Easy Partial Mash Brewing (with pics)

Take out the wheat dry extract and instead mash with 2 lbs of wheat malt in addition to your 2 lbs of flaked wheat. Having a larger mash will also help you to maintain temperature.

I think Biermuncher made a mistake with that recipe when he made it into a partial mash. That is an extract and steeping recipe.

DeathBrewer said:

Take out the wheat dry extract and instead mash with 2 lbs of wheat malt in addition to your 2 lbs of flaked wheat. Having a larger mash will also help you to maintain temperature.

I think Biermuncher made a mistake with that recipe when he made it into a partial mash. That is an extract and steeping recipe.

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ok i will try out what you mentioned. thanks for the help!

jamie

Just finished my first partial mash. Thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. I might not have ever tried partial mashing if I had not seen this.

I did the PM recipe in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/kona-fire-rock-pale-ale-ag-clone-52220/

The grain bill was 2 lbs pale, 1.75 munich, .5 honey, and then 4.5 DME. Ended up at 1.054@73 degrees... Under what beer alchemy told me (1.058) but not too bad.

jigidyjim said:

Just finished my first partial mash. Thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. I might not have ever tried partial mashing if I had not seen this.

I did the PM recipe in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/kona-fire-rock-pale-ale-ag-clone-52220/

The grain bill was 2 lbs pale, 1.75 munich, .5 honey, and then 4.5 DME. Ended up at 1.054@73 degrees... Under what beer alchemy told me (1.058) but not too bad.

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i know what im brewing next!

cheers!

Just curious if it's a course or fine nylon grain bag that's used in this process? I'm getting ready for my first PM and want to make sure I have the right equipment.

Either will work. Coarse let's more grain through...fine drains faster.

I'm doing a PM this weekend, Deathbrewer, and I wonder if you could tell me if a few of the assumptions that I have about the process are correct:

1. I assume that mashing for 60 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes will give me better conversion of my base grains. Is this correct?

2. Also, you stated that the longer the grain is steeped in sparge water and the more sparge water that is used, the better conversion will be (with diminishing returns after a point, of course), is the same true for mash water? Is there any benfit to using 2 qt/lb or above if you can get away with it in your brewpot?

1. Not necessarily. Conversion is done when it is done. It could happen in 10 minutes (and most of it usually does), but leaving it longer will help to ENSURE that conversion is complete. Those little enzymes are kinda sketchy...I don't trust 'em.

2. It's not better conversion you're getting at that point, it's better extraction. Basically, after the conversion takes place, the grains need to be rinsed or the sugars you converted will just cling to the grain.

2b. I use about 1.4-1.5qt/lb. It does help to have more water, but there is a breaking point. I definitely wouldn't go above 2qt/lb for your mash, because the water/grain ratio is very important for conversion. It's not as important for extraction (except that if you get far too much water, you could extract tannins, but that's not really a concern with this method.)

One trick I've learned is, if you have a colander, you can give the grains a quick rinse with some of the sparge water over the mash pot...and then put them in the sparge. This rinses off some of the sugars into the mash pot and doesn't leave them clinging when they go in the sparge. Some people do ONLY a pour-over sparge and it can work fairly well. I find the combination gets the best efficiency.

DeathBrewer said:

1. Not necessarily. Conversion is done when it is done. It could happen in 10 minutes (and most of it usually does), but leaving it longer will help to ENSURE that conversion is complete. Those little enzymes are kinda sketchy...I don't trust 'em.

2. It's not better conversion you're getting at that point, it's better extraction. Basically, after the conversion takes place, the grains need to be rinsed or the sugars you converted will just cling to the grain.

2b. I use about 1.4-1.5qt/lb. It does help to have more water, but there is a breaking point. I definitely wouldn't go above 2qt/lb for your mash, because the water/grain ratio is very important for conversion. It's not as important for extraction (except that if you get far too much water, you could extract tannins, but that's not really a concern with this method.)

