Do I have to mash???

[autonomist3k]

I have a recipe for a belgian dubbel that calls for Aromatic and Special B malt,
I already ordered the grains and they will be delivered today so there's no going back.
I'm doing an extract recipe with specialty grains and I'm not set up for partial mash or AG.
According to this list---> http://beersmith.com/grain-list/ those two grains need to be mashed, is it going to be okay if I just steep them like specialty grains?
Will I gain anything from them at all?
Will I be missing out on anything that those grains could provide for my beer?
Could It cause any off flavors?

Thanks!

 

[BrewerinBR]

Those are both kilned malts and should be mashed with base malt to complete the extractions of sugar. That said I am pretty sure you can get "something" from them by steeping them. Now BIAB is not to complicated and is easy to set up. If your already steeping grains then your nearly there. Just get some base malt to mix in with your Aromatic and Special B and soak them all together for 45 minutes to an hours at 150 to 153 F in the same bag you steep in -- There a partial mash.

Good Luck

 

[ewebb]

This is just me, but I've taken to mashing all grains by default....

unless its a addition to secondary.

 

[ResumeMan]

Not sure about aromatic, but isn't Special B just a high-L crystal malt? I wouldn't think that would need to be mashed...is that Beersmith list accurate?

 

[autonomist3k]

Just get some base malt to mix in with your Aromatic and Special B and soak them all together for 45 minutes to an hours at 150 to 153 F in the same bag you steep in -- There a partial mash.

I was actually thinking about something along those lines, unfortunately I only have a 5 gal pot right now and already have all of my DME, I'm thinking I could just mash those grains first, then throw my crystal and biscuit malt in to steep for the last 30 min of the mash, mash out, then start my boil with the DME. (instead of using base malt like you said)
Does that sound about right? or should I just throw my crystal and biscuit in with the others for the whole mash?

The amount of water in the mash is important isn't it?

I've been doing a lot of reading but have yet to make sense of partial mash and all grain hahaha.

 

[autonomist3k]

Not sure about aromatic, but isn't Special B just a high-L crystal malt? I wouldn't think that would need to be mashed...is that Beersmith list accurate?

I have no idea if it's accurate, that's why I asked LOL
According to this it is the equivalent of crystal 120.
http://www.kotmf.com/articles/maltnames.php

 

[h22lude]

My understanding is both need to be mashed. You will get some color but no sugars from them.

 

[feinbera]

If you're going to mash that aromatic and special B, you're going to need about the same amount of base grain (2-row, Marris Otter, something like that) in your mash, too. The enzymes that convert starches into sugar get destroyed in the process of making modified or heavily-roasted malts, so, even if you nail your temperatures, you'll still just be doing a (very finicky) steep if it's just aromatic and special B.

Also, yes, water quantity matters. Usually it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 - 2 quarts per pound of grain. Do a search for "mash thickness."

 

[autonomist3k]

I was messing with the numbers in beersmith and If I take the special b and aromatic out completely it only takes away .001 in OG and .1 in ABV
Would I be correct in assuming that if I just steep these grains I will still get the color and body out of them?
If I can still get that out of them but no fermentables, and there will be no negative effects, then I might as well just steep them since there will be very little fermentable benefit to this recipe from that 12oz of grain.

I didn't realize I need those enzymes from base grain, would that base grain change my beer very much?

 

[autonomist3k]

After a LOT more reading it seems to me that it's perfectly fine to just steep those grains to get the flavor and color benefit from them, I just wont get any fermentables out of them, that's fine with me, since I'm getting all of the fermentables I need from my 7 lbs of DME.
Hopefully I can move to AG soon!
Thanks for all of your help, hopefully this helps others with the same question.

 

[fuzzy2133]

Here is a quick read on adding a some base malt to an extract recipe. Also covers the difference between steeping and mashing.

Add Base Malts to Your Extract Beers

 

[lafoey]

I have a silly question . Finished brewing my first batch and after pouring my beer I rinsed the bottle. As soon as the water started filling the bottle I had suds in the bottle . It looked like soap
suds. I had cleaned the bottles with PBW but rinsed them repeatedly. Then I used a no rinse iodine sanitizing solution. Is my beer contaminated with PBW? Should I dump the whole batch. Don't want to be drinking chemicals.
Thanks,
Lafoey

 

[freisste]

I have a silly question . Finished brewing my first batch and after pouring my beer I rinsed the bottle. As soon as the water started filling the bottle I had suds in the bottle . It looked like soap
suds. I had cleaned the bottles with PBW but rinsed them repeatedly. Then I used a no rinse iodine sanitizing solution. Is my beer contaminated with PBW? Should I dump the whole batch. Don't want to be drinking chemicals.
Thanks,
Lafoey

This beer is finished? Like completely fermented and ready to drink? Sorry, just want to make sure we are on the same page.

If you bottled this beer and are ready to start drinking it, it is probably just beer remaining in the bottle that is causing the bubbles.

If you are currently in the process of bottling, I am misunderstanding your question. Sorry, I'm a bit tired.

 

[lafoey]

Yes it's finished. And I am brand new here so I am sorry if I posted this on the wrong thread. I was trying to post under beginners question.
Lafoey

 

[freisste]

Yes it's finished. And I am brand new here so I am sorry if I posted this on the wrong thread. I was trying to post under beginners question.
Lafoey

No, sorry - you are in the right place. I just didn't understand when I read your post how far along you were with the brew. Part of it made it sound like you had just finished brewing (when I say brewing I mean mashing/boiling, but prior to fermentation), but the other part made it sound like you were ready to drink the finished product. My fault.

Like I said, you are probably fine to drink it. It is likely just a little residual beer in the bottle (along with some compacted yeast from the bottom) causing the excessive bubbling. Make sure to rinse really well now so when you reuse the bottle for the next batch it is clean before you start. That way you just need to sanitize and you are ready to go.

 

[lafoey]

Thanks,
Lafoey

 

[unionrdr]

It's def just the dregs & the lil bit of beer left in the bottom of the bottle. I get that foamy thing all the time cleaning my bottles after drinking them. I rinse,fill to the shoulder,scrub with bottle brush drain & rinse again before placing them on my bottle tree to drain-n-dry.
And one pound of base malt added to those grains would do it in 2 quarts of water at 153F for an hour. Rinse with another gallon of 165F water to sparge (rinse) the grains & proceed with your boil. really much easier than it sems when you do it once. That first time made me wish I'd gone to partial mash sooner.