First time partial mash. Recipe clarification please

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013.

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  1. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania

    So I asked this on HBT but was told, "Read Palmer." Well I have read Palmer and usually it makes a whole lot of sense but for someone who is new to mashing most of it looked like a latin chemistry book to me and I didn't get a whole lot out of it. So hopefully someone will be able to explain it to me as if I was a 5 year old haha.

    This is a 5 gallon batch Mosaic IPA with an OG of 1.066 and I'll be mashing:

    1 lb 2 row
    8 oz Crystal Malt 40L

    Recipe says to steep grains at 155 in 3 qts (though I'm guessing I should heat to 160 as it'll lose temp once I add grains?) But it does not say how long to steep the gains. I've read 45-60 minutes. How do I determine when the grains have been properly steeped? Will keeping the grains in for an extra 15 minutes negatively affect my beer?

    Next it says to sparge the grains with 2 qts of 170 water. Easy enough. Now this brings me to a total of 1.25 gallons of water and I'll be doing a partial boil of 3 gallons so I'm assuming I can just top up to 3 gallons and bring it back to boil and add my DME, hops etc....as if I back doing an extract brew. Correct?

    So main two questions are. How long do I steep grains at 155 and how do I know when they are done? Second is. Do I then top up the 1.25 to 3 gallons and then bring to boil?

    Thanks so much, you guys are the best.
     
    #1 HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013
  2. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    The steeping process is typically only for 20 minutes, and you are correct about starting the water at around 160 because the grain will cause the water to cool slightly.

    Once you sparge the grain and get your liquid into your boil kettle then, yes, you can add water up to the 3 gallon level (I always add water that is already hot so that I minimize the time to get the wort to a boil). If you pot is large enough you can add more water, but make sure you leave adequate room in the pot to be able to view a warning bubbling-up of the wort so as to take steps to prevent a boil-over when adding your DME.
     
    #2 PapaGoose03, Sep 20, 2013
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  3. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania


    Thanks a lot MotherGoose. This recipe also using both DME & LME. Am I correct in assuming I should use the DME at the initial boil and then adding the LME with about 15 minutes to go? My hop schedule will be 75/30/0/DH

    Cheers.
     
    #3 HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013
  4. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    You could do an iodine test, to see if conversion (from starches to non-starches) is finished. However, that doesn't mean that the wort is as fermentable as it's going to get, because non fermentable dextrins could still be further converted to fermentable sugars. But for a mini-mash, I'd probably just do 45 minutes and call it good, since most of your fermentables are going to be coming from the LME and DME anyway.

    Yes. Top up to whatever pre-boil volume you want/need for your recipe.

    This will work. Or you could add all your extract at the beginning. The more extract you add late (vice early), the lighter color your beer will be, and the less melanoidins (which add flavor) will form. Depends on beer style and your personal preferences.
     
    #4 VikeMan, Sep 20, 2013
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  5. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania



    Great. Thanks a lot VikeMan. Someone told me that 3 qts. is too much to mash 1.5 lbs of grains and that it will thin it out too much. Is this correct? Should I lower the volume to 2.25 qts or is this nothing to worry about as the majority of my fermentables are coming from LME/DME?
     
    #5 HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    3 qts for 1.5 lbs of grain will work fine. Even in a full scale mash.
     
    #6 VikeMan, Sep 20, 2013
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  7. Mag00n

    Mag00n Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2008 New York

    #7 Mag00n, Sep 20, 2013
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  8. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania

    #8 HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013
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  9. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'm not being a dick, but can anyone tell me why bother mashing crystal in an extract recipe? Aren't the sugars converted already?
     
    #9 SFACRKnight, Sep 20, 2013
  10. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania


    Personally I haven't got a clue. I was reading "Brew Your Own" magazine last month and it had an article on Mosaic and they included two recipes for a Mosaic IPA, one AG and one "extract with grains."

    And this is what the recipe is telling me to do haha.
     
    #10 HokiesandBeer, Sep 20, 2013
  11. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    See, all my partial mashes contained things like red wheat and munich, so a mash was needed. I always steeped crystal and always hit my gravity. It may add depth of flavor though, and that's a good enough reason for me.
     
    #11 SFACRKnight, Sep 20, 2013
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