the_bird

Recipes 

It can be as simple as a grain bag and a collander. Efficiency won't be all that good, but it'll work. The key is temperature control, so unless you have a cooler, you'll need to watch it real carefully on the stove. The mash gets too hot, the enzymes get denatured, game over. But, shoot for 154, and you've got some leeway on either side.

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Fiery Sword

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Sounds like you can use exactly wehat you have - I switched from Extract to PM without the addition of any equipment.

You can "mash" right in your boil pot - the only difference from doing the extract thing is that you need to keep better track of temperatures. I used an instant-read digital probe for this. Simply bring your water (maybe 3.5 gallons in that pot) to about 160ish (once you add the grains the temp will drop), add the cracked grains and move them around like a teabag. I would poke at them with a big spoon - the goal is to get the inner parts of the grain bag the same temp as the water. Monitor the temp and try to keep it in the low 150's (closer to 150 = more fermentable sugars = "lighter" body and more ABV, god for a pilsner......closer to 160 would result in less fermentable sugars, "bigger" body and less ABV). If you need to add heat, pick the grain bag out of the pot and let it drain out the liquid while putting the stove flame on. Once you are back to 152 put the grains back in and work them around.

Do this process for about an hour, and you mini-mash is done!!! Remove the grain bag and sit it in a sieve in a bowl, every once in a while dump the liquid that gathers in this bowl back into the boil pot. Now you just proceed as usual.....biol the wort, add the extract, boil, then hop boils.

Seriosuly, Partial Mashes are more similar to Extract brewing the total AG. Don't be scared away by the idea of complex mashes. If you do the above recipe with the above technique you have made a big step towards AG understanding!!!!

<chants continue......>

jaymack

Recipes 

Thanks so much for all the info. I'll give 'er a shot.

Good to have such smart and helpful people around here

Fiery Sword

Recipes 

No problem, to be honest I wish someone pushed me into PM's earlier than I did. I bought extract kits from my LHBS for years - they offer no partial mash kits and little info. It took ordering some online places to even be introduced to the PM process. I'll be honest, I could tast the results! I've since deternimed the kits at my LHBS sucked and 'held be back'. Now, I'm not trying to be all anti-extract and preachy, but these were my honest observations! The PM's are what inspired me to make the AG jump. now there's no going back!!!

One mini side-note - After you crack the grains and put them in a bag (i assume you are going to use one of those throw-away muslin/cheesecloth bags) tie the knot such that the grains aren't too tight and also so that there is an extra "tail" of leftover material above the knot. When you place the grains into the pot, keep this "tail" dry and hanging over the edge (not too far, don't want to start a fire!). use this tail to pick up the bag when adding heat and draining out the liquid. You can also use it to control the bag then you are moving it around and massaging it with the spoon. I've let this tail get hot and wet before and it makes the whole process more aggrivating than it should be.

Keep us posted, and ask any questions you might have.

Fiery Sword

Recipes 

And by the way, I somehow didn't address the PM "sparge" - damn work distracting me from HBT.

After the 1 hour mash, when you pull out the grain bag and put it into the sieve/colander you've got to sparge. I used to cut the top of the muslin bag off and fold it outward to expose the grain ball. Ladle 170F water through this grain ball, carefully to avoid creating large flows of water through the grains. You want to be slow and consistent. Sparge up to what your boil kettle can handle, a gallow or two.

THEN set the colander in a bowl and continue with the boils.

....and I swear thats it! no more surprises!

redpale

Recipes 

So let me get this straight - a 'hot and wet' tail is a bad thing?

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Bottled:
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Primary:
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Fiery Sword

Recipes 

muuhahahaha. OK I'll revise:

In the event that you encounter hot, wet tail, make sure you don't stop mashing prematurely. To discourage this, think of old, spent grains or you might achieve protien rest before intended.

Mk010101

Recipes 

What kind of efficiency can you expect from doing it this way?

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redpale

Recipes 

Well turned!

__________________
Sometimes fate smiles on even our most feeble efforts.

Bottled:
MISS WELL Blonde Ale
NO MARKS Scottish Wee Heavy
Primary:
BETTER THAN Raspberry Wheat
Secondary:
TRIPEL 20 Belgian Tripel
Next: ?

Fiery Sword

Recipes 

I don't have my PM-era notebook here at work (getting paid to browse HBT....yea baby ) but from a conceptual level I'd say that the efficiency doesn't matter too much. I always viewed PMing as a way to understand the concept of mashing and temperature control while having the padding of extract to make up for a lower-than-ideal efficiency. I'm sure the numbers are lower than a nice fly sparge but I always thought of it as more of an all-grain primer than anything else. Seriosly though, I am 99% sure I could pick a PM over an all-extract in any style blind taste test.

I'll look up the #'s later though, to correctly answer the question. Peace, mon!