Whats the difference between partial mash and specialty grains ?

Partial/mini mash is a brew process. Specialty grains are ingredients.

 

Some people refer to "steeping grains" as an extract kit that comes with some type of specialty grains for steeping to add color and flavor rather than doing 100% extract brewing. Partial mash brewing is using malted grains that need their starches to be converted into sugars via mashing (soaking grains for 60 minutes at 148f-160f). After the 60 minute mash is complete the brewer can add extract to reach his desired OG before or during the 60 minute boil.

http://byo.com/stout/item/1582-what...basically-involve-soaking-grain-in-hot-water?

 

Good question dependent upon what recipe you're looking at. Some mini-mash recipes only call out 1-2lbs grain when in actuality it should be closer to 4-6lbs of grain and half the LME/DME required for the same extract kit.

 

Why should it be closer to 4-6 lbs of grain?

 

Preference? Long as it contributes some portion of the fermentables. If someone wants to commit the extra time and effort to mash/sparge only 1-2lbs of grain and still make up the bulk of ferm's with extract, thats upto to them...I just dont see the point in it.

Thought it was relevant since if you're looking at a partial & extract kit with the same grist & extract amounts the question would pop up

 

Well, I've done it.

Don't know what the point was, I was experimenting at the time and figured to give it a try. The beer came out great tho! After that I started using something with some diastatic power (2-row, MO etc) for all my partial mash beers (read: could mean steeping grains plus extract in all practicality). There doesn't necessarily have to be a point to doing something for it to work out fine.

Normally I would consider "partial mash" to be an extract/steeping situation where you needed to mash the specialty grains that you wanted to use, and thus would add some grain with diastatic power. However, in my blonde ale recipe (the link above) I didn't really need the 2-row at all, as you can steep crystal malts.

That doesn't mean it's bad to use some extra grain, it means that the process is more important if you choose to do so. I believe that doing several of my partial-mash beers greatly improved my process, even tho the bulk of them didn't need any diastatic powered grains to succeed, they would have done fine with a steep. That's one thing I love about brewing, it doesn't have to be perfect, nor does it really need to follow any conventions: you can experiment greatly!