Partial mashing

[GatorBeer]

I'm brewing an Amber ale this weekend with some new supplies and have a few questions:

1) I have about 12 oz of grains to mash. I see that I'm supposed to use 1.25 quarts/lb grain, but this must be for AG brewing and I'm using extract (recipe calls for 6 lbs of extract), so how much water should I use to mash?

2) I have a new 10 gal pot and a propane burner, so I think I should do a full boil. So after I mash and sparge (how much water should i use to sparge and is 170* a good temp?), I should top it off to 5 gal and start with the hop additions, right?

3) How do you keep a constant temperature when using a propane burner for the mashing? Do I get it up to 155* or so, pop the lid on and cut the heat? Or do I just use a low flame and hope it doesn't get too high?

Thanks all for the help.

 

[marubozo]

12 oz isn't much of a mash. Are you sure they aren't just specialty grains that are supposed to be steeped?

What are the 12 oz of grains exactly. The type will tell us if they need to be mashed or just steeped, and that will ultimately dictate your process going forward.

 

[GatorBeer]

Steeped is what I meant, I'm still getting used to the terminology.

 

[rexbanner]

I'm brewing an Amber ale this weekend with some new supplies and have a few questions:

1) I have about 12 oz of grains to mash. I see that I'm supposed to use 1.25 quarts/lb grain, but this must be for AG brewing and I'm using extract (recipe calls for 6 lbs of extract), so how much water should I use to mash?

2) I have a new 10 gal pot and a propane burner, so I think I should do a full boil. So after I mash and sparge (how much water should i use to sparge and is 170* a good temp?), I should top it off to 5 gal and start with the hop additions, right?

3) How do you keep a constant temperature when using a propane burner for the mashing? Do I get it up to 155* or so, pop the lid on and cut the heat? Or do I just use a low flame and hope it doesn't get too high?

Thanks all for the help.

I wouldn't be too concerned with sparging 12 ounces of grain. If you do, temp isn't a big concern since you're steeping. Just keep it between 150-170. Don't freak out about it, 5 gallons of water isn't going to magically jump 20 degrees in a few seconds. You only need to steep for half an hour or so. Steeping isn't like mashing, it's much simpler.

 

[marubozo]

Ahh, gotcha. When I steeped grains I just did it in whatever water I planned on using for the boil. So if it was 2.5 gallons I did that, if it was 5 gallons I also just did that. I never measured anything out for steeping.

If you're steeping, there's really no official sparge. You'll want to dump some hot water over the bag of grains to rinse out the residual sugars and something in the 170 degree range would be fine, but this step isn't temperature critical.

And finally, keeping the temp fairly constant depends on a few things. First, the greater the volume of water, the more steady the temp will be and the slower it will fall. In the past I found I would usually have to turn the burner on once or twice during the steep for just a minute or two each time to bump it up a few degrees to keep it steady. But again, since you're steeping and not mashing the temperature precision isn't as important so don't worry about going a few degrees to either side of your target.

 

[GatorBeer]

I appreciate the help!

 

[bhop2112]

Also, if you're planning to do a full boil, don't forget that you are going to boil off somewhere in the neighborhood of a gallon of water in a 60 minute boil (more or less depending on temperature, humidity, equipment, etc).

I would suggest starting with at least 6 gallons in your boil (assuming you want to end up with roughly a 5 gal batch).

 

[mixedbrewer]

Too high of a steep temp is critical. If you end up at 180 or higher you could get some tannins. When I steep I get the water up to about 172 and put in the pound of grain and turn the heat off. Its down to about 165 after about a 1/2 hour steep in 2.5 gal of water. Then I dunk like a tea-bag a few times and rinse it out with about 1/2 gallon of warm water.