Notes

NOTE 1: An old keg can easily be converted into a 15 gallon brew pot. After converted it is known as a "Keggle".

NOTE 2: Have one sponge that is only to be used with the PBW cleaner and another for the sanitizer. You must not get PBW in the sanitizer or you will end up with skunked beer or even worse vinegar.

NOTE 3: I prefer to clean everything at the start, and then dip everything in sanitizer seconds before it touches any of the wort just to be safe. This is even more important after the wort has been boiled and cooled.

NOTE 4: Have one sponge that is only to be used with the PBW cleaner and another for the sanitizer. You must not get PBW in the sanitizer or you will end up with skunked beer or even worse vinegar.

NOTE 5: As a rule of thumb you want to heat the water about 10 to 15 degrees hotter than the mash temperature. The water will cool quite a bit when it hits the cooler grain. Depending on you mash tun efficiency there will be some head loss there as well. From my experience, mash tuns made from 10-gallon Rubbermaid coolers (pictured above) are very efficient.

NOTE 6: As a rule of thumb, "a lower mash temperature, of 140 to 150 degrees F, yields a lighter-bodied, more attenuable (fermentable) beer. A higher mash temperature, of 150 to 160 degrees F, yields a more dextrinous (sweet), less attenuable beer (Palmer, 2010). If your making a dark beer such as a stout or porter, and you are looking for a sweeter full-bodied beer, then you might want to lean to the hotter side. If you are concerned about losing some of the alcohol then add some more base grain to the recipe as this will not affect the taste much but will give you more fermentable sugar. On the other hand, if you are brewing a wheat beer and are looking for cleaner, drier beer then lean towards a cooler mash.

NOTE 7: If the mash temperature is too warm, then add cool water in 1-cup increments until the temperature reaches the desired level. Alternatively, if the temperature is two cold then add more hot water. I would recommend having 170 to 175 degree water on standby while mashing in order to get the temperature up with the least amount of water. The more water you add, the more you need to boil it off get the recipes designated alcohol levels.

NOTE 8: When lautering, the grain bed forms a natural filter allowing only the fluid and very small particles through the drain. However it is possible that the grain compacts too much and you get a stuck sparge.

NOTE 9: As a safety precaution, use the pitcher to ladle some of the water out of the pot and into the mash tun. Then when the pots weight is more manageable pour the rest of the water in to the mash tun.

NOTE 10: A stuck sparge occurs when the fluid rushes out to quickly and the grain bed compacts over the drain. To avoid a stuck sparge open the valve slowly in small increments. If you do get a stuck sparge then either blow into the tube or stir up the grain in the mash tun and try again.

NOTE 11: When it is time to recirculate the wort until it clears, take care not to disturb the grain bed when pouring back into the mash tun. I lay a sanitized, plastic coffee can lid on top of the grain bed to prevent the liquid from disturbing the grain bed.

NOTE 12: The draining wort should be pretty clear, similar in appearance to unfiltered apple cider. There should be no large particles of grain flowing through the tube.

NOTE 13: "Murphy's Law has its own brewing corollary: If it can boil over, it will boil over. Covering the pot and turning your back on it is the quickest way to achieve a boilover. If you cover the pot, watch it like a hawk" (Palmer, 2010).

NOTE 14: While draining, pour some of the wort into the hydrometer beaker and take another reading. Now you should be able to predict the percentage of alcohol your beer will contain when finished fermenting. Although this is just an estimate and does not take the place of testing after the beer has finished fermenting.