I'm very new to homebrewing, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but how can you add mouthfeel and body to a beer using a partial mash. I know mashing at a higher temperature for longer does this with all-grain, but I'm not really sure about with partial mash. Thanks for the help.
One option would be to include some specialty malts in your partial mash. Caramel/crystal malts including are probably the most commonly used ones for this purpose, though wheat and oats are also useful. You can steep these grains in a mesh bag for a period of time to extract dextrins, proteins etc that will contribute to mouthfeel in your beer. Carapils is a great ingredient for adding body and mouthfeel without the sweet/nutty flavor characteristic of crystal malts.
I'd second adding oats for body, it's cheap and fairly easy but it doesn't affect flavor all that much unless you make it over 10-15% of the total grain bill. I added some to my recent saison (about 5% of the total) and it's subtle but makes it more satisfying without affecting drinkability.
I'm huge about mouthfeel. In my opinion, its tied for the most important aspect to a great beer. I like to add at least some oats in every beer I make. I like beers full and smooth; it gives it to me no matter the style. I've got a long way to go on silly things like "taste", but everyone who's had my brews agrees that I nail mouthfeel! Just add some oats.
i did this with a belgian golden similar to VE 070707 and it adds a nice silkiness to it, particularly to high gravity stouts.
