodine and the
Adding Extract to Make Big Beers
FREEI love this idea for a number of reasons. The first reason is that many malt extracts seem to be less fermentable than the preference of my palate. If you open a
Mash pH Importance
Digital and Plus Members OnlyMash pH is extremely important. Enzyme activity is a function of pH and all enzymes are only active in a relatively narrow range around their optimum pH. In the case of mashing, there are two enzymes of particular importance; alpha and beta amylase. The optimal range for alpha amylase is pH 5.6–5.8 and the optimal
Batch Sparging Temperatures
FREEThis question is a bit more about semantics than any real issues with sparge temperature, in my view of things. Bear with me while I explain how commercial brewers normally mash out
Mash Hopping
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThanks for the good question, Keith. I have always thought that the notion of adding hops early in the process, either as mash additions or pre-boil additions to the kettle, in an attempt to improve aroma retention is completely counter-intuitive and inherently illogical. Increased exposure to high temperature will simply lengthen the time for precious
Reiterated Mashing
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDuring an episode of the Brew Strong podcast, the topic was raised about brewing really high-gravity beers where mash tun space was limited. This is actually a very common question: What is the highest gravity beer I can brew in a specific size mash tun? Whether using a cooler or a kettle, we’ve all tried