Partial Mash

Hello fellow brewers,

I'm on batch number six and I'm beginning to use a little less extract. However, I'm not set up to use all grain just yet. Anyway, one of the guys at my local home brew store suggested I place the used grains into a strainer over the brew pot after I've steeped them so that I can pour additional water over those grains prior to my addition of extract and hops.

Below are my notes for the brew day...perhaps someone can comment on my instructions to myself. Also, is what I'm about to brew considered or partial mash or is this still a grain/extract batch?

Delusions of Porter
Target OG = 1.072 / Target FG = 1.018 / Target ABV = 7.2%
Batch size = 5 gallons
Grains
3 lbs. – British Pale
12 oz. – Caramel/Cyrstal Malt – 120L
12 oz. – Choc. Crisp
2 oz. – Black Malt
1 oz. – Roasted Barley
Extracts
6 lbs., 6 oz. – Northwestern Amber Liquid Extract
Hops
2 oz. – Goldings
1 oz. – Willamette
1 oz. - Cascade
Other
11.5 oz. – Candy sugar
1 tablet – Whirlfloc
Yeast
American Ale
Misc.
5 ounces (3/4 cup) priming sugar
2 bags of ice
2 – 2.5 gallons of water

BREW DAY (Date___/___/______) & (Start time:________ / End time:________)
1. Thoroughly clean and sterilize all equipment and utensils.
2. STEEP GRAINS
- Pour 1.5 gallons of clean water into one brew pot and 1 gallon of clean water into another brew pot and begin to heat
- Pour crushed grains into two grain bags and tie a loose knot at the top of the bag (the grains should not be compacted inside the bag)
- When temp. reaches 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit, place grain bags into first brew pot for 20 minutes (do not allow temp. to exceed 170 degrees as this leeches tannins into the wort – when temperature reaches 150, drop stove from high to 5)
- Remove grain bag and without squeezing, allow liquid to drain back into the pot
- Place grain bag into strainer and position strainer over pot 1
- Bring pot 2 to 170 degrees
- Slowly pour water from pot 2 over grain bag / strainer (in pot 1)
- Your water is now 2.5 gallons of wort
3. ADD EXTRACT
- Prior to boil, add extract and stir thoroughly
4. START BOIL / ADD HOPS & SUGARS
- Bring your wort to a gentle, rolling boil
- Add Goldings hops and sugar and start timer at 60 minutes
- When 15 minutes remain, add Willamette (and Whirloc)
- When 1 minute remains, add Cascade

(Brew day cont.)
- At 60 minutes, turn off boil and place brew pot into sink with ice water
5. COOL WORT & BOIL
- Place brew pot into sink with ice water and cool to 70 degrees Fahrenheit
- Pour wort into a sanitized carboy (use funnel and filter and avoid transfer of heavy sediment or trub from the brew pot to the fermenter
6. ADD WATER - Add enough clean water (approx. 62 - 72 degrees) to the fermenter to bring your wort to approximately 5 gallons. Thoroughly stir water into the wort. Be careful not to add a volume of water that will cause the worth to fall outside the OG range specified.
- Take the OG reading with a sanitized hydrometer and record it in your ABV% Calculator.
7. PITCH YEAST
- Sprinkle the contents of the yeast sachet over the top of the entire wort surface and stir well by revolving the carboy in circular pattern.
- Firmly secure the stop/airlock on the carboy’s opening
- Move fermenter to a dark, warm, temperature-stable area (approx. 64 – 72 degrees)
FERMENTATION
8. MONITOR & RECORD TEMPERATURE (__________)
- The wort will begin to ferment within 24 hours and you will notice CO2 releasing out of the airlock. Within 4-6 days the bubbling will slow down until you see no more CO2 being released. When fermentation is complete (i.e., no bubbles for 48 hours) take a final gravity reading with a sanitized hydrometer and record it in your ABV% Calculator.
BOTTLING DAY (Date___/___/______) & (Start time:________ / End time:________)
9. Thoroughly clean and sterilize all equipment and utensils.
10. PREPARE PRIMING SUGAR
- In a small saucepan dissolve 5 ounces (3/4 cup) priming sugar into 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Pour this mixture into a clean bottling bucket. Carefully siphon beer from the fermenter to a bottling bucket. Avoid transfer of any sediment. Stir gently for about a minute.
11. BOTTLE
- Using your siphon setup and bottling wand, fill the bottles to within approximately once inch of the top of the bottle. Cap.
12. BOTTLE CONDITION
- Move the bottles to a dark, warm, temperature-stable area (approx. 64 – 72 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Over the next two weeks, the bottles will naturally carbonate. Allow two additional weeks for full flavor.
ABV% Calculator
(OG – FG) x 131.25 = ABV%
(______ - ______) x 131.25 = _______

Yielded: ___ Growlers; ___ Liters; and ___ ½ Liters
Misc. notes:

 

I'm not a fan of the method you are proposing, mostly because I have an electric stove and it's damn near impossible to hold a temp on it. If you can spare a few dollars for a mesh grain bag and a 2 gallon cooler, I'd highly recommend using the partial mash method described here. http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/511-countertop-partial-mashing

 

Well your grain bill is consistent with a partial mash, but your technique is more in line with extract with steeping grains. The key to "mashing" is proper temps (usually 148-158) and proper water-to-grain ratios (1-1.5qts/lb). I'd look into this http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

You also might want to consider getting one large grain bag (I use a 2' x 2' mesh bag for partial mashes and 3 gal all-grains).

And, many on here wouldn't recommend bottling in growlers as they aren't made to handle the pressure. YMMV.

 

Thanks for the feedback you two!

 

This is a GREAT tut on stovetop PM. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

Also to save a few bucks I use 5 gallon "paint strainer bags" from Home Depot.

 

I agree with the others, check out Deathbrewer's guide on partial mash brewing, it's excellent. The two things I would specifically do differently are: 1) instead of pouring the 170 degree water over the grains and through a strainer, like others said, soak the grains in a mesh bag in around 150 degree water for about an hour and then soak it for about 15 minutes in 170 degree water, much easier and similar results; and 2) those instructions say not to squeeze the bag after mashing in your around 150 degree water - forget about that, squeeze the heck out of that thing to make sure you're getting all of that sugary goodness out of there.