I know it's unorthodox, but I brewed a 2.5 gallon concentrate using a one step mash instead of extracts. It's unorthodox in the sense that one would typically brew a whole 5 gallon batch when doing an all grain brew, but I don't have a 5 gallon brewpot (yet) and still wanted to give it a try.

This will get some laughs I'm sure, but have mercy on me. I'm far from an expert brewer, and I tend to experiment, making do with what I have on hand to get the job done. (Note the photo of my mash tun and you'll see what I mean.)

I used about 10 lbs of two-row malt so I could do a single infusion mash and not have to worry about a rest step. I got 2.5 gallons of mash water up to 168 degrees, poured it into my mash tun (a cooler) and mashed for an hour. My mash temp hovered right around 152 degrees, so I'm hoping for a somewhat drier pale ale style. When I brew using extracts I tend to get a sweeter finish on my beers. Mashing will allow more control over that quality of the finished ale.

I figured I would lose about a half gallon during my boil so I sparged with the 2.5 gallons of mash water, filtered that through the grain bed about 3 times, then followed with a half gallon rinsed through the grains, bringing my up to 3 gallons for the boil.

I proceeded with my 60 minute boil after screening out some extra grains that were left behind in my brew pot. Added hops based on the recipe, cooled then racked it to the primary carboy fermenter (which already contained 2.5 gal of cold water)and pitched the yeast.

There was a very active fermentation for the first 3 days then it settled down. After 10 days I racked to the secondary and it will sit there for another 10 days then I will bottle. I'm psyched to try it, and I will definitely let you all know how it turns out.

Here are some shots of the mash tun. I attached a hose and used a course screen to filter the grains from the inside.

First let me say, welcome to all grain brewing!

Necessity is the mother of invention, and if you've figured a way around requiring a larger brewpot, then cudos! I wish you the best of luck. Did you happen to get a starting gravity on your final wort?



Cheers
Dave

GuitarLord5000 wrote:First let me say, welcome to all grain brewing!

Necessity is the mother of invention, and if you've figured a way around requiring a larger brewpot, then cudos! I wish you the best of luck. Did you happen to get a starting gravity on your final wort?

Thanks Dave. The initial reading was 1.032. I'm not expecting this to be that strong of a beer though. I'll let you know what I end up with. Fermentation was really quite long and active. I'm thinking this might get a lower final gravity reading than I'm used to getting with my extract brews, so I don't want to make any guestimates.

Well, it's been bottled and tested. This ale turned out nice and light compared to my usual extract brews. It's pretty pale too. To be honest it pours like a german lager (some of which I like), and has a very white head, thick but relatively short-lived.

Final SG reading was 1.002 (initial 1.032), so it's right around 4% ABV. It's nice to have a lighter bodied pale ale with moderate alcohol to enjoy.

I used 10 lbs of 2 row malt, 2 oz of Cascade and 2 oz of Willamette. Nothing else. My first two tests poured a tad cloudy but tests a week after have cleared significantly. This fermented for a little over two weeks, first in a glass carboy, then in my V-Vessel from which I bottled after another 10 days or so.

I planned on dry hopping but forgot to, and to be honest I think that's a good thing. This beer has a very strong hoppy nose, with a floral characteristic. A dry hop may have been overkill. There is a nice even bitterness from the cascade, and a slightly bitter and dry, but not displeasing, aftertaste.

In all I'm happy with the way my first all-grain batch turned out. Can't wait to do it again.

Does anyone have any hints for what to do with the spent grains? I actually just dumped mine in the woods off the side of my property.

To answer my own question, I've heard of people making break with spent barley grains from a beer brewing process. Since I do a lot of home-made DIY kitchen stuff maybe I'll try my hand at making some barley break.

I started using mine as mulch around the garden. This year we had huge strawberries, and my hops grew like crazy. We've had a cool, rainy summer (by Wyoming standards), but I give credit to the barley-mulch.