How thick to mash this grain?

[johnnyjumpup]

Hello all,

I'm trying to do something like a dry, highly hopped, super crisp blond ale (think- if an IPA and a Pilsner had a baby). It's going to be a pretty small batch and I'm trying to figure out just how thin I can mash it without ending up with blond water. Here's my grain bill:
1.5 lb Brewer's two-row
1 lb Bohemian pilsner
1 lb German pilsner
12 oz Rye malt
4 oz acid malt

So that's 5.5 lbs grain- can I do a full volume mash with 4 gallons of water and let it boil down to around 2 gallons of final wort?

Many thanks!

Oh and here's the hop list: 1 oz Citra, 1 oz Cascade, .5 oz Simcoe
Any suggestions for what to add when?

Cheers!

 

[CityOChampBrew]

Am I missing something?? I only see 4.5 lbs there. Are you doing a BIAB style or do you plan to sparge the grains? I don't see a reason you can't mash full volume if you are BIAB just make sure you account for boiloff and grain absorbtion.

 

[johnnyjumpup]

My mistake, yes 4.5 lb naturally.
No, not BIAB, just the traditional way. I intended to sparge, yes.

 

[CityOChampBrew]

Then I am missing the question, are you planning on boiling down to the point that you have to top it off after the boil? So far as I can tell you plan on brewing like you normally would but just a smaller batch. Sounds like you just need to scale things down and brew like normal.

 

[Righlander]

what size batch is this?

 

[Righlander]

i've been doing 1.33 quarts per pound. but most like to do 1.25 quarts per pound

 

[johnnyjumpup]

It is supposed to be a 3 gallon batch. I'm pretty new to this and still figuring out how to adjust for desired yield and body. It seems like I loose about 1-1.5 gallons in boil and in retention in the grain and hops (whole cone).

I want it to be very light in mouth feel, but not flavorless.

 

[CityOChampBrew]

Sounds like you could really benefit from downloading beersmith, it has a free trial so use it. It will help with measurements of strike water and many other things with recipe building.

 

[BrewToledo]

Mash at a low temp for light mouth feel, maybe 148-152. +1 for suggesting beersmith it will make your brew days much easier. Also, I do 1.66 qt per lb of grain. Once you get everything dialed in you will figure out what your set up dictates or what you feel comfortable with.

 

[johnnyjumpup]

Thanks everyone! I'll give BeerSmith a try (love the podcast)