Partial Mash: Extract and all?

I am brewing a bigger beer and will be preforming a partial mash.
As attenuation is a key here, i was planning on first mixing my DME completely into the mash water and then performing a partial mash of my grain using a muslin bag. I've altered the recipe to allow for a pound of 6 row in the mash, and I'm hoping to improve my fermentability of my extract using this method.

Has anyone done this?
How should I alter my water to grist ratio, if at all?

Thanks!

I wouldn't put the extract in the mash- I don't think it has any diastatic power anyway (unless you're using diastatic malt). Put the extract in the boil kettle.

I'm adding 1 lb of 6 row to give the mash sufficient enzymes

_d_ said:

I'm adding 1 lb of 6 row to give the mash sufficient enzymes

Click to expand...

What's the rest of the recipe? We can calculate the diastatic power you have available.

I still don't think it makes sense to put the DME in the mash water. It seems to me that the grain and your bag if you're using one would soak some of it up, and even with a sparge you wouldn't get all of your DME's sugars. When I've done partial mash I mashed, sparged, combined the mash and sparge water, boiled, then added my extract. Seems to work out pretty well for me.

Yooper said:

What's the rest of the recipe? We can calculate the diastatic power you have available.

Click to expand...

lb of 6 row at 160
1.4 lb of munich at 40

there are some caramels bringing the grist up to ~3.5lbs

and I'm adding quite a bit (~8lbs) DME.


There really isn't that much dilution taking place as the starch is mostly converted from the beginning.

I shouldn't need very much power correct? I'm just trimming down the dextrins etc, of which their should be relatively little compared to an actual mash.

lowtones84 said:

I still don't think it makes sense to put the DME in the mash water. It seems to me that the grain and your bag if you're using one would soak some of it up, and even with a sparge you wouldn't get all of your DME's sugars. When I've done partial mash I mashed, sparged, combined the mash and sparge water, boiled, then added my extract. Seems to work out pretty well for me.

Click to expand...

I'm worried about that too... but I heard Jamil Z say he increases his extract ferment-ability with a mini mash, so I've been thinking about how I would do it.

I'm hoping someone has actually tried it on here and can speak from experience.

_d_ said:

lb of 6 row at 160
1.4 lb of munich at 40

there are some caramels bringing the grist up to ~3.5lbs

and I'm adding quite a bit (~8lbs) DME.


There really isn't that much dilution taking place as the starch is mostly converted from the beginning.

I shouldn't need very much power correct? I'm just trimming down the dextrins etc, of which their should be relatively little compared to an actual mash.

Click to expand...

Well, Munich can convert itself so you don't even really need the 6-row. You would have plenty of diastatic power, as Munich doesn't have an excess but does convert itself completely. Crystal malts don't really matter, as they are sort of pre-converted by the way they are processed when made.

Your grains are fine. Mash as usual, and then add the extract to the boil kettle at the appropriate time.

I don't think your understanding, I am re-mashing my extract to make it more fermentable than it is normally. I'm not worried about the other grain at all.

_d_ said:

I don't think your understanding, I am re-mashing my extract to make it more fermentable than it is normally. I'm not worried about the other grain at all.

Click to expand...

I've only heard of that once, in the Jamil podcast you mentioned. I can't imagine why it would really work, though.