One trick I've learned is, if you have a colander, you can give the grains a quick rinse with some of the sparge water over the mash pot...and then put them in the sparge. This rinses off some of the sugars into the mash pot and doesn't leave them clinging when they go in the sparge. Some people do ONLY a pour-over sparge and it can work fairly well. I find the combination gets the best efficiency.

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Thanks for the uick response DB. Conversion v. extraction is an important distinction that I'll be cognizant of in the futer.

Yeah, it can be confusing between conversion, extraction and efficiency.

Conversion = The enzymes converting complex starches into simpler sugars during your mash.
Extraction = The sugars that are rinsed off the grains during your run-off/sparge.
Efficiency = The amount of sugar in solution given the amount of grain and volume of wort.

Important distinction and I think it's the first time it's come up in this thread. Thanks for the notice...I'm planning to do a new how-to which will be all-inclusive of details like this.

It's 6 am and I started my oatmeal stout partial mash. I am excited for this one. It is a kit from Northern. I wish the kit sellers would develop a program where you could buy partial mash kits and determine how much grain you want. Then their program would calculate how much extract to add. This Northern kit only has 4 lbs of grain, I'd be able to mash 7 with my set up.

Guess maybe it is time to develop my own recipes on a software program. It sure is handy though buying kits.

If they would only list the ingredients or grain types you could do that..most dont list them ...i know Austin has the items and quantities listed when you get the kit but wont tell you before hand...Jeff

wadner said:

It's 6 am and I started my oatmeal stout partial mash. I am excited for this one. It is a kit from Northern. I wish the kit sellers would develop a program where you could buy partial mash kits and determine how much grain you want. Then their program would calculate how much extract to add. This Northern kit only has 4 lbs of grain, I'd be able to mash 7 with my set up.

Guess maybe it is time to develop my own recipes on a software program. It sure is handy though buying kits.

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My advice is to just go out and do it. You don't even need software. If you don't feel like making the calculations, just mash as much as much you can, and correct to your OG or pre boil gravity by adding extract. Besides, those kits keep people in their comfort zone, and usually go right down the middle of the style. Change it up. Add what you think is right. If you over shoot your OG, it is just a lesson for next time. Is there anything wrong with a little more alcohol?

RC4U12 said:

If they would only list the ingredients or grain types you could do that..most dont list them ...i know Austin has the items and quantities listed when you get the kit but wont tell you before hand...Jeff

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If they listed all the ingredients, then you looked at what those ingredients cost if you buy them yourself, they would lose money.

that's one thing I appreciate about Northern Brewer. They actually post the ingredient list.

If you want to get into recipe formulation, you just have to understand the ingredients. Just like cooking.

Our homebrew club did a fun little experiment last weekend. One member steeped specialty grains (crystal 10-120L) and different types of hops so we could taste the flavors. The difference between the aroma and taste in the grain was striking. You got a lot more from the nose than the flavor.

I thought doing a 5 gallon extract batch with very subdued hops and steeping 5 different specialty grains separately to top off would be a good idea to better understand flavors, using a clean yeast. Maybe just use some carb tabs or sugar and force carbonate in a few bottles.

You can also get a better understanding of what the grains contribute by giving them a nibble every time you're at the store. You may not be able to completely understand what they will contribute to the end product, but you will be able to distinguish the differences between each of them.

Reading descriptions will help somewhat, especially if you have the grain on hand to taste and think about. It will also give you a better understanding of the brewing jargon.

Here are a few good links I found with a search of different malt types:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingredients#Pale_malt

http://www.thebeeressentials.com/beer/beer-specialty-malts.shtml

http://www.bunnchirobrewing.com/?page_id=8

http://home1.gte.net/richwebb/malttypes.htm

And, of course, How To Brew:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12-1.html

I think I'll write up a description of my favorite grains and their uses...

