Beerdrop
Well-Known Member
I want to make a Belgium Wit with a partial mash. Can I just mash the wheat and use extract for the standard barley malt?
Thanks
Thanks
Can I Partial Mash Wheat Malt Only?
- Thread starter Beerdrop
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
freddyb
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2008
- Messages
- 179
- Reaction score
- 7
Good question. I don't know the answer but here's what I'm thinking. With a highly modified wheat malt, conversion might be okay. A wheat-only mash would be really sticky so I'm guessing a thin mash would be easier. Also might want to use some rice hulls and/or barley malt to avoid a stuck sparge. A mash out should help because bringing the temps up and further thinning the mix would help things flow.
Give it a try and let us know how it works.
Give it a try and let us know how it works.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
Sure, you can partial mash malted wheat. But, for a Wit, you're looking for at least 50% wheat by weight...So, that may be a bit difficult to achieve in a partial mash recipe without using wheat extract.
Just shoot for a high percentage of wheat and, preferably, some unmalted wheat for a more spicy, grainy character.
OP
OP
Beerdrop
Well-Known Member
I was shooting for 5 lbs in a 5 gal batch. Assuming a modest 70% conversion, that leave me about 3.5 lbs equivalent dry extract. To that, I planned on adding 3 lbs of Briess light DME (and orange rind, coriander, etc.). That should work, right?
thx
bd
OP
OP
Beerdrop
Well-Known Member
Good pointers.
I'll let you know how it goes once my weekends free up from useless things like work and kids activities
Thx
bd
BigNastyBrew
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong here but I don't believe you can. I don't think has the diastatic power to convert itself. You will need a base malt in there too with a high enough DP to convert itself and the wheat. Maybe a 50/50 ratio.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
He mentioned using malted wheat. Malted wheat can fully convert itself without the need for other base grain.
beerkrump
Well-Known Member
+1
From HTB:
"Wheat has been used for brewing beer nearly as long as barley and has equal diastatic power. Malted wheat is used for 5-70% of the mash depending on the style. Wheat has no outer husk and therefore has fewer tannins than barley. It is generally smaller than barley and contributes more protein to the beer, aiding in head retention. But it is much stickier than barley due to the higher protein content and may cause lautering problems if not given a "Protein Rest" during the mash."
Also, add some rice hulls to aid in sparging.
From HTB:
"Wheat has been used for brewing beer nearly as long as barley and has equal diastatic power. Malted wheat is used for 5-70% of the mash depending on the style. Wheat has no outer husk and therefore has fewer tannins than barley. It is generally smaller than barley and contributes more protein to the beer, aiding in head retention. But it is much stickier than barley due to the higher protein content and may cause lautering problems if not given a "Protein Rest" during the mash."
Also, add some rice hulls to aid in sparging.
Yeah I'd add a TON of rice hulls if you're gonna try this.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
Ha....I don't think anyone has read the OP's question. :cross:
He's doing a partial mash, so there is no risk of a stuck sparge...
OP
OP
Beerdrop
Well-Known Member
I plan on using Weyermann Pale Wheat which said in the notes to incorporate a protein rest. That combined with more strike water for a less dense mash will hopefully be enough to sparge.
Ha....I don't think anyone has read the OP's question. :cross:
He's doing a partial mash, so there is no risk of a stuck sparge...
Can't you sparge a partial mash? Since I'm only planning on using 5 lbs of wheat, is it optimistic that there would be enough of a grain bed to filter and fly sparge? Or would a batch sparge be in order?
beerkrump
Well-Known Member
wheat malt + no rice hulls = stuck sparge
Wheat has no hulls and it's the barley hulls in the mash that form the structure for the filtering action of the grain bed during sparging. I mean, at $1 for a pound for rice hulls, why risk it?
Wheat has no hulls and it's the barley hulls in the mash that form the structure for the filtering action of the grain bed during sparging. I mean, at $1 for a pound for rice hulls, why risk it?
MgMt_Home_Brew
Well-Known Member
Ha....I don't think anyone has read the OP's question. :cross:
He's doing a partial mash, so there is no risk of a stuck sparge...
When I hear partial mash I think of deathbrewers technique with a kettle, nylon bag, and an oven. Not a mashtun so maybe you are thinking the same thing. With deathbrewers partial mash technique there can't be a stuck sparge but if he is using a small cooler with a manifold to do this then yeah there can be a stuck sparge.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
Correct, that was my assumption. I probably should have stated that...
