Partial Mash Attempt: Read & Review Please

Okay, so due to lack of space and equipment I am limited to small batches, but everyone has sold PM/AG on here to the point I have to try. AG completely out. I am only doing 5 gallon batches and was planning on doing the "Easy stove top partial mash", but I can't even really fit enough pots/water on my stove to meet all the water requirements from most of what I read, so I was blending it with BIAB. Please look over this and tell me...

A. If this will work or be a waste of grains (I'll be happy with 60% eff.)
B. If there's anything that doesn't require more water or equipment I could do to improve it.

Help is greatly appreciated. This assumes using a bag for grain containment/filtering.

1. In my 5 gallon pot (taking up most of the stove) I would dough-in 2.5 gallons water with 7.5 lbs grain for 20 mins (trying to up the eff a bit here)
2. Mash @ 155 degrees for 30 mins, stirring regularly
3. Add .5 lb black patent (supposedly will reduce bittiness by adding late) continue 155 degrees for 30 mins, stirring regularly
4. Add 1.5 gallons @ 193 degrees for 10 min mashout
5. Drain/Remove and boil with DME/hops/etc...

The main issue is no-sparge because even the 1.5 gallons for the mash-out will be tough and I am told I need to 2x water for sparging. I can't have a boil volume over about 4.5gal.

Thx again

Why don't you batch sparge with that 1.5 gallons in step 4 instead of mash-out? So, instead of adding that 1.5gallons to the mash, first drain/collect your first runnings THEN add it.

You also do not need to stir regularly...give it a good stir at mash in and you will be all set. However, you might want to stir if you are adding heat during the mash so that you can distribute the heat better.

Looks good...good luck!

So after mash just drain, then sparge in the 1.5? I didn't think that was enough water. If you mean add water to bring the original batch up to sparge temp, beer smith said I needed more water because it put the step over boiling. I may have been doing the steps wrong.

I'm saying that whatever sparge you can do is better than no-sparge, even if its not the recommended 2x. I don't understand what you are saying about beer smith and boiling.

No, gotcha the other was for an infusion mashout.

You just mean a sparge (even with 1/2 times the mash water) will be okay. I could still just raise the temp and do a mashout as long as the sparge with little water doesn't cause any ill effects.

One thing you're not calculating is the amount of water absorbed by the grain. With 7.5# of grain, you'll probably lose a whole gallon of liquid to absorption. So here's the water usage I propose for you:

1) Dough in with 2.5gal to strike 155. Don't bother with some lower strike temp for a protein rest.
2) Mash for 60 minutes (do whatever you want with the black, but I say add at the beginning). Check for conversion with iodine. Mash longer if necessary.
3) Use the stovetop burner to mash out to 168*.
4) Suspend the grains or pull the bag up or begin whatever lautering process you'll be doing.
4) Sparge with about 3 gallons of water (4.5gal max minus 2.5gal mashwater plus 1gal absorption)

Like you, I use my brewpot as a mashtun and I love being able to apply heat to the mash if necessary. None of this worrying about hitting exact strike temps, or wasting sparge water to mash out.

kanzimonson said:

One thing you're not calculating is the amount of water absorbed by the grain.

Click to expand...

Thanks I forgot about that. I don't think I can fit a pot to handle another 2.5gal though while the others going which is why I can't do a good sparge. I think most the soaking will happen in the original too, so maybe bump the mash to 3.5. the 104 isn't for a protein rest though, just a little early debranching. While optional anything I can do to raise eff. a few points without more water I'm down for.

Tons-o-thanks to everyone that has helped me here. I made my first successful partial mash using my tiny kitchen and no equipment and it looks like I got around 80% efficiency!

I doughed-in @ 104 degrees for 20 minutes with 3.5 gallons. Then mashed at 150-155 for 1 hour. Did a mashout to about 168. Then I sparged (teabagged) in about a gallon (that's all I could fit) for 10 minutes @ 170. Then because I was so short on water I added almost a gallon to the boil water to get to about 4.25 and do my boil. Then I added this to a gallon already in the fermenter so considering brewsmith said I got about 80% based on my recipe and a 5.5 gallon batch, my actual mash efficiency was probably even higher.

Wait a minute, are you saying you mashed out and THEN did a rest at 155*? Because the point of mashing out is to deactivate enzymes. If the enzymes were completely destroyed, then you would not get any starch conversion when you went to 155*. Your wort would then be full of unfermentable starch. Did it taste like there was sugar in there?

No sorry... brain wasn't on yet I guess. Edited.