Sparge water/ Mini mash

[kswim612]

So I'm brewing my second batch of beer. It's an extract kit from NB, Smashing Pumpkin to be exact. I am using real pumpkin and 2-row to take this a step further. I guess my question is this - is this a mini-mSo I'm brewing my second batch of beer. It's an extract kit from NB, Smashing Pumpkin to be exact. I am using real pumpkin and 2-row to take this a step further. I guess my question is this - is this a mini-mash? I'm not sure on the term. I read up and watched some videos and I understand the concept of soaking the grains but I didn't see any instructions in the kit for sparge water. Do I not have to do that because I'm not in a mash tun and just have a mesh bag on my boil kettle? I'm not sure about the sparge water technique.

I'm just going to follow the directions on the kit this time because it worked awesome the first time. And this smells so great with the real pumpkin!

 

[RM-MN]

So I'm brewing my second batch of beer. It's an extract kit from NB, Smashing Pumpkin to be exact. I am using real pumpkin and 2-row to take this a step further. I guess my question is this - is this a mini-mSo I'm brewing my second batch of beer. It's an extract kit from NB, Smashing Pumpkin to be exact. I am using real pumpkin and 2-row to take this a step further. I guess my question is this - is this a mini-mash? I'm not sure on the term. I read up and watched some videos and I understand the concept of soaking the grains but I didn't see any instructions in the kit for sparge water. Do I not have to do that because I'm not in a mash tun and just have a mesh bag on my boil kettle? I'm not sure about the sparge water technique.

I'm just going to follow the directions on the kit this time because it worked awesome the first time. And this smells so great with the real pumpkin!

When you put milled 2 row in water which has a temperature between about 145 and 160F. the water will activate the enzymes to change the starches into sugars. That is known as mashing. If your temperature falls very far outside that range you are merely steeping as you don't get the starch>sugar conversion.

Your instructions don't include sparging because you are depending on the extract to provide most of the sugars so whether you sparge or not isn't as important as if you were all grain. You can use almost any amount of water to rinse the sugars out of the mini mash as long as you don't exceed the total amount needed for your batch.

 

[kswim612]

Oh! I get it now! Thanks a lot!


So the mini-mash provided just a little more sugars and flavor than would normally be included in the extract syrup?

 

[RM-MN]

Oh! I get it now! Thanks a lot!


So the mini-mash provided just a little more sugars and flavor than would normally be included in the extract syrup?

That's part of the equation. When you use only extract to make beer, you are at the mercy of the maltster as to the mix of grains that are in the extract, light extract having different mix/amounts of various grains to get the flavor than a darker extract. When you move to extract + steeping grains, you gain a little more control over the flavors. Mini-mash gives you more control yet because you aren't limited to just 2 row pale but can use some other base malts. Going further, all grain gives you the most control as you not only get to choose the grains but also the amounts, the fermentability of the wort, and the percent of the available sugars that are extracted (with some limits).