My Partial Mash Procedures

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djfake

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1. Pre-brew: Check for all ingredients/equipment. Activate yeast package. Take top-off water out of refrigerator (was put in night before). Don't forget Ice.
2. New sponge (with no soap), microwave for 30 seconds. Mix batch of sanitizing solution. Boil tea-kettle full of water. Always follow good brewing habits.
3. Mash: Preheat Igloo cooler. Bring water to mash temp (1 quart of water preheated to ~170F degrees for every pound of grain being mashed). Put crushed grains into bag, place in bottom of Igloo cooler. Pour over grains, take temperature, adjust to ~154F. Close lid and wait one (1) hour. Drain (via hose) to kettle, recirculating first two quarts or so.
4. Bring water to sparge temp (>170F). Pour slowly through strainer over grains in Igloo cooler. Drain via hose to kettle. Remove grains from cooler and let drain over kettle.
5. Place kettle on stove. Top-off to boil volume. Add first wort hop (if applicable), bring to boil, remove from heat, add malt extract. Put kettle back on heat to reach boil temp.
6. The Boil. Add hops on schedule. Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Add Whirlfloc tablet last 10 minutes.
7. Sanitize primary fermenting bucket, lid and airlock parts. Rinse clean, keep covered.
8. When boil has completed, remove from heat and cover kettle and place into ice bath (cold water and 22lb bag of ice). Stir in circular motion (do not splash). Let cool (this generally takes about 20 minutes).
9. When wort reaches <80F, add to primary fermenter using strainer, which already contains 1 gal chilled water. Avoid trub. Top-off to 5 gal. Take O.G reading with hydrometer. Shake/stir bucket to oxygenate.
10. Pitch yeast into primary fermenter bucket and stir to mix. Close lid then carry it to quiet place to ferment (63-70F). Put on airlock.
11. Fermentation starts within 24 hours, lasts day or two. Transfer to sanitized secondary carboy after 7 days. Rack carefully, avoid splashing, avoid trub. Put on airlock. Wait at least 3-4 weeks. Check F.G. with hydrometer.
12. Clean bottles. Rinse immediately after serving home brew and place into sanitizing solution, soak, dry. Morning before bottling, gather bottles and soak all again in sanitizer, rinse using jet rinser. Hang on bottling tree to let dry. Soak caps in sanitizer solution, rinse before using.
13. Bottling. Boil 5oz priming sugar in 2 cups of water, put in bottle bucket to cool. SLOWLY transfer beer from secondary to bottling bucket with the tubing below the liquid line.
14. QUIETLY bottle beer, minimize bubbles as much as possible. Use short line, clamp, slow flow out of spigot, and have lots of patience. Cap and store (~60-70F) for at least two weeks. Then place in fridge overnight.
15. Enjoy home brew!
 
two questions --

do you preheat your igloo cooler? what size do you use?

when you say 'recirculate' in step 3, you just mean you drain off a couple quarts and put it right back in the top, right?

in total, how many pots are you using?
 
I'm thinking about all-grain/partial mash/biab -- does it make a difference if you add your strike water to your grains vs. adding grains to your strike water?

Also, you mention you put your grains in a bag -- does this mean you aren't using a manifold or false bottom or screen?

Thanks
 
I put all my grains in a bag and put the bag in the mash water. Otherwise, you're handling hot water more than you need to.

As for the OP, the mash temperature should vary depending on the beer.

I use a modified version of Deathbrewer's partial mash method. I mash in one pot for 90 minutes and I heat about 2 gallons of sparge water in another pot. When the mash is over, I let the bag drain in a collander over the wort. Also, I start heating the wort.

Then I pour the sparge water slowly over the grains until it runs pretty clear. Then, I move the collander to the empty pot to allow it to drain a little more. Eventually, I add it to the wort.

Then I boil as normal.
 
two questions --

do you preheat your igloo cooler? what size do you use?

when you say 'recirculate' in step 3, you just mean you drain off a couple quarts and put it right back in the top, right?

in total, how many pots are you using?


I use a Large Yellow Igloo cooler, and yes, I pour some of the hot water from the tea-kettle in to preheat it. Step 3, yes, drain off, and put it in the top. Total pots = 2: Kettle + one other for boiling mash/sparge water.
 
I'm thinking about all-grain/partial mash/biab -- does it make a difference if you add your strike water to your grains vs. adding grains to your strike water?

Also, you mention you put your grains in a bag -- does this mean you aren't using a manifold or false bottom or screen?

Thanks

First question - I don't really know. I have the 5gal Cooler, so I put the grains in there.

It does have a screen tube in the bottom, but I bag the grains anyway. Wort comes out pretty clear and easy to clean up and drain.
 
As for the OP, the mash temperature should vary depending on the beer.

When the mash is over, I let the bag drain in a collander over the wort. Also, I start heating the wort.

Then I pour the sparge water slowly over the grains until it runs pretty clear. Then, I move the collander to the empty pot to allow it to drain a little more. Eventually, I add it to the wort.

Then I boil as normal.


Good ideas.
 
What's the gypsum for?

I do things quite a bit differently (don't stir in the yeast, don't microwave or use a sponge, don't sanitize bottles twice, etc) but if the end result is good beer then it works! If you're looking for ideas to cut out some of the extra work, we could help but it sounds like you're happy with the process you have.
 
I think Yooper's point was that additional "calcium sulfate" treatment is NOT needed for each and every beer style.

That, and every brewers water profile is different.
 
What's the gypsum for?

I do things quite a bit differently but if the end result is good beer then it works! If you're looking for ideas to cut out some of the extra work, we could help but it sounds like you're happy with the process you have.

I never really know if the bottles are clean after sitting in the basement, so it might be overkill, I know. Yep, I am the AR type, but as someone told me, brewing is 90% janitor and 10% artisan!

I posted my instructions up here to help myself and perhaps help others. Any and all suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.
 
Gypsum adds calcium to the water to adjust mash pH.

I think Yooper's point was that additional "calcium sulfate" treatment is NOT needed for each and every beer style.

That, and every brewers water profile is different.

Right.
Gypsum is sometimes needed, but not as much as people seem to think. Even though I brew mostly IPAs and APAs, I don't often need it. My mash pH is always in range. and if I use it I often use as little as 3 grams in the mash. Just adding some by following a recipe is incorrect- I have no idea what his water profile is, or his mash pH. It shouldn't be added unless it's necessary, and most of the time it's not necessary.
 
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