Difficulty following recipes online

[cmajeff]

I am working up to doing my first all grain recipe. I have created my mash tun and really chomping at the bit to test it out. I started looking at recipes online, but most of them use terminology I have yet to understand, or really lack any details as to the mash/sparge/boil/hop process. What is a quick way to ramp up on education so that these recipes can be broken down into easy steps to follow.

[Blancaster]

You are going to find that most of the recipes you will find online are crap. They lack integrity, and lack much needed information. Do you have beersmith? The downloadable addons have lots of good recipes that do have needed information. Also check out the book Brewing Classic Styles. Good stuff there too. Northernbrewer.com has all their recipes on there website.


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[cmajeff]

I have the beersmith mobile app. I will check and see what is available there. Thanks.

[SkyBrew]

The book "How to Brew" by John Palmer was extremely helpful to me. You can read it online at
http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/index.html

It is also at the Evansville Public Library.

Any questions at all you have you can post on the board, we can help!

I would suggest buying an all grain ale recipe kit before making your own recipe, it will have all the instructions you need with the kit, but we can also help with recipe formulation if you need it.

[sirgiovanni]

Homebrewing used to be a really open forum no matter where you were. It seems to me that it's more about competition and private business growth. I am not saying that is right or wrong, just that if there is info published, I would be surprised on the credibility of it anymore. Don't ever be afraid to have questions or more private conversations with people, they probably will open up more than on published forums. Especially after they have a few..

[Don]

Homebrewing used to be a really open forum no matter where you were. It seems to me that it's more about competition and private business growth. I am not saying that is right or wrong, just that if there is info published, I would be surprised on the credibility of it anymore. Don't ever be afraid to have questions or more private conversations with people, they probably will open up more than on published forums. Especially after they have a few..

Jimmy's right
And there's more than the ingredients when trying to clone a beer. The equipment they use and the brewing style.
The water, the water to grain ratio all make the beer. Try to find out the house yeast they use.
If you do get all the ingredients there will still be a lot of trial and error batches to get close.

Good luck!

[cmajeff]

Thanks everyone. I picked an all grain porter recipe that I am pretty sure I can do. Will brew next weekend.

[Mike]

I have more questions around technique. I have only been doing all grain for a few months. Here are some of the things I get confused about
* Is there a standard water to grain ratio or should it change by beer style
* When do I stop the sparg. By gravity reading or by volumn of wort?
* What is the best way to measure efficientcy? I didn't note the Brix reading while brewing and the sites I've looked at for efficientcy askes for brix readings to calculate efficientcy?
* I also get confused by the calculators for ABV and converting gravity readings after fermentation.
* I have tried to do a mash out but when I do I have very little water for sparging. I'm ok without doing a mash out but I don't know how to get my water volumns set upon beer smith mobile.
* I was advised to keep good detailed notes but I'm not sure what is important to note. I use beersmith mobile but I'm not always confident I have everything set up correctly.
I know this is a lot of questions but I wanted to start a conversation. I read all kinds of things online but sometimes the information is contridictory. I've made some decent beers but want to get better and I'm unsure if my methods are as effcient as they should be.

[john mills]

You can study all the books, and have all the answers....in theory. But there is no substitute for practice. Just like shooting a gun. Point, aim, pull trigger, hit bulls eye. Simple right? Not hardly.
There is no short answers to your questions other than "depends" or "well"
Look up pod casts from the brewing network and listen, listen, learn, and drink beer.

[SkyBrew]

I'll take a crack at it


* Is there a standard water to grain ratio or should it change by beer style
-nope, it depends on what your brewing. For example, the more base grain you use the more sugar you should be able to extract and the stronger the beer will end up. Obviously there is a point where you just can't get anymore out of the grain without adding more water but the ratio just depends on what your goal is.
In John Palmer's "HOW TO BREW" he says "at a water to grain ratio of 1.5:1 qt./lb., the amount would be 12.5 quarts or about 3 gallons. Always make more, you will often need it. Heat up 4 gallons if you can. At a ratio of 1.5:1, the initial infusion temperature should 163°F to create a mash temperature of 152°F."


* When do I stop the sparg. By gravity reading or by volumn of wort?
-You should have a pre-boil target gravity. I think I have my brewing system down so that I just know how long I should sparge before I start boiling. For a 5 gallon batch I usually mash for about an hour, then sparge for about 15-20 minutes roughly before boiling. I do take a gravity reading before the boil and if it is too low at that point I would do another sparge or you could add sugar or malt extract as an adjunct to get to the target gravity.

* What is the best way to measure efficiency? I didn't note the Brix reading while brewing and the sites I've looked at for efficiency asks for brix readings to calculate efficiency?
Software like Beersmith. A refractometer is a quick and easy way to take gravity readings which you should be taking a lot of if you want to know where you are in your process. If you set your efficiency to 70% and follow the instructions if your gravity comes out low you will know your efficiency is below 70%, if your gravity comes out higher then the target you will know the efficiency is higher. Adjust your efficiency and try again on your next batch. Repeat until you have it dialed in, then get a new mash paddle which throws everything off and start all over.


* I also get confused by the calculators for ABV and converting gravity readings after fermentation.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/
put in your original gravity which is the gravity measurement you take when you put it in the fermentor. Ferment, then take another gravity reading. Plug in the numbers and you will have your alcohol by volume percent. example.. you take a gravity reading and it says 1.060.. so for OG plug that in. In a month you pull a sample from your fermentor and it says 1.015.. plug that in. You have a 5.91% alcohol beer!

* I have tried to do a mash out but when I do I have very little water for sparging. I'm ok without doing a mash out but I don't know how to get my water volumns set upon beer smith mobile.
-Its all about doing it over and over until you have it dialed in. Heres where taking good notes comes in! You tried using 7gallons and you ended up with 4.75 gallons and overshooting the gravity, so add more water next time. Repeat until you are hitting the numbers with volume and gravity that you want

* I was advised to keep good detailed notes but I'm not sure what is important to note. I use beersmith mobile but I'm not always confident I have everything set up correctly.
-The recipe calls for 7lbs of 2-row.. you only have 6.79lbs 2 row. Make a note. You boil the hops for 35 minutes instead of 30, make a note. That way if it comes out too strong, too weak, or just right you know what you did and can recreate it. Fermentation temperatures, how long it fermented, any special ingredients.. Good notes make good beers!

Hope that helps!

[Don]

I wrote this in the front of my first brewing notebook @10 years ago, and I still follow it today

Keys to good brewing

1. Need to have a good solid brewing practice:
This takes time and you will develop your own style as you brew, .
Be able to have repeatability, and make only little changes at a time.

2. Need to be able to control your fermentation:
This involves good yeast handling and also temperature control during fermentation

3. Need to use fresh ingredients.
Grains and water...
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Anything else will work it self out.
If all else fails have some beers!
and.. If the cloud burst, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on The Dark Side of the Moon!

[Mike]

Thanks for all the info. I think I'm close to brewing with the same method and equipment going forward (at least until I go to the next level by building new stuff). I think that will help. Until then I'll continue to pick the brains of guys like you and read/research brewing methods. I know it's been very enjoyable so far and the beer hasn't been bad. Just want to get better and as you said if it's not going well just drink a beer.

Don I think I've been to the dark side of the moon. I had a bad spill a few weeks ago when I was making a porter. Operator error and I lost about a quarter of my batch.

[Don]

Don I think I've been to the dark side of the moon. I had a bad spill a few weeks ago when I was making a porter. Operator error and I lost about a quarter of my batch.

Been there... Done That... just 2 month ago.