Zusammenfassung

All-grain brewing replaces Malzextrakt with raw grain, giving you full control over flavor, body, and Gärung character. A typical first Brautag takes 5–6 hours. You need a Maischebottich, hot liquor tank, Sudkessel, thermometer, and a basic understanding of mashing, Läutern, and boiling. Expect a Sudhausausbeute of 60–70 % on your first attempt — that is perfectly normal. Dieser Leitfaden führt dich durch every step, from crushing your malt to pitching yeast, with a timing chart, equipment checklist, and the most common first-batch mistakes so you can avoid them.

Why Go Allkorn?

Extract brewing is a fine way to learn. But at some point, every Hobbybrauer feels the pull of Allkorn. The reasons are straightforward:

If you have brewed a few extract batches successfully and understand basic Desinfektion, you are ready. For a detailed comparison of both methods, see our guide on All Grain Vs Extrakt-Brauen.

Ausrüstungs-Checkliste

Before Brautag, gather everything. Missing a single item mid-mash leads to chaos.

Unverzichtbare Ausrüstung

Gegenstand Zweck Typische Kosten
Mash tun (10-gal cooler with false bottom or braid) Holds grain + water at stable temp $60–$120
Hot liquor tank (HLT) — any large pot Heats strike and Nachgusswasser $30–$80
Boil kettle (8–10 gal) 60–90 min boil $50–$150
Burner (propane or induction) Heat source for kettle $50–$100
Thermometer (instant-read digital) Mash and sparge temperature $15–$30
Hydrometer or refractometer Gravity readings $10–$30
Grain mill (or have your LHBS crush) Milling malt $90–$150 (own) / free (LHBS)
Mash paddle or long spoon Stirring mash $10–$20
Gärbehälter (bucket or carboy) Primary Gärung $15–$40
Auto-siphon and tubing Transferring Würze $12–$20
Sanitizer (Star San or similar) Everything post-boil $10

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The Recipe: A Simple American Pale Ale

Für deinen ersten Allkorn batch, keep it simple. This 5-gallon recipe is forgiving:

Zutat Menge Anmerkungen
2-Row pale malt 10 lb Base malt, ~2 °L
Crystal 40L 1 lb Adds body, light caramel
Cascade hops (60 min) 1 oz Bittering, ~35 IBU
Cascade hops (5 min) 1 oz Flavor/aroma
US-05 Trockenhefe 1 packet Clean American ale yeast

Target numbers:

🍺ABV CalculatorCalculate your alcohol by volume from Stammwürzewerte

Brautag Timeline

Hier ist ein realistic timeline for a first-time Allkorn brewer. Experienced brewers can shave 60–90 minutes off this.

Time Step Dauer
0:00 Heat Einmaischwasser 20–30 min
0:30 Mill grain (if not pre-crushed) 10–15 min
0:45 Dough in (Einmaischen) 5–10 min
0:55 Mash rest 60 min
1:55 Mash out (optional, heat to 168 °F) 10 min
2:05 Vorlauf (recirculate until clear) 10–15 min
2:20 Sparge and collect Würze 30–45 min
3:05 Bring Würze to boil 15–20 min
3:25 60-minute boil (add hops per schedule) 60 min
4:25 Chill Würze to pitching temp 20–40 min
5:05 Transfer to Gärbehälter, aerate, pitch yeast 15 min
5:20 Clean up 30 min
5:50 Done

Total: approximately 5 hours 50 minutes.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Step 1: Calculate and Heat Your Einmaischwasser

Strike water is the initial water you add to the Maischebottich. You need enough to achieve your target mash thickness — typically 1.25–1.5 quarts per pound of grain.

For 11 lb of grain at 1.33 qt/lb:

11 × 1.33 = 14.6 quarts ≈ 3.65 gallons

The Einmaischwasser temperature must be higher than your target Maischetemperatur because the cool grain will absorb heat. A common formula:

Strike Temp = (0.2 / R) × (T_mash − T_grain) + T_mash

Where R is the water-to-grain ratio in quarts per pound, T_mash is your target Maischetemperatur, and T_grain is the grain temperature (usually room temp, ~68 °F).

For a target mash of 152 °F with grain at 68 °F and R = 1.33:

(0.2 / 1.33) × (152 − 68) + 152 = 0.15 × 84 + 152 = 12.6 + 152 = 164.6 °F

Heat your Einmaischwasser to approximately 165 °F. For complete sparge volume calculations, see Nachgusswasser Calculation Guide.

Step 2: Mill Your Grain

If you own a grain mill, set the gap to 0.035–0.045 inches. You want the husks cracked open — not shredded into flour. Intact husks form the filter bed during Läutern. If the grain is too finely crushed, you will get a stuck sparge.

If your local homebrew shop (LHBS) offers milling, use it. Tell them it is for Allkorn Batch-Sparge; they will set the gap appropriately.

Step 3: Einmaischen (Mash In)

Add your Einmaischwasser to the Maischebottich first, then slowly pour in the grain while stirring. This prevents dough balls — clumps of dry grain surrounded by water that never convert properly.

Stir thoroughly for 2–3 minutes. Check the temperature. You should be within 1–2 degrees of your target. If you are low, add a small amount of boiling water. If you are high, stir and wait — temperature drops are easier to manage than temperature raises.

Close the Maischebottich lid and set a timer for 60 minutes.

Step 4: The Mash Rest

During the mash, enzymes in the malt — primarily alpha-amylase and beta-amylase — convert starches into fermentable sugars. Temperature determines the balance between fermentable and unfermentable sugars:

For this recipe, 152 °F produces a balanced pale ale. For a deep dive into enzyme activity and Maischetemperaturs, read Maischetemperatur Guide Enzyme Activity.