Created a new thread for Recipe Formulation here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/recipe-formulation-ingredients-descriptions-164140/

SUCCESS! Just cracked a bottle from my first attempt at this method. It's been two weeks since I bottled. I apparently have overshot the amount of maple syrup because my cap shot off (I thought it was about 75% fermentable and added one cup to four gallons) but none of the bottles have exploded, so I'm ok. It's a brown ale with ginger added at five minutes and carbed with maple. The ginger was too strong but has been mellowing and the maple flavour is perfect even though it's not sweet. Ginger is still dominant, but not overpowering. I got better head than my previous batches and a hint of lace. I'm really pleased with this. Going to give it another month or so now to condition. Thanks DB!!

Lep said:

It's a brown ale with ginger added at five minutes and carbed with maple. The ginger was too strong but has been mellowing and the maple flavour is perfect even though it's not sweet.

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Have you brewed with Maple Syrup before? Can you compare the carbing with maple syrup flavor addition compared to adding it in the boil? I've only used it in the boil, and only splashed a little in my priming sugar for fear of obercarbing. How much did you use total for carbing? My experience from adding it to the boil is a nice maple sweetness. It is hard to tell what I got form the little I put in my priming sugar.

agenthucky said:

Have you brewed with Maple Syrup before? Can you compare the carbing with maple syrup flavor addition compared to adding it in the boil? I've only used it in the boil, and only splashed a little in my priming sugar for fear of obercarbing. How much did you use total for carbing? My experience from adding it to the boil is a nice maple sweetness. It is hard to tell what I got form the little I put in my priming sugar.

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This is my first time using maple. I read as much as I could and it seemed that folks who added it to the boil were only left with a really woody flavour after fermentation, and generally speaking folks said that carbing with it will give you more maple and less wood. I used one cup to prime four gallons.

DB, I am ready to try my first partial mash thanks to this thread! I've only been at extract brewing about six months, so I am still new.

You said:

I use a partial boil, and adjust my hops accordingly, shooting for the middle or top of the style.

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If I would like to do a full boil on a kit designed for a partial boil, how should I adjust my hops? I am using a partial mash kit for Boston Red Ale from Midwest.

Here are the ingredients: 3.3 lb. of Light Malt Extract, 3.5 lb. American 2-row malt, 8 oz. Aromatic, 8 oz. Caramel 80L, 2 oz. Tettnang pellet hops.

What he meant{in my interpretation} was that he "adjusted" for the middle of the road style like not to much or not enough but what HE likes..as to the term adjusted accordinly...So when a kit says use an oz or less to taste that is what he's reffering to...Jeff

Ok, If it's just a taste issue, I'll go with the nominal amount in the recipe added at the beginning of the boil. I thought there might have been an issue with hop utilization since I'm using more water. (i.e. I need to use more or less hops, or add them later in the boil to achieve the same middle of the road hoppiness).

You will get better hop utilization with a larger boil. How it affects the beer, you will have to calculate.

That's why I often go for the "middle of the style" in calculating my IBUs whenever I do a partial boil or a method which might affect utilization. If I'm a little high, it may be a little more bitter. If I'm a little low, it may be a little softer, but I'm still to style no matter what and not too far out of my range.

BuzzLightbeer said:

Ok, If it's just a taste issue, I'll go with the nominal amount in the recipe added at the beginning of the boil. I thought there might have been an issue with hop utilization since I'm using more water. (i.e. I need to use more or less hops, or add them later in the boil to achieve the same middle of the road hoppiness).

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Here is a podcast about hop utilization from Brewing Network.

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/588

The biggest thing they mention there is that your hop utilization with your brewing rig/set up will be different than mine, because we are most likely using different boil kettles, MLT, HLT, propane/electric, full boil/partial boil, etc.

Find a method/formula that works for you and repeat that for every brew.

You should also check out How to Brew by John J. Palmer. Look up the section on Hop Bitterness (IBU) Calculations. Very informative. More math than I would like to work with, but I do want learn more about the science of brewing.

DB thanks for all the time that you put into this thread.

I did my first PM with a Kolsch and ended up with 83% efficiency.

Thanks for the links and tips. I will take notes and let you know how it goes!

DeathBrewer said:

Step 7:
Start your boil as usual! I reuse the grain bag for the hops...less to clean overall and it keeps me cleaning as i go. I'll clean the rest of the pots at this point too...i need the sink free. I use the binder clips again (be sure if you have a gas burner that you keep that nylon bag from going over the side and setting on fire.)

