question about malt extract

Absolutely.
And no way could you get rid of clumps by stirring. But the mash sorted the clumps.
It was real fun to do though.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
Thank you!!
Yes, i can see how brewing can be done with a simple equipment as well , and i am now looking to see if i can find a used or cheap big kettle (although I prefer to use it with an induction heater that i already have, rather then spending more money on a burner) .

I believe that so far I have been also mixing up the terminology of BIAB and All-grain. The difference as I understand it is the mashing and sparging steps ?

Do you consider systems like brewzilla to be BIAB (because its all in a single container , although the bag is metal) , or All-Grain?

Is all-grain efficiency so much higher then BIAB even when you sparge the BIAB bag ? do they differ only in efficiency?
Click to expand...
If you are using a standard BIAB with just the one mash step like me, it will not be as efficient as other methods. You can mash longer, you can get a better crush, you can experiment, or if you are like me, you just set the efficiency in the software lower and buy more grain.
Since 5 gallons is not exactly the professional level, a couple of dollars either way for grain isn't going to matter much. They key is getting used to your system so your gravity is somewhat predictable based on your grain bill.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
Thank you!!
Yes, i can see how brewing can be done with a simple equipment as well , and i am now looking to see if i can find a used or cheap big kettle (although I prefer to use it with an induction heater that i already have, rather then spending more money on a burner) .

I believe that so far I have been also mixing up the terminology of BIAB and All-grain. The difference as I understand it is the mashing and sparging steps ?

Do you consider systems like brewzilla to be BIAB (because its all in a single container , although the bag is metal) , or All-Grain?

Is all-grain efficiency so much higher then BIAB even when you sparge the BIAB bag ? do they differ only in efficiency?
Click to expand...
It is debatable, but I consider my Brewzilla process to be all grain. That is because of the sparge and recirculation. But one could easily make a case for Biab, as the bag is indeed metal here.

If someone using a cooler as their mash tun were to lay in a layer of fine fabric mesh before dumping in their grain, in order to more easily lauter, what should that be called?

As for efficiency, aside from crush, the sparge extracts a bit more sugar from the grain, meaning higher efficiency. But is it huge? Not in my experience, but if you can do it, you should. Waste not, want not.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
Is all-grain efficiency so much higher then BIAB even when you sparge the BIAB bag ? do they differ only in efficiency?
Click to expand...
In all-grain brewing, the different sparging methods do have different inherent efficiencies. But at the homebrew level the size of those differences are pretty small and you can easily compensate by adding a little more grain.

This Brulosophy ExBEERement showed that fly sparging yielded an SG 0.004 points higher than batch sparging. In the batch sparge method you could compensate for the lower efficiency by adding approximately 1 lb (0.5 kg) more base grain.
 
I use an Anvil set up for 220V, I think it is great. I did add a gage glass for tracking level.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
Hello,

A newb question about malt extracts.

Since I am a beginner, I am using ready-made kits (e.g. coopers), which call for about 1 kg of sugar to be added.
I read that replacing the add-on sugars with dry or liquid malt extract creates a better flavor.
But isn't the kit already made up of liquid malt with some hops?

What is the difference between the malt extract in the kit and the malt add-ons that I buy?

If they are the same, do I even need the kit, or should I just buy liquid malt extract and use that ?
Click to expand...
You don't need to be a beginner to use ready made kits. I've been using them for years, mainly Aust. Pale Ale.
I've found that using 1kg of Brew Enhancer 2 with the can gives a nice brew with a good head in the glass.
A few brewers prefer 1kg of Light Dry Malt instead of the BE2. Then you can boil extra hops with 500g Light Dry Malt and add them
at the start. I always use US-05 yeast.
 
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Just to add a data point regarding BIAB and efficiency. I use BIAB process with a single vessel on my radiant electric kitchen stove. I have my own 2-roller mill, and set it to a mill gap of ~0.020, and give my grains a single pass through the mill, producing a crush with a good proration of flour. Recently, I upgraded my bag to a 200 micron bag built to fit my kettle. For recipe building, I use a brewhouse efficiency of 75%. Yesterday I brewed an IPA with a projected Original Gravity (O.G.) of 1.062, achieved 1.061, and ended the day with a brewhouse efficiency of 77%. In my book, that is pretty efficient.
 
I'm pretty much the same as Herm.
Except I double mill. Probably not necessary. Just a hang over from early brewing days.
I set my efficieny at 73%
I do sparge.
 
I am late to the party here!
@Brewer #410940 maybe go into your profile and create a name other than Brewer#....
Curious, you are near Toronto, whereabouts? I am in Cambridge.
There is OBK you can order from online. There is also an HBS in Guelph that has good product and service.
I started with an extract kit from Amazon about 5 years ago. Went right to all grain BIAB for my second brew, and started mashing in a cooler. Then I built up a 3 vessel 10 gallon system. Sold that and bought a brewzilla.
 
The shop in Guelph is KJ Urban Winery, they have a good online ordering set up, and keep pretty good stock.
 
good idea i changed the name , i am in Burlington
Wow a nice journey kit->3stage->brewzilla
what is the goal of a 3 vessel system? , why not 2 (sparge/mesh + cook) ?
is there a reason to not sparge and mesh in the same container ? isnt that exactly what brewzilla does ?
 
3 vessel would be an HLT, an MLT and a BK.
HLT = Hot Liquor Tank, just for heating water.
MLT = Mash Lauter Tun
BK = Boil Kettle
Here is a picture of my 3V system, I was brewing 10 gallon batches then
20200124_163304.jpg
 
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