Check the temperature at 15 and 30 minutes. A well-insulated cooler Maischebottich typically loses only 1–2 °F over 60 minutes.

Step 5: Vorlauf

After the mash, open the spigot on your Maischebottich and collect the first runnings in a pitcher. The first Würze that comes out will be cloudy with grain particles. Gently pour it back on top of the grain bed. Repeat until the Würze runs reasonably clear — usually 1–2 quarts.

This step sets the grain bed as a filter, producing clearer Würze.

Step 6: Sparge

Läutern rinses residual sugars from the grain. Für deinen ersten batch, Batch-Sparge is the easiest method:

  1. Drain all first runnings into your Sudkessel.
  2. Add your pre-heated Nachgusswasser (168–170 °F) to the Maischebottich. For a 5-gallon batch, this is typically 3.5–4.5 gallons depending on your boil-off rate and grain absorption.
  3. Stir gently for 1–2 minutes.
  4. Let it settle for 10 minutes.
  5. Vorlauf again (1–2 quarts), then drain into your Sudkessel.

You should now have approximately 6.5–7 gallons of Würze in your kettle (accounting for a 60-minute boil-off of about 1–1.5 gallons).

Step 7: The Boil

Bring the Würze to a vigorous, rolling boil. Watch for the Heißtrub — a foam of coagulated proteins that forms in the first 5–10 minutes. It can cause a boil-over if you are not paying attention. Reduce heat briefly or spray with cold water if foam rises to the rim.

Follow your Hopfenplan:

Step 8: Chill the Wort

After the boil, cool the Würze to your yeast’s Anstelltemperatur as fast as possible. For US-05, that is 64–68 °F.

Fast chilling reduces the risk of contamination and promotes a good Kühltrub (protein precipitation that improves beer clarity).

Step 9: Transfer, Aerate, Pitch

Transfer the cooled Würze to your desinfiziert Gärbehälter. Leave the trub (sediment) behind in the kettle. Splash the Würze during transfer or shake the Gärbehälter for 2–3 minutes to introduce oxygen — yeast need it for healthy reproduction during the lag phase.

Sprinkle the Trockenhefe on top, or rehydrate per the manufacturer’s instructions. Seal the Gärbehälter with an Gärspund.

Step 10: Gärung

Place the Gärbehälter in a location where the temperature stays in the 64–68 °F range. You should see Gärspund activity within 12–24 hours. Primary Gärung typically takes 7–14 days for an American pale ale.

Take a Stammwürzewert at day 10 and again at day 14. If the readings are stable, Gärung is complete.

Häufige Fehler beim ersten Sud

1. Not Measuring Einmaischwasser Temperature Accurately

A cheap kitchen thermometer can be off by 5–10 degrees. Invest in a calibrated digital thermometer. An inaccurate Maischetemperatur means poor conversion.

2. Crushing Grain Too Fine

Flour-like crush leads to a stuck sparge. You will stand there for 45 minutes watching nothing drain. Aim for cracked husks with starchy endosperm exposed — not powder.

3. Forgetting to Account for Dead Space

Every Maischebottich has dead space below the false bottom or pickup tube. That volume of water never reaches your kettle. Measure it and add it to your water calculations.

4. Läutern with Water That Is Too Hot

Sparge water above 175 °F extracts tannins from grain husks, producing astringent flavors. Keep Nachgusswasser at 168–170 °F.

5. Boil-Over Panic

The Heißtrub is coming. Watch for it. Have a spray bottle of cold water ready. Do not walk away from the kettle during the first 10 minutes of the boil.

6. Expecting Extract-Level Efficiency

Your first Allkorn batch will likely hit 60–70 % Sudhausausbeute. That is fine. Extract brewers effectively work at 100 % efficiency because the manufacturer has already done the conversion. Adjust your Schüttung upward if your gravity is low — this is a normal learning curve.

7. Skipping Desinfektion Post-Boil

Everything that touches Würze after the boil must be desinfiziert. This rule does not change just because you are now an Allkorn brewer. If anything, you have more equipment to sanitize.

Efficiency: Setting Realistic Expectations

Brewhouse efficiency measures how much of the available sugar in your grain ends up in the Gärbehälter. The theoretical maximum extract from 2-row malt is about 37 points per pound per gallon (PPG).

For 10 lb of 2-row in 5 gallons:

Theoretical OG = (10 × 37) / 5 = 74 points → 1.074

At 70 % efficiency:

Actual OG = 1.074 × 0.70 = 1.052

That is exactly in our target range. If you hit 1.048, you are at about 65 % — perfectly acceptable for a first attempt. Track your efficiency over multiple batches. It will improve as you refine your process.

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Problem Wahrscheinliche Ursache Fix
Low OG Low efficiency, too much Nachgusswasser Reduce sparge volume, crush finer (slightly), extend mash
Stuck sparge Too-fine crush, no rice hulls Add rice hulls (0.5 lb), stir grain bed, reset
Astringent flavor Sparge water too hot or pH > 6.0 Monitor sparge temp and pH
Cloudy Würze Poor vorlauf, fast sparge Vorlauf longer, drain slower
Off-flavors (DMS) Insufficient boil vigor, lid on during boil Full rolling boil, lid off, minimum 60 min

What Comes Next

Your first Allkorn batch will teach you more than a dozen extract batches. Once you are comfortable with the basic single-infusion mash, explore:

Each of these techniques builds on the fundamentals you practiced today.

Methodik

Dieser Leitfaden basiert auf established Hobbybrauen practices documented in the following sources:

Temperature ranges, enzyme activity windows, and PPG values are drawn from malting data sheets (Briess, Weyermann) and cross-referenced with Palmer’s published tables. The Brautag timeline is based on averaging reported times from new Allkorn brewers using cooler-based Maischebottichs with Batch-Sparge.