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- Jul 24, 2014
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Hello again,
I'm about to acquire a Mash and Boil, and I'm pretty excited. I've never done an all-grain, only extract, and the M&B seems pretty user-friendly. After extensive reading (staying up till 3am several nights in a row), I've got some questions about achieving desired efficiency. Please feel free to offer any additional advice beyond these specific questions. Also, if you have any advice on using the Mash and Boil (no pump, and I do already have a copper immersion cooler), that would be great. Many thanks in advance!
1. With the M&B I will of course be batch sparging. Some brewers choose to sparge with room temperature water. I don't necessarily need to, as I can heat the sparge water no problem. But is it necessary? Will it affect efficiency if I use room-temp sparge water? Can I do a "hybrid" and use sparge water at around 100-125 degrees? Is efficiency lost because of the extra time it takes to boil the cooler water?
2. Ferm cap. Doing high-volume boils in the M&B, I've heard that boiling over can be a risk, so I want to use ferm cap. I've read where some just add 4-5 drops to the boil, and then they don't add any to the fermenter. Does that sound accurate?
3. Ferm cap (cont...) If I add the ferm cap to my boil, will it later make my fermentation weaker? If the ferm cap results in less krausen, in other words, will that result in weaker fermentation? Higher FG? Lower ABV?
4. This one is long and and detailed. I've read that efficiency can be negatively affected by the ratio of mash water to sparge water, if for instance you need more mash water because of higher grain poundage. I think the M&B says it handles up to 15 or 16 lbs of mash, and some of the brews I want to try have that much grain. I read in a post from FlyGuy that this problem can be overcome by adding extra sparge water and lengthening the boil. That might be a concern because of the total volume of the M&B. My biggest question is this, though... If I add extra sparge water and lengthen my boil, does that affect my sugars in a way that could alter the taste of my brew? It just seems risky, to my semi-noob brain, to add a great deal more water. Or does it condense as you boil it down, to where there are no issues?
5. Do any of these questions make any sense or am I just that unenlightened? ha!
Thanks for your answers, and please feel free to be as detailed (or as vague) as you wish. Even if you have some good answers for one or two of those, but not for the rest. I welcome any help with open eyes, ears, and a pint glass ready to be filled. I'm sure there might be differing opinions which is excellent, as long as they're peaceful and not overly argumentative.
Happy Brew Year to everyone!
Jackson
I'm about to acquire a Mash and Boil, and I'm pretty excited. I've never done an all-grain, only extract, and the M&B seems pretty user-friendly. After extensive reading (staying up till 3am several nights in a row), I've got some questions about achieving desired efficiency. Please feel free to offer any additional advice beyond these specific questions. Also, if you have any advice on using the Mash and Boil (no pump, and I do already have a copper immersion cooler), that would be great. Many thanks in advance!
1. With the M&B I will of course be batch sparging. Some brewers choose to sparge with room temperature water. I don't necessarily need to, as I can heat the sparge water no problem. But is it necessary? Will it affect efficiency if I use room-temp sparge water? Can I do a "hybrid" and use sparge water at around 100-125 degrees? Is efficiency lost because of the extra time it takes to boil the cooler water?
2. Ferm cap. Doing high-volume boils in the M&B, I've heard that boiling over can be a risk, so I want to use ferm cap. I've read where some just add 4-5 drops to the boil, and then they don't add any to the fermenter. Does that sound accurate?
3. Ferm cap (cont...) If I add the ferm cap to my boil, will it later make my fermentation weaker? If the ferm cap results in less krausen, in other words, will that result in weaker fermentation? Higher FG? Lower ABV?
4. This one is long and and detailed. I've read that efficiency can be negatively affected by the ratio of mash water to sparge water, if for instance you need more mash water because of higher grain poundage. I think the M&B says it handles up to 15 or 16 lbs of mash, and some of the brews I want to try have that much grain. I read in a post from FlyGuy that this problem can be overcome by adding extra sparge water and lengthening the boil. That might be a concern because of the total volume of the M&B. My biggest question is this, though... If I add extra sparge water and lengthen my boil, does that affect my sugars in a way that could alter the taste of my brew? It just seems risky, to my semi-noob brain, to add a great deal more water. Or does it condense as you boil it down, to where there are no issues?
5. Do any of these questions make any sense or am I just that unenlightened? ha!
Thanks for your answers, and please feel free to be as detailed (or as vague) as you wish. Even if you have some good answers for one or two of those, but not for the rest. I welcome any help with open eyes, ears, and a pint glass ready to be filled. I'm sure there might be differing opinions which is excellent, as long as they're peaceful and not overly argumentative.
Happy Brew Year to everyone!
Jackson