Need Help Converting Recipe

[dmbRedGetta]

I'm trying to venture outside of my extract brewing world and do a partial mash, and I'd like some help covering a recipe.

I'm going to brew the Rapture Russian Imperial Stout recipe on here (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/rapture-russian-imperial-stout-255890/).

I'm planning on using 3 cans of Maris Otter LME and 1.5 lbs plain light DME as my extract, and mashing with 1.25 lbs Maris Otter (keeping the rest of the gains the same).

Questions:
Should I mash with 2 row instead to get a better efficiency? The recipe came out closer to the original using MO on hopville from what I remember.

The biggest pot I have is 16 quarts. Can I squeeze 7 lbs of grain + water in the pot? I'm following the partial mash write-up in the stickies on here. If not, how should I adjust my grain bill?

Thanks!

 

[ApothecaryBrewing]

I would mash the flaked barley with at least 2 lbs. of base malt which can be any combination of 2-row, MO and Munich. I would probably do the 1# of Munich with 1 lb. of MO and the flaked barley.

The other malts can just be steeped but if you wanted to mash them all that would be a mash of 5.875 lbs of grain (all the flavor/color malts plus 1lb. of 2-row or MO). I would use a thinner mash to ensure a balanced pH due to the higher percentage of heavily kilned malts, something like 1.5 qt/lb should be good. That would give you a total volume of 2.67 gallons or 10.68 quarts. So it would fit in your pot if you did a BIAB type deal in it.

For what it is worth, I was eyeing partial mashes and ended up just spending the extra $60-70 for a mash tun that could handle all-grain mashes. Best money I have ever spent. I figured if I am gonna be mashing, why not mash it all. And you don't need a big house or a lot of space. I do 5 gallon all grain in my kitchen and i live in a small 2 bedroom apartment.

 

[dmbRedGetta]

Thanks for the help! I'm absolutely looking to get into all-grain, but right now it's either buy equipment or brew again (it's been a year since I've been able to brew, and we just had a baby, so hobby money will probably be low for a while).

I would get the best results from mashing everything together, right? If so, that's what I'd like to do. If not, then I know I could mash the base malts together like you suggested with no problems (doing the BIAB type thing), then steep the rest of the grains and brew like normal. I guess I'm looking for what would work best with the equipment I have.

Also, I get 5.75 lbs of grain before adding any 2-row or MO... am I adding things correctly?

Thanks again!

 

[ApothecaryBrewing]

You are correct with your addition I believe. I accidentally overlooked the last few grains after the malto-dextrin.

Be sure to mash the oats and flaked barley with your base malts otherwise they will not convert. Even if you mashed everything together, totaling 7.75 lbs. of grain, with a 1.5 qt/lb water ratio you would only need roughly 3.65 gallons of space to do it so your pot, although tight, would fit it all since 16 quarts = 4 gallons.

 

[sok454]

This is a great piece... as I just got the ing. for this brew yesterday. Looking at doing partial mash w it since I couldn't find MO DME/LME at the store. thanks for the timeliness!