:: Instructions for our All Grain Beer Kits

All Grain Kit Instructions

When You Receive Your Kit

• Remove yeast and store in refrigerator until 3 hours before you brew
• Check to make sure you’ve received all items listed on the enclosed kit manifest
• If you are missing anything, please contact us as soon as possible
• Please read and understand all instructions

Required Equipment

• Mash vessel capable of holding at least 5 gallons of liquid
• Accurate thermometer between 32 and 212° F
• 6.5 gallon fermenter with airlock, hydrometer, siphon tubing, large spoon, and bottling or kegging equipment
• Large brew pot (at least 7.5 gallons)
• 5 gallon pot for heating up extra water
• Gas burner capable of boiling 6.5 gallons of wort
• Wort chiller

Helpful, But Not Essential

• 5 gallon secondary fermenter (Better Bottle plastic, glass or stainless steel)
• Hot liquor tank and sparge arm

All-Grain Brewing
All-grain brewing is a little more complicated and time consuming than extract or partial mash brewing. These instructions assume that you already have a basic understanding of all-grain brewing techniques. For detailed information about mashing, sparging, water chemistry and pH levels, refer to John Palmer’s book “How to Brew” which is available online at www.howtobrew.com or feel free to give us a call.

Methods of Sparging
There are two methods of sparging an all-grain batch, “Fly sparge,” and “Batch sparge.” Fly sparging requires a hot liquor tank to be held above the mash tun, and feeds hot water to the top of the grain at the same rate that it is drained from the bottom. This method can provide the best efficiency, resulting in a higher original gravity. Batch sparging involves rapidly draining the liquid from the mash, then filling again with hot water, waiting a few minutes while stirring, then draining again. This process can be repeated several times until the boil kettle is filled to the desired volume. Any time the grain bed is disturbed, the wort should be recirculated until it runs clear. Simply collect the initial run-off in a pitcher, and gently return it to the top of the grain in the mash tun. Repeat until the collected wort does not contain any large bits of grain. It’s alright for the wort to appear cloudy.

Sanitation
Any object that comes in to contact with your cooled wort needs to be sanitized. Bleach can be used at a concentration of 1 tablespoon per gallon, but we prefer no-rinse sanitizers like Star San, BTF Iodophor or One-Step.

Brewing Instructions

3 Hours Before You Brew
Activate your yeast by popping the inner nutrient pouch. (See yeast package for details.) The package should begin to swell within 3 hours. If it doesn’t, you will have to delay your brewing session. Don’t worry too much if the yeast is slow to activate, just leave it out at room temperature until the package swells, then refrigerate until 3 hours before adding to your wort (unfermented beer). Do not begin to brew until your yeast activates. We will be happy to replace your yeast if it hasn’t activated within 5 days.

Brewing Procedure

1. Heat 1.3 quarts of water per pound of grain to 180°F. Your kit contains _______ pounds of grain.
2. Add hot water to mash vessel along with your thermometer.
3. Mix in crushed grains when water temperature reaches 168°F. Stir until no large, dry clumps remain.
4. Check temperature after about 5 minutes. Ideal temperature is 152°F. Adjust temperature if cooler than 145°F or warmer than 158°F.
5. Cover mash and leave undisturbed for one hour.
6. Heat sparge water to about 180 degrees F.
7. Collect 6.5 gallons of wort in your brew kettle by using one of the sparging techniques noted above. Final wort volume will vary depending on your system.
8. Turn on heat and bring wort to boil. Boil vigorously for a total of 60 minutes. Do not cover the pot while boiling. An all grain batch that is being heated with sufficient flame will have a vigorous hot break (boil-over); adjust the flame as necessary to avoid cresting the kettle, but allow the foam to stand until it naturally falls into the boiling wort. Only after you are able to turn the heat back up and are sure that it will not boil over should you add the bittering hops.
9. Add bittering hops and start a 60 minuet timer. Again, watch out for the dreaded boil-over whenever adding ingredients to the kettle.
10. Our kits come with a variety of hop and other additions that will be added throughout the boil. Check the ingredient label as well as the kit manifest to see when to add ingredients.
11. After boiling the wort for 60 minutes, turn off the heat, cover the brew pot and chill the wort.
12. When the wort cools to between 65°F and 75° F, transfer to the fermenter.
13. Open yeast package and add to the wort. Sanitize the outside of the package in your sanitizing solution before opening.
14. Aerate the wort. Aeration is crucial at this stage to begin a healthy fermentation.
15. Open the fermenter and remove a sample with a sanitized half cup measure.
16. Close the fermenter again, install airlock and move to a quiet area between 65° F and 73° F. This is the ideal range for fermenting ales. Fermentation should begin in 12-36 hours and continue for about 5 days. Don’t expect all fermentations to behave the same. Variables such as temperature, yeast strain and amount and type of fermentables will affect the duration and vigor of the fermentation. Lagers will take longer to complete all stages of fermentation.
17. Now, return to your wort sample and record a hydrometer reading. Do not discard the sample. Pour it into an empty beer bottle, cover with foil and place near your fermenter. This can be used to take future gravity readings without opening the fermenter again. If the satellite becomes infected, the gravity readings should still be accurate.
18. After a week has passed, take another hydrometer reading and record it. If the hydrometer reading is the same for two consecutive days, the fermentation is complete. At this point you can wait a few days to bottle, siphon the beer into a secondary fermenter to condition, or bottle/keg immediately.