High gravity in a small mash tun
- this is actually from a few years ago, but found it lying around and thought I'd post it - I'm doing a little grilling, having a hefe, and felt like rambling about my dopple Bock. I made one a while back in my little 5 gallon mash tun, and learned a thing or two. The first was that it's way too small for a high gravity beer. It maxes out at about 10 pounds of grain. I can do more, but it's a pain to work with. In addition, I'm pretty sure my efficiency was way off. I say pretty sure, because I managed to screw up my gravity readings, but I can tell you that it was much stronger than my numbers showed. The worst part, however, was flavor. It wasn't bad. It was fairly tasty, but it didn't come out right. It was a little sweet, a little thin, and generally bland. I shou ld have taken the time to give it a proper tasting, which I plan to do with my hefe, but I didn't. Anyway to the point. This was my first high gravity all grain beer, and my 5 gallon mash