partial/ mini mash questions & recipe critique

Almost ready to start my first partial mash in 7 years, (might as well be my first, not like riding a bike) next week.

Infusion mash this time. (tried Step Mash 7 years ago and it was NOT a good experience, temp control prob on an old style electric element stove, slow conversion (iodine test) stuck runoff...) Please review my plans and recipe below.


Little about my set up:
I brew indoors electric glass top stove
5 gal brew pot so I'd like to stay around a 3gal (+/-) boil
Zap-Pap lauter-tun bucket w/false bottom and sparge arm.

Recipe (open for critique)
Americana Brown Ale

Fermentables/Specialty Grains

4.00lbs British Two-row Pale - mash
1.00lb Carapils - mash
0.50lb American Crystal 60L - steep
0.25lb British Chocolate malt - steep
4.00lbs Light Dry Malt Extract - boil

Hops

1 oz cascade 6.6%(+/-) 45min
1oz willamette 5.5%(+/-) 15min
.5oz willamette 5.5% 2min

Irish moss
Gypsum (Question 1: should I add this to the mash?I have soft water in SC)

Mash 5lbs grains in 7.5 qts water at 155°
Slow Sparge 2 gal-2.5gal @ 170°

Question 2: If I recirculate the whole volume of wort after sparge will I gain efficiency, or just gain tannins and other "bad stuff"? Need to keep total boil volume around 3 gal. (+/-) No more than 3.5 gallons.

Yeast
Nottingham

Add mashed wort to brew pot bring up to steep temp. Steep specialty grains... remove specialty grains. bring to boil add dme and hops continue as normal

American Brown Ale Style Comparison
Low Mine High
OG 1.040 1.055 1.060
FG 1.010 1.014 1.017
IBU 25 40 60
SRM 15 17 22
ABV 4 5.3 6



Thanks in advance for the critique and answers.

You should mash all the grains together- don't separate the crystal and chocolate and steep it. Put them all in together. You wouldn't steep the grains in the wort. They all start out together.

The amount of water for the mash looks good. I came up with 7.25 quarts for the 5.75 pounds of grain.

After the mash, you can sparge with up to 2.75 gallons of 170 degree water, or up to your boil volume. If your boil volume is +/- 3 gallons, just add enough water for your sparge to get you a total of 3 gallons.

When you recirculate the runnings (vorlauf), you only need to do it long enough so that the wort runs fairly clear, without grain husks. You could probably do that in a quart or two.

Thanks yoop!

Looking forward to brewing this one...

You might have already read the BYO article on counter-top partial mashing, but if you haven't, you really should.

Thanks Donner! I hadn't read that article. great resource!:rockin:

You can sparge with that much water??? Aren't you afraid of getting a ton of tannins?

I thought 1quart for every 2lbs of grain.

Grinder12000 said:

You can sparge with that much water??? Aren't you afraid of getting a ton of tannins?

I thought 1quart for every 2lbs of grain.

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No, you can sparge up to .5 gallons of water per pound of grain. You have it backwards. 2 quarts per pound of grain.

hmmmm - AHS has it backwards

Pour 170F water evenly over the grain bag using approx 1 quart of water per 2 lb grain.

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And THUS - you see why I have been questioning AHS - GOOD results on their kits though. They use double the water for mashing and half the water for sparging.