samedi 1 octobre 2016

How Brewing Using All Grain Kits Work

By Peter Martin


One of the most popular drinks is beer. Due to its popularity people have the whole month of October to celebrate it. Someone who really loves beer will at some point consider a personal brew. The whole process is both art and science.

This beverage can be made through two methods, extract or all grain brewing. Extraction is a more beginner friendly method. But all grain is for the more experienced brewers, those that have the knowledge and skill. The more complex method require all grain kits.

This way of making beer is a smaller way of making the beverage all the way starting from the grain. It is like a smaller way of how the big manufacturers do it. Admittedly, there is an investment involved in setting up the kit since there are specific instruments needed to accomplish the task. It will all be worth it once the perfect craft beer has been made.

There are no malt extracts used for this method and the sugars are pulled solely from the grains. This gives the brewer complete creative freedom but also risks a lot of mistakes. This is definitely a process for those experienced brewers and like mentioned earlier, people with good know how in homebrewing.

The materials required for all grain brewing are a mash tun, a hot liquor tank and a boil kettle. These are the main parts of the whole kit. Some added and helpful instruments include a thermometer, stands, a pump if the gravity from vessel to vessel is not sufficient. One can liken it to the stuff used in chemistry class.

The mash is the process where the starch is converted into sugars. This part is when a the total amount of grains to be used is calculated. If the mash is filled with water from a different source, like the tap, it is advised to use an activated carbon filter for removing any purifying substances in water that may mess with the flavor of the beer.

Different temperatures also result to different flavors and texture. This relies on the preference of the brewer. At dryer beer comes out at 148 to 152 degrees Fahrenheit and a higher 154 to 158 for more malt. For a good balance of both try 151 to 154 degrees. Adding the grains into the water will garner a drop of temperature at about nine to fifteen degrees because the grains were sitting at room temperature. Note that the grains are added to the water and not water added to grain so no dough balls form.

The mash will produce wort that may not be at its clearest. This then is recirculated and placed on top to the grain bed. This process helps clean off the mash. Repeat this step until the runoff is clear and the debris is not visible anymore. Proceed then to the next part.

The sparge is essentially rinsing off the mash for the sugars to go into the boil kettle. This process goes at about 45 to 60 minutes. Make sure that there is excess water. There is a calculation to have the right ratio between the grain, sugars and water. During this process the temperature should stay at 170 degrees and should go no higher. At the end of this step there should be around one to two gallons of wort more than the expected final amount.




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