Difference in Extract and Partial Mash

[jhart94949]

What is the difference in extract brewing and partial mash brewing. Dont you still use liquid or Dry malt in Partial Mash brewing, and dont you use grains in both Extract and Partial Mash??? I guess I am just a little confused on what the differences are.

I have always ordered Extract kits and have made a lot but today I was reading one of my reciepe cards from a kit I ordered and it said "Partial Mash Reciepe". Have I been doing Partial mash all this time or what?????

Thanks

~Joe

------Beer, Guns, Freedom--------

 

[Vuarra]

Partial Mash is when you have *some* base grains and *some* extract.
Partial Grain is when you have *some* grain and *some* extract.

 

[JoeyChopps]

Partial mash is the " step between " all grain and extract. I like many other brewers skipped partial mash. Basically extract with grain is only stepping the specialty grain for flavor and little to no fermentable sugars. Then all the fermentable sugars are added by way of the lme or dme. With partial mash u mash some of the base grain in a mlt. And use a little dme or lme. So say a recipe for extract calls for 6 lbs of lme. The partial mash would come with 2-row and maybe 3 lbs of lme

 

[jhart94949]

Awesome, thanks for the replies!!!!!

~Joe

 

[truckndad]

What about equipment? If your doing a partial mash, do you need a mash tun, a BIAB setup, or any additional equipment? Or ar you basically steeping the crushed grains for part of your wort?

 

[jhart94949]

Good question truck, and when all said and done if you dont have to have any more equipment what is the benefit to partial mash instead of extract????

 

[JoeyChopps]

U do need a mlt for partial mash. The main benefit of partial mash is being more involved with the process. Imo partial mash is an unneeded step just look into going to all grain

 

[Yooper]

What about equipment? If your doing a partial mash, do you need a mash tun, a BIAB setup, or any additional equipment? Or ar you basically steeping the crushed grains for part of your wort?

You can easily do a partial mash in a grain bag (or more than one if you have lots of grain!). I used to use a huge mesh bag, like for lining a fruit press, when I did partial mashes.

Partial mash means that you are getting some fermentable sugars out of the grain you're using. Sometimes you may want to use a grain that must be mashed to be used- like oats. Or Munich malt. You can have a lot of variety from a partial mash. It can be a very small mash- only a pound or two. Or it can be a huge mash and make up most of the recipe. Size doesn't really matter for it to be a "partial mash".

Extract beers sometimes use specialty grains to get flavor and color, but no conversion from starch to sugar is happening.

In both cases, extract is used to make up the majority of fermentable sugars.

 

[ToddO]

What Yooper said -

Basically, partial mash is mashing as much grain as you can and then adding extract to get your total fermentable sugar. The main ingredient in most recipes is say 2-row which is basically lme or dme in grain form. Most recipes have the highest percentage of ingredients as straight 2-row or pale malt etc. Using partial mash, you can mash the lower percentage of most recipes (crystal malts, munich, etc. along with a little 2-row) and then add your 2-row(or pale malt, or wheat malt, whatever) in the form of extract. If you can mash 6 lbs of grain (in my case) it's pretty easy to convert ANY all grain recipe to partial mash and do it on your stove. Mash your 6lbs of grain (which is usually 2-3 lbs. of crystals or oats or vienna or munich - whatever and 3 lbs of 2-row i.e.) and add the rest of the 2 row in extract form. Easy! And Delicious!