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I have a question about this statement. I currently make partial grain batches and buy the pre-made kits. You stated that you place the hops in the bag itself because of less to clean. I currently always place the hops (The ones I put in for the full 60 minutes of the boil, and the ones I add right before the end) directly into the wort. then once finished I cool the wort, and place it into my fermenter, fill it to the right liquid level and seal it up.

My question is am I supposed to be leaving the hops in? Or am I supposed to be cleaning them out? Or by your statement did you just mean easier to clean the pot since the hops do sometimes stick to the side.

Other than cleaning the pot, is there any other benefit to using a hops nylon bag?

Thanks, Brian

Liquid- Regarding adjusting hops for the full boil...

The recipe says that the OG should be about 1.045 (for 5 gal). This would make the adjusted OG for 3 gal about 1.075. According to Table 7 in How to Brew, the hop utilization would nominally be about 0.185 for the 60 minute boil. If I want the same utilization for 5 gal (and therefore OG=1.045), the table would say to go about 30 minutes with the bittering hops. Neat. I will probably hedge my bet though and go about 45 minutes and take notes on the results. I would not mind a little extra bitterness.

scorchingice said:

I have a question about this statement. I currently make partial grain batches and buy the pre-made kits. You stated that you place the hops in the bag itself because of less to clean. I currently always place the hops (The ones I put in for the full 60 minutes of the boil, and the ones I add right before the end) directly into the wort. then once finished I cool the wort, and place it into my fermenter, fill it to the right liquid level and seal it up.

My question is am I supposed to be leaving the hops in? Or am I supposed to be cleaning them out? Or by your statement did you just mean easier to clean the pot since the hops do sometimes stick to the side.

Other than cleaning the pot, is there any other benefit to using a hops nylon bag?

Thanks, Brian

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I pretty much just meant "clean as you go" and I re-used the grain bag for the hops. They dry fast once you hang them up.

Dumping the hops in is fine. It's not going to hurt anything. It just means more stuff in your fermenter that could get pulled up during racking and end up in the final glass.

If you have a pot with a spigot and false bottom, you may have trouble with running off if you have too much hops (it could clog the valve or false bottom.)

So..I've been reading alot about partial mashing for some months now... I've even give it a try a few times...

My main interest right now is based in making oatmeal stouts.

I originall would just steep the oats. And I realized this was ineffective. I have attempted a few mini mashes with mixed results imo...There always seems to be so much extra wort stuck in the actual bag even when I let it drain for 5 minutes holding it over the pot...

I made a new attempt yesterday with 2 collanders stacked and a grain bag in between to make extra sure I collected as much particulate matter as possible...

I steeped 1lb oatmeal with 1.5 lb pale malt in two gallons at 155 for an hour on the stove top, and added some amylase enzyme (1/4 teaspoon) just to make sure there was enough enzymatic power to conver the oatmeal. then I dumped the wort into a bottling bucket straining it through the collander contraption. I then put all the grains back into the pot.

Then I took 2 gallons of sparge water at 170 and added that to all the grains that I put back into the pot and let that sit for about 5 minutes...than I strained everything through the collander again into the bottling bucket.

Then I proceded with a ~4gallon boil with extract as i normally would...

Does this sound like a proper partial mash to everyone? I seems intuitively to be correct...But since I've never really done this very effectively I'm not sure...

It really seemed to work better than previous attempts using grain bags.

Thanks for the input guys.

That'll work. I did several all-grain batches with a colander and no bag...worked fine. The only issue is that you are getting more grain material into the boil than you would with a bag.

Using the bag, you will get better efficiency if you pour some of your sparge water over the grain (using your colander) and then do the "dunk" sparge. It helps to further rinse the grain and extract more of the sugars. It's my general method now, using about 3 gallons of sparge:

Mash with 2 gallons. Pour ~1 gallon of the sparge water over grain into mash pot. Dunk grain in sparge pot and let sit for 10 minutes.

