Recipe Help?

Okay, without being too wordy, I need someone to help me settle a partial mash (One step infusion, ghetto sparge) recipe (particularly how to sub 2 row for some LME) I will brew a 2.5 gallon batch and also need water help as well.

here is what I have:

(Iron Rat Oatmeal Stout)

3.3lb dark LME

(I have 5lbs surplus 2 row that I want to use SOME of for the mash, this is where I need the help)

4oz Crystal 90
2oz Chocolate
8oz Roasted Barley
2oz Black Patent
4oz Cara-Pils

1oz Williamette (@boil)
0.5oz Williamette (@30 minutes)

The specialty grains were custom measured for my half batch, this was originally an extract-grain recipe. I recently acquired the surplus 2 row and would like to take first steps into partial mash (want to convert any sugars possible here) Looking for a higher OG than the style profile and want to step up the ABV to something like high 5's or low 6's. Can anyone make this easy for me? I don't have to use all the LME for this. I do, however, want to use enough 2row ro convert itself, the specialty grains and the oats. HELP! Will be brewing this on Monday night (4/2/07) Thanks in advance!

Larry

The minimum for 2-row is the combined weight of the specialty grains, or 1.25 lbs.

david_42 said:

The minimum for 2-row is the combined weight of the specialty grains, or 1.25 lbs.

Click to expand...

David, I know that I have 1.25lbs of specialty grains, but I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by "the minimum for 2-row is the combined weight.."

Can you please elaborate?

lgtg said:

David, I know that I have 1.25lbs of specialty grains, but I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by "the minimum for 2-row is the combined weight.."

Can you please elaborate?

Click to expand...

Baiscally you can add as much 2-row as you want. The more 2-row you use, the less extract you need, but if you want to be able to convert the starches from the specialty grains you should have at least as much 2-row (per weight) as you have specialty. I think that's what David's saying... right?

Omni,

David (and you supporting it) are saying that base malt to specialty grain ratio is generally propotionate, one for one. If my recipe calls for 1.25lbs of specialty grain, then proportionatly add at least 1.25lbs of the base malt. Now, can anyone surmise on the water? If I use 1-1.25qts per pound of grain (in this case nearly three quarts of water for mash) and if I back off from the LME by half, how much water should I use to disolve that? What I'm looking for is total mash volume, and then how much sparge water combined to total boil volume? Any takers?