bwgolling

Recipes 

I am set up for only extract brewing and I would like to experiment with oatmeal stouts or adding oats to a porter but I can't decipher clearly if that is possible by steeping.

Germelli1

Recipes 

You can steep them, but you won't really be adding anything without mashing them.

Mashing is easy: very simply all you do is steep the grains for a long time, then rinse them with hot water.

I have been practicing partial mashing so I can make a breakfast stout!

__________________
If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend 6 sharpening my axe. ~Abe Lincoln

bwgolling

Recipes 

That is interesting. How much time makes the difference between steeping and mashing?

Germelli1

Recipes 

Steeping is generally done for 30-45 minutes at 150-160 degrees with the intention of extracting color and some flavors from grains. The "Caramel/Crystal" grains (same thing) go through a process that caramelized the sugars inside, making mashing unecesary.

Mashing is done for about an hour at 150 to 154 degrees and is much more sensative to the temperatures and times during the mash. Mashing is the process that uses emzymes to extract/convert the startches in grains to fermentable sugars. You then sparge the grians to "wash out" (my incorrect termanology) any sugars left in the grains.

When you pay for Dry or Liquid Extract, you are paying for the maltsters to perform a mash for you.

I am no expert on the topic, but this guy is: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

__________________
If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend 6 sharpening my axe. ~Abe Lincoln

dotnetdotcom

Recipes 

Also check the wiki Malt Chart to see which malts require mashing. According to this chart, malted oats don't require a mash.

Germelli1

Recipes 

I was assuming he meant flaked oats since that is what I have always used for stouts and "Oatmeal" is usually flaked or rolled oats

__________________
If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend 6 sharpening my axe. ~Abe Lincoln

bwgolling

Recipes 

"How to Brew" mentions using instant oatmeal in the wort. That is where my confusion is coming from i think

rshortt

Recipes 

Also, flaked or rolled oats do not contain the enzymes required to convert their starches to sugars. You need to mash oats with a base malt like 2-row for that to happen. The enzymes from the base malt will convert the sugars in the oats.