Many people just do the pour-over sparge without dunking at all. This also allows you to use several smaller pots if you only have one large pot.

You should not need amylase enzyme with 1.5 lb of pale malt...that is more than enough to convert itself and the pound of oatmeal.

1 - Lid (to cover one of the stockpots)
1 - Floating Thermometer
1 - Stirring Rod (you can use anything from a wooden spoon to a mash paddle)

Alright, gonna try this this weekend for my first non-kit brew and wanted to run this by you DB (and anyone else who cares to comment) to make sure my thinking is on point. I hope it's not way off b/c I have put quite a bit of thought into it. Here we go.

2.5 gal batch
3.0 gal boil (60 minutes)

1.37 gallon mash (in 6 qt pot)
1.63 gallon sparge (for full 3 gal boil in 3.75 gal pot)

2# 2 row malt
1# crystal malt
.5# chocolate malt
(total of 3.5# grain bill X 1.25 quart/# = 1.37 gallon mash)


1.5# dry light extract

.5 oz cascade pellets for 60 min
.25 oz williamette pellets for 15 min
.25 oz mt. hood pellets for 1 min

Wyeast 1056 american ale yeast

How does everything look? Thoughts?

Yep, looks like you are going to use about 1.09 gallons of water to get that mash volume. Careful...1.37 gallons in a 1.5 gallon pot will get you to the rim.

I personally never use cascade for bittering...it gives a harsh flavor. Also, without knowing the alpha acid content and calculating the IBUs, there is no way to no how bitter the beer is going to be.

Other than that it looks good. Looks like an American Brown Ale.

Step 4:
After 30-60 minutes (or once you have conversion),

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How do you know when conversion has occurred?

One way is to use an iodine test:

Googled "testing for conversion brewing beer" and found this: http://www.realbeer.com/jjpalmer/ch14.html

Testing Your Conversion
The brewer can use iodine (or iodophor) to check a sample of the wort to see whether the starches have been completely converted to sugars. As you may remember from high school chemistry, iodine causes starch to turn black. The mash enzymes should convert all of the starches, resulting in no color change when a couple drops of iodine are added to a sample of the wort. (The wort sample should not have any grain particles in it.) The iodine will only add a slight tan or reddish color as opposed to the flash of heavy black color if starch is present. Worts high in dextrins will yield a strong reddish color when iodine is added.

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You can taste it, too. If it's really sweet, conversion is most likely done

DeathBrewer said:

Yep, looks like you are going to use about 1.09 gallons of water to get that mash volume. Careful...1.37 gallons in a 1.5 gallon pot will get you to the rim.

I personally never use cascade for bittering...it gives a harsh flavor. Also, without knowing the alpha acid content and calculating the IBUs, there is no way to no how bitter the beer is going to be.

Other than that it looks good. Looks like an American Brown Ale.

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Yep, American Brown Ale

I used beertools.com website to piece this recipe together. The default AAs were: Cascade = 5.5, Williamette = 5, Mt. Hood = 5 making the IBUs = 31.

Is there another variety of hops that you would recommend? 31 is middle ground for the style but I could easily be coerced to shooting for the top end or simply staying put but using hops that you feel might be better.

I would just switch them up a bit if that's what you have available. Willamette or Mt. Hood would be MUCH better for bittering. I like to use only a small amount of cascade for flavor sometimes, not anywhere else.

Huge thank you for putting this tutorial together. I used your technique last night and hit my OG right on based on 75% efficiency! The grains were only 25% of my total grain bill, but I still found your mash and sparge techniques very easy to replicate. I was curious how well steeping the grains in the strike water would work along with "tea bagging" and it seems you discovered a great combination for stove top partial mash.

I want to do a partial mash or all-grain soon and I seem to be lost of one major piece of information...

Why not use the same water and pot for both mashing and sparging?

For example: Mash for 30-60 minutes at 150°F, then add heat and hot water to that same pot until the temperature is at 175°F. Then keep it around 175°F for 10 minutes.