partial mash recipes

Alright, so this week I'm going to do a partial. I would like to do a full but I don't have the equipment (can't afford it yet). Still, I would like to learn about sparging, mashing, balancing PH using gypsum and CaCO3, starch conversion, various grain types, and all that good stuff. So partial it is.

I have a good idea of the general process...it's just so hard to find a decent recipe for a half mash! So, got any good ones? Open to any style...although a hefeweizen or some sort of belgian wit would be nice. Something refreshing for labor day weekend.

Now, there may be a better option. Is it possible to take an all grain recipe and convert it to a half mash? Maybe substitute a certain number of pounds of 2 row pale grain to light DME or...something?

A. Add up all of your specialty grains. Say 2.5 lb
B. Plan on an equal amount of 2-row. 2.5 lb
C. Subtract B from the 2-row requirement Say originally 9 lbs, now 6.5 lbs
D. DME is 40 pts per lb, 2-row about 32. So, DME = C * 32/40 (0.8) or 5.2 lbs

David, that formula seems great if it's accurate. Is this a general guideline or one that you base partial mash recipes on consistently (if you partial mash brew)? Based on pts, you would always be multiplying C by 0.8, correct?


Thanks for the great formula...I was wondering the same thing as pariah.

Give us an extract recipe that you like and I'll bet we can convert it for you. I for one can run it through ProMash.

Here's the one I did and it's pretty good:
McDermott's Irish Ale

A ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 8.13
Anticipated OG: 1.056 Plato: 13.81
Anticipated SRM: 16.0
Anticipated IBU: 35.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
49.2 4.00 lbs. American 2-row America 1.038 2
36.9 3.00 lbs. Generic DME - Light Generic 1.046 8
12.3 1.00 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britain 1.034 55
1.5 0.13 lbs. Roasted Barley Great Britain 1.029 575

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Challenger Pellet 7.00 33.5 60 min.
0.25 oz. Fuggle Whole 4.00 2.2 30 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1968 London Extra Special Bitter


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 5.13
Water Qts: 6.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 1.50 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.17 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 155 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 164 Time: 10
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 30


Total Mash Volume Gal: 1.91 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Alright, well how about the Boulevard Wheat Ale clone found on this site?

Boulevard Wheat cloner

A ProMash Recipe Report
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.5 Wort Size (Gal): 5.5
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.50
Anticipated OG: 1.048 Plato: 11.82
Anticipated SRM: 3.7
Anticipated IBU: 13.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
3.00 lbs. Soft White Wheat Malt America 1.040 3

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.25 oz. Magnum Whole 14.00 11.4 60 min.
0.25 oz. Magnum Whole 14.00 2.3 5 min.
0.25 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.00 2.3 5 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP320 American Hefeweizen Ale



For extract brewers, sub in 4.0 lbs. light DME, 1.5 lbs wheat LME/DME, and steep 1 lb. flaked wheat with some DME at 150°ish for about 15-30 mins.

Click to expand...

Using Davids, we have:

A: Specialty Grains, 3.00 lbs. Soft White Wheat Malt America 1.040 3

(I'll be using WHITE WHEAT 2 L)

B: 3.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2

C: 6.50 - 3.00 = 3.50

D: 3.50 * 0.8 = 2.80 lb of Light DME

Now unfortunately, my homebrew shop doesn't list Simcoe hops as something they carry, and they do carry Yakima Magnum but they are pellets...I would like to stick to whole hops. Here is what they offer as whole hops, think I can make any decent substitutions? I guess it won't be a boulevard clone anymore, but it should still be a decent Hefeweizen eh?

Cascade, Fuggles, Hallertau (German), Kent Goldings (UK), Northern Brewer, Perle, Saaz (Czech), Tettnang, Williamette

Perhaps I can use Hallertau as finishing hops...but what for bittering? And the Hallertau is much weaker, so I will probaby need a bit more eh?

So here is my experimental recipe, buying the stuff tommorow so respond quickly!

3 lbs White Wheat 2L
3 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt American
2.8 lbs Pilsner DME
WhiteLabs WLP320 American Hefeweizen

2.5 oz whole Tettnang 50 min boil 4% AA
2 oz whole Kent Goldings 50 min boil 6.1% AA

The goal is to create a light, easy to drink American wheat with citrus notes. I hope this will accomplish it, what do you think?

