About to brew my first PM

[rferguson61]

I have only brewed one batch before (Extract Widmere Hefe Clone) and Im a bit concerned...i have a couple questions... Whats the difference between extract with steeped grains and partial mash? Will partial mash take more equipment? I have a kit bought from my LHBS (5 gal carboy, bottling bucket, 5 gal brew pot, etc...) And lastly is there anywhere I could find a glossary of terms? Cuz reading around on here Im seeing terms that i dont know...such as striking or strike temp. Thanks!

 

[suprchunk]

Partial mash involves actually mashing a portion of the grain bill. So you will be mashing 2-row or whatever and reducing the amount of DME/LME in the boil. Extract with steeping is just steeping the specialty grains to impart their flavor and coloring benefits. Since these grains don't contribute THAT much to the overall OG you don't really need to mash them, just steep. And I believe there is a sticky with terms at the top.

EDIT: The terms can be found in the wiki I believe. And you can get away with mashing in the bag until you want to step it up to the next level. Just search for BIAB (brew in a bag)

 

[rferguson61]

Negative on the sticky. At least not in this catagory. So is a PM to much for a beginner? I found a recipe I really wanna try but its PM and Im kinda just flying by the seat of my pants right now. Not totally sure of what im doing.

 

[rferguson61]

Thanks chunk! One last question that i probably already know the answer to...but would mashing give me a better result than bagging?

EDIT: I checked the wiki glossary and it doenst say what strike/strike temp is. Can you shed some light?

 

[suprchunk]

I don't think it's too much. Just make sure you mentally go through the steps for the day before you brew. If you're like me, then there will still be stuff you forget about. Just keep a log and jot down what you forgot or could do better for the next time. Once you get the PM method down, the step to AG will be much easier. You'll just have to get some other equipment when you do go AG. It doesn't cost much if you make everything yourself, and it's easy - especially with the knowledge from here. Learn from the mistakes people made before you and you can keep the mishaps to a minimum.

 

[suprchunk]

Thanks chunk! One last question that i probably already know the answer to...but would mashing give me a better result than bagging?

I couldn't tell you as I have never done enough BIABs to ascertain if it was better than mashing in a cooler. The BIAB beers I made were pretty good, and I only did them because of my tiny apartment at the time. It did give me better results than the full extract beers I made.