So I have had a few days to think about it and after reviewing my notes, I thought I would post some learnings about my first all grain brew session.

1. My converted cooler did great.  It kept the 4 gallon mash’s temperature constant for an hour.  It didn’t work well for partial mashes.  If you are going to do a partial mash, you should get a cooler that fits your mash volume.  If you are going to mash a small quantity (~1 gallon of water to a few pounds of grain), then find a smaller cooler that is closer to that volume (2 gallon cooler).  Bigger coolers just don’t do a good enough job.

2. I have to get myself a grain mill.  I need to have control over my grind.   My base malt had a very fine grind and we had a few stuck sparges along the way.  If I have my own grain mill, I will be able to control the grind and make sure I have grain that would become one hugely condensed cake at the bottom of my mash tun.

3.  I need to get another large pot for sparge water.  You never know how much you are going to need.  It’s better to have the flexibility of another kettle to heat up sparge water and be able to do it quickly.

4.  It takes a lot of time to brew all grain, but I think it’s worth it…  Well, I will really know if it is worth it when I taste the beer.  Homebrewing is a lot of fun and the time doesn’t seem wasted.

Brew on.

Check out these posts about the brew session:

All Grain Videos

Batch Sparging Tips

All Grain Brew Day