Can someone please explain AG brewing in mash tune that don’t have elements? Like cooler tuns?

[Lollim96]

So honestly guys I’m just trying to get my head around all grain brewing. Being a wine maker for many of years the processes are completely different! I see a lot of people making these mash tuns from cooler boxes that don’t have heating elements and while I totally get how they manage to mash the grains in the cooler type tun with no elements but I totally don’t understand how they add the hops into the recipes without the added heat?

Let’s take a recipe like this which would be classic for a 5 gallon batch.

5kg Malt 1
0.5kg Malt 2

35g Hop A 30 minutes boil
15g Hop B 15 minutes boil
15g Hop C 10 minute boil
7g Hop D 3 minute boil
7g Hop E dry hop

So taking the above example as a recipe.

I would heat the water in my kettle to the correct temperature for mashing the grains, say 150f.. I then add this water to the cooler tun along with the grains and enzymes. Put the lid on and leave for X amount of time. This would be the mashing process completed.

Now the question that I don’t understand is how would I add the hops to the boil? E.g 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes ect.

Because even though the cooler tuns hold heat well, it wont exactly be a rolling boil will it? When the hops go in It wont even be a boil from the average mash temps that are used?

Or when it says “add the hops to the boil” does it mean at the same temperature as the mash and not a literal boil?

Just trying to figure out how I want to go about getting started in this hobby. I made a few extract kits and wasn’t impressed!

Currently I have a 35l digiboil for use as my kettle. Considering building my mash tun from either a cooler without elements or a stainless mash tun with elements. This post is to really help me understand whether I need a mash tun with elements or not.

Sorry if these questions are total noob ones. Appreciate any advice on this

 

[shoengine]

You vorlauf (drain) the mash into the kettle and boil in the kettle. I don't think anyone boils in a cooler.

 

[Yesfan]

It's a two step process. First, heat your water to about 10 degrees over your mash temp. This is your strike water temp. So for 150F, you'd heat your water to about 160F. Add your grains. The cooler temp grains will pull the temps down to your mash temp. Mash for 60 minutes. After that, then you drain the liquid (wert) from the grain. For your Digiboil, that's probably a matter of lifting your grain basket. Discard the grains.

Then you bring the wert to a rolling boil. Once you hit boiling temps, then you start your hop schedule. You typically boil for an hour, so a 60 minute addition would be chucked into the kettle as soon as you are boiling. A 5 min addition would be "5 min left" in the boil". 0 min, aka flame out, would be the addition right at the end of the boil when you shut the gas/electricity off.

 

[shoengine]

I'm a blanket guy, until I start recirculating.

 

[mashdar]

You mentioned enzymes. The malt (if using a typical "base malt" like pale or pils) has all the enzymes you need. They are active around 150F, but they also denature fairly fast as temperatures increase, so it's a balancing act between speed and fermentability.

Re mash temp, you'll want the strike water a bit warmer (a few degrees?) than the mash temp so it can heat up the cooler and grain. There are some calculators for this.

I would suggest reading a few step-by-step guides on the internet, as there are a bunch of small steps you may be missing. E.g. do you know about crushing the grain?

edit: also, the hop minutes are all time until end of boil. I.e. for a 90 minute boil, calling T=0 the beginning of the boil, a 60m addition goes in at T=30m. A 5m addition goes in at T=85.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

What @Yesfan said... but I'll add a step.. or 2. When your 60 minute mash time is up you dont want to drain it all willy nilly into the kettle, first drain slowly into a large cup and pour it back onto the grain bed. Do this about 10 times until the wort appears to clear up, no chunks of grain.. next start to let the wort flow into the kettle, st this point you can sparge, depending on what you decide, fly sparge is done by adding small amounts of hot 170f water to the top of the grain bed while you drain it into the kettle to achieve your full boil volume. Or you can batch sparge to get your boil volume. Personally I fly sparge. Then once your kettle is at desired level you boil and add hops and whatnot as per your recipe. This is for the mash tun type setup or 3vessel as mentioned in the beginning..

 

[mashdar]

I'm a blanket guy, until I start recirculating.

View attachment 833509

Did you get those spray bottles at TSC? : )

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I used to use a 10-gallon kettle on the kitchen counter for mashing. I got it hot and then put it down on several layers of towels, and I covered the sides and top, too. It worked fine. It takes a long time for something that big to cool.

I don't miss sparging in a cooler. Whoever invented BIAB is a genius. Let's see. He replaced the cooler, the false bottom, the colander I used to pour sparge water through, and a bunch of plumbing that probably housed a lot of bacteria.

I'm also glad I'm not lifting a huge kettle full of grain or wort any more.

 

[IslandLizard]

Currently I have a 35l digiboil for use as my kettle.

A Digiboil is an AIO (All-In-One), you can mash in that, using a basket insert (malt pipe) or voile bag.
When the mash has completed, you pull the bag or basket, and you're left with 6-7 gallons of wort, ready to start the boil.

It's a variation of a BIAB (Brew In A Bag) system. You don't need a separate mash tun.

 

[marx2k]

edit: also, the hop minutes are all time until end of boil. I.e. for a 90 minute boil, calling T=0 the beginning of the boil, a 60m addition goes in at T=30m. A 5m addition goes in at T=85.

Wish I read this last weekend where I put my second batch of hops in at 10 minutes into the boil instead of 80

 

[mashdar]

Wish I read this last weekend where I put my second batch of hops in at 10 minutes into the boil instead of 80

Yeah, it's an easy mistake to make early on! I hope it wasn't like 6 oz or something!

 

[marx2k]

Yeah, it's an easy mistake to make early on! I hope it wasn't like 6 oz or something!

lol just one oz. I'm sure I won't notice

 

[amber-ale]

Wish I read this last weekend where I put my second batch of hops in at 10 minutes into the boil instead of 80

So w what does it taste like? Still good or too hoppy?

 

[marx2k]

So w what does it taste like? Still good or too hoppy?

Still in the carboy until the 27th