all grain /extract combo. will it work

[suzanneb]

my recipe calls for 7.5 lbs of maris otter.
i have right now 3.6lbs of maris otter already cracked.
3.3 lbs of golden pilsner liquid extract
and light dme about a lb.

can i use these three ingredients to replace the one and just add the liquid and dry at beginning of boil.
is this a bad idea?
since i will have a total of 5 or so lbs of grain can i still steep or is that too much and i need to use the mash tun???

help me figure this out because i have no idea what problems doing this will present

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

That's called a Partial Mash. Folks do it all the time, it's a great way to get into mashing and a good bridge between extract and AG brewing.
Mashing is like steeping, but at controlled temps. With only 5# of grain in the mash, you can use a pain strainer bag for the grains, and your kettle as a mash tun.
Check out this sticky. It'll walk ya right through it. If you have any questions, post 'em back here and someone'll help ya out.

 

[suzanneb]

can i do it in my mash tun?? it is one of the those converted big coolers.
i feel like there might not be enough grain for such a big area?????????

 

[Frodo]

It'd be fine, as long as you get the mash consistency right and keep it at the temp you're aiming for for long enough. Consistency should be between 0.25 to 0.5 quarts of water per pound of grain. Mash temp is usually between 148 to 154F, depending on how fermentable you want the wort. (lower temp of that range = more highly fermentable, higher temp = less fermentable)

Your overall efficiency could be impacted by how you sparge (rinse the sugars from the grains); either batch or fly sparge, and what kind of manifold or filter you have at the bottom of the cooler. The depth of the grain will be small for fly sparging in a big bottomed cooler, so you'll probably want to batch sparge.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

You could do it in your mash tun as well, although with all that space, it may be hard to maintain temp. I think Frodo meant to say your water to grist ratio should be between 1.25 to 1.5 qt/lb of grain (.25-.5 qt/lb would hardly be enough to soak all the grain). Depending on the size of your cooler, would depend on how much dead space you have. Out of curiosity, if you have a cooler converted for mashing, why not just do this as an AG recipe?

 

[Frodo]

I think Frodo meant to say your water to grist ratio should be between 1.25 to 1.5 qt/lb of grain (.25-.5 qt/lb would hardly be enough to soak all the grain).

That's what I meant. :cross: I usually start with 1 qt/lb, then can add boiling water as needed to adjust temp. I usually lose about 3 to 4 degrees during the hour or so it takes to mash (until starch conversion to sugar is complete).

 

[JDFlow]

I do 3 gallon batches and mash in a 5 gallon kettle with a weldless spout. There's a lot of headroom but my temp only drops by 3-5 degrees over an hour. After heating my strike water I turn my electric stove burner off and set my mash run on it so it can absorb the heat from the burner as it goes out. I'm not picky about maintaining my mash temp because there was a Basic Brewing show where some award winning brewer said he has never cared about his mash temp as long as it doesn't get over 160 or below 145. He went on to say he's done the same beer with different temps and no recognizeable difference in the finished beer.

 

[suzanneb]

i wouldnt mind doing all grain but i had the left over pieces to do a partial mini mash..
j

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

i wouldnt mind doing all grain but i had the left over pieces to do a partial mini mash..
j

Well, then you're all set. 5 #'s isn't too much for a mini mash. I've done 'partial' mashes in my kettle (5 or 7 gal, done both) with 10+ #'s of grain and only a little bit of DME. As long as the vessel you're using to mash in, and as long as the bag hold it, you can mash in anything. For that much grain, I'd use a nylon bag instead of muslin. But I also use nylon whenever I can, I'm not a fan of muslin bags for grain, steeping or mashing.