The ratio is based on getting 32 points per pound of 2-row, which is the efficiency most recipes assume.

pariah said:

So here is my experimental recipe, buying the stuff tommorow so respond quickly!

3 lbs White Wheat 2L
3 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt American
2.8 lbs Pilsner DME
WhiteLabs WLP320 American Hefeweizen

2.5 oz whole Tettnang 50 min boil 4% AA
2 oz whole Kent Goldings 50 min boil 6.1% AA

The goal is to create a light, easy to drink American wheat with citrus notes. I hope this will accomplish it, what do you think?

Click to expand...

You have a whole lot of hops at the beginning of your boil. Are you not going to add any further along during the process? A quick run through Promash puts the bittering level at 72 IBU's.

pariah said:

So here is my experimental recipe, buying the stuff tommorow so respond quickly!

3 lbs White Wheat 2L
3 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt American
2.8 lbs Pilsner DME
WhiteLabs WLP320 American Hefeweizen

2.5 oz whole Tettnang 50 min boil 4% AA
2 oz whole Kent Goldings 50 min boil 6.1% AA

The goal is to create a light, easy to drink American wheat with citrus notes. I hope this will accomplish it, what do you think?

Click to expand...

As Blender pointed out, there's something not right about the hops amounts/schedule.

Also, there are many hops with a citrusy taste, but neither Tettnag nor EKG would be on that list (especially not EKG). If you want citrusy, use cascade or one of its relatives. Tettnang would be closer to the classic hefeweizen hops, which is hallertau.

Weizens are usually quite low in bitterness: the classic German hefe is usually at something like 12 IBUs.

I got even hight on a simple calculation. Too much IBUs and not enough relative flavor hops. Cascade or Hallertau or even Saaz might put you in the right ballpark. Remember the longer you have the hops in the more isomerization occurs which extracts the hops oils which makes it bitter. Split them up and use a bit less for bittering. Starting out you have 21.1 HBUs that is a ton - IMHO

Hmm, roger that. How about a 1 oz 60 min boil of Tettnang, with a 10 minute boil of 1 oz cascade?

Thanks so much guys, you may have just saved me from disaster! I probably should have tried to do IBU calcs myself (never have before), but my books are all at a buddies house. Anyway, I appreciate it.

Much better.

So here is my final recipe. What do you think?

5 Gallon Half Mash -- American/German Wheat Hybrid

WLP320 Whitelabs American Hefeweizen

3 lbs White Wheat 2L
3 lbs 2 Row Pale American
3 lbs Light DME

60 min -- Hersbrucker Pellets, .5 oz, 3.3% AA
15 min -- Tettnang Whole, .5 oz, 4.5% AA
5 min -- Tettnang Whole, .5 oz, 4.5% AA

I did this in promash, and it comes out to 11.9 IBU with an SRM of 4.9...both of which fall well into the appropriate numbers for this style of German/American wheat hybrid. Unfortunately it's only 33% wheat. I'm calling it a German hybrid because of the hops I've selected. Hopefully it will be a tasty brew.

Oh, and I generally leave the hops in the bottom of the primary fermenter. Do I need to strain them out so it doesn't get too hoppy in there, or do you think I will be okay w/o filtering them? And what do you think of the timings? It seems there are all kinds of different ways I can get around 12 IBU, so I'm not sure what order or length I should do them in. I chose to use the tettnang for finishing since it is in whole leaf form, and hersbrucker for bittering since it's in pellet form.

Using the formula I am familiar with I come up with about 12 IBUs for this beer too. You might not get any spiciness to the beer at that level. That is Ok. If you want to have more aroma put the last addition in a Flame Out instead of 5 min.

It will be a tasty brew - is there any homebrew that's not?

I would put the wort through a strainer before putting it into your primary to get rid of most of the debris. Then you will have a nice yeast cake with little residule hop leafs to rack off from the primary without worry when you rack into your secondary.

Do what pleases you either way I don't think you have to worry.

- WW

wilsonwj said:

It will be a tasty brew - is there any homebrew that's not?
- WW

Click to expand...

Yes... I've made one... Careful on being aggressive with hops. Too many IBU's will KILL a lower ABV beer....