Did I bite off too much?

Well, after doing research for awhile I decided to order my first homebrewing kit from AHS. When I was looking at the kit options it said that the only extra equipment I would need for a mini mash would be a grain bag. So, for my first batch of home brew I'll be doing a mini mash. Does anyone have any advice for me? Also, do the AHS kits come with instructions as I'm not entirely sure on the difference between mini-mash and steeping.

Thank You

it sounds like if they want you to use a grain bag that you'll be steeping more than doing a mini-mash.

Cranus said:

Well, after doing research for awhile I decided to order my first homebrewing kit from AHS. When I was looking at the kit options it said that the only extra equipment I would need for a mini mash would be a grain bag. So, for my first batch of home brew I'll be doing a mini mash. Does anyone have any advice for me? Also, do the AHS kits come with instructions as I'm not entirely sure on the difference between mini-mash and steeping.

Thank You

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A mini-mash is in-between an extract and an AG brew. If the directions call for sparging liquor over the grain then it really is a mash. The difference between the two is in using a big grain bag for sparging since most newer extract brewers don't have a mashtun with false bottom, sparge arm, etc. My advice is to try to pay attention to your temps and be careful how you sparge over the grain - don't just pour in the liquor. It will create a hole in the grain and not give you as complete a sparge action. You'll find that with a mini you'll get a much better flavor to your beer as well as more control over the final gravity. Good luck!

My first minimash was my 3rd batch and it was really not a big deal. Make sure that you read and reread the directions defore you dive in, and I would suggest, if you haven't already, that you read up Palmers How to Brew, specifically the specialty grain and mashing areas, as they will give you the reasoning behind the madness. Temp control is the biggest concern with this type of brew, and more so with All Grain, so just understand and plan, and you will be fine. All systems go!

Austin homebrew's instructions are very good. Get a big grain bag and brew it!

There are two differences between steeping and mini-mash: temperature and 2-row.

Steeping is done at 160-170F and there is no 2-row, just specialty grains. Sugars and flavors get extracted, but no starch to sugar conversion occurs.

A mini-mash is done around 152F and there will be about as much 2-row as specialty grains. Starch conversion occurs. I use a 17" by 30" wine bag for mini-mashes. Lift it out, pour off the wort, add more hot water. You're batch sparging!

I brewed a SNPA clone from Austin Homebrew about two and a half weeks ago. It was way easy. Their instructions didn't call for any sparging, but I did it anyway. I think the mash was done in three quarts of water and I sparged with 1.75 gallons. This gave me the suggested amount of concentrated wort (2.5 gallons) for a concentrated boil. The brew tasted pretty damn good when I transferred it to secondary last week. I can't wait for it to be ready to drink.

Thanks for everything so far, I think I'm starting to get it. So if I am using a grain bag and pot... I shouldn't need to circulate the wort because of the grain bag? Also what would be the best way to sparge? Should I just lift the bag of grains out, pour off my wort, put more water in, let it sit for a minute, lift, pour off, and repeat until I have my desired amount of wort? First brew session should begin saturday. My roomates and I are pretty excited.