DOH. Did my first mini-mash sort of like an extract/steep. Am I done for?

[ezatnova]

Up to this point (6 batches I think), I've done kits from Hoptech where I have a bag of grain that I put in the nylon grain bag, which goes in the water as it heats and is removed when it hits 180 degrees. Then after boiling, the bucket of liquid extract is added.
Well, I ordered my first kit from Austin Home Brew, and reading their descriptions ("Choose Extract for the most common method of home brewing. Mini-mash replaces some extract with base grains, needs additional steeping time, and requires a grain bag"), the Mini-mash seemed exactly like what I'm used to from Hoptech. It makes it sound like the Extract from AHB is ALL extract and no grain. So, I ordered the Mini-mash.
I read the directions in the new AHB kit, where it said to leave the grain bag in at 150 degrees for 45 minutes. Well, I sort of kind of thought this was just AHB's way of writing directions, vs Hoptech's "put it the bag in and heat to 180 and remove." Now, reading some threads on here, I realize that Hoptechs directions are more of a "steep" than a Mini-mash (I think!).
I DID think the 45 minutes was a little odd (long) and that they may have a purpose for writing that, so, I turned my propane burner about as darn low as it would go, so that it heated up SLOOOWLY. What I essentially ended up doing was having the grain bag in for 45 minutes total..probably 20 minutes below 150 degrees (starting at room temp), then maybe 15 minutes between 150 and 170, and about 10 minutes between 170 and 180. Then I yanked it at 45 minutes and 180.
Two basic questions/comments.
1. Is this really bad? I WILL say that a) the "grain water" tasted very sweet, so the sugars were coming out, and b) by OG was dead on what it was supposed to be in the kit, making me think it worked fine.
2. How the heck are you supposed to maintain 150 degrees for 45 minutes using a friggin outdoor propane burner!? Even on low it is some pretty serious heat and will continually get the wort warmer and warmer. Do people really light it and kill it over and over to stop it from cooling/heating too much!?

Thanks!

 

[hammacks]

1) Sounds like you had good conversion if you hit your OG. The window for conversion is between 145-160. The ten minutes the grains were at 170 - 180 risk extracting some astringency, but you will probably be ok.

2) Many people use a specialized mash and lauter tun (MLT) made from coolers. Most try to limit heat loss throughout a mash so they have no need to have it over heat. If a little more heat is needed (a few degrees), an infusion of boiling water pushes the temp back up. They are other MLT's but a converted cooler is a very popular version. Just search "MLT".

EDIT: A small cooler (2 gallons or so) may be just what you need to hold temperature. Now where is that BYO article...

 

[Yooper]

Sounds like you did just fine, and it's going to be ok.

I never tried to steep at 150 with a propane burner before- that probably is hard! Since you're only steeping a little bit of water (or rather, mashing with a little bit of water), you could try a couple of things. One, do it on the stovetop in the house. When I did those mini-mash kits, I think it was less than two gallons total that was steeped. Or, bring it up to 160 degrees, and add the grains. When it's stable at 153 or so, turn off the heat and cover the pot. That may hold temperature just fine for you.

 

[Evan!]

If you hit your OG, you're probably okay in that dept. However, the time you spent with your grains above 170 likely extracted some tannins from the grain husks, which won't be good for the beer.

The best way to maintain temps when mashing is to use an igloo cooler with a false bottom. Here's a good explanation of the difference in technique:

Making the Wort - Home Brewing Wiki

Essentially, you have a cooler, with a spigot, and a false bottom or braided plumbing connector sheath that's connected to the spigot. What this does is it allows liquid to evacuate through the spigot while keeping the grain intact. You heat up water to a certain temp, then dump the water and the grains into the cooler, stir until it's mixed thoroughly, put the top on the cooler, and leave it there for an hour or so. Starch conversion (which is where the sugar comes from) happens roughly between 145f to 158f, but you'll be between 149 and 155 most of the time. You'll need to do some conversions to make sure the water you add to the grain is hot enough to end up at your target temp (which means it needs to be higher than the target). After 60 minutes, you'll drain the liquid from the cooler into your kettle, add more water (180F) to the grains, stir, wait a few minutes, then drain again. This is called sparging.

Anyway, this is really just a quick basic primer on the process...if you read how to brew or read the wiki, your questions will be answered much more concisely and completely than I am doing here.

 

[ezatnova]

Wow, very interesting guys. Thanks.

ok, I'm confused about a couple of things though...what would be the disadvantage of using a regular cooler, then just dumping the 2 or 3 gallons into the kettle? Why the need to mess with the valve/hose/etc on the cooler? And related to that, are you guys picturing the grain in a grain bag, or loose floating in the cooler?

Thanks!

 

[Chad]

EDIT: A small cooler (2 gallons or so) may be just what you need to hold temperature. Now where is that BYO article...

BYO's Counter Top Partial Mashing article.

Our very own Deathbrewer's Easy Partial Mash Brewing (with pictures).

Both excellent resources for getting into partial mash brewing. It's a lot easier than you think, and if you use a grain bag you don't even have to worry about things like false bottoms, braids or anything like that. Just a bag in a small cooler. Nothing to it.

Take care,
Chad

 

[Yooper]

Wow, very interesting guys. Thanks.

ok, I'm confused about a couple of things though...what would be the disadvantage of using a regular cooler, then just dumping the 2 or 3 gallons into the kettle? Why the need to mess with the valve/hose/etc on the cooler? And related to that, are you guys picturing the grain in a grain bag, or loose floating in the cooler?

Thanks!

You use a valve/hose, etc to drain the wort out of the cooler. You can use a grain bag, but tend to get better efficiency without one. In my first PM, I lined my bottling bucket with a very large grain bag, so that the grain was loose in the bucket, but then contained when I drained the bucket. If the grains are in a bag, but with plenty of room for the water to contact them and wet them and flow through, it will be fine.

Some people have packed a ton of grains into a bag, thinking, "more is better". But the grains really have to be loose so the water can wet it and also to get it to the right temperature.

I really like Deathbrewer's picture tutorial- that shows the concept really well.

 

[ezatnova]

Thanks again.

so I've read the BYO articles on teh 2 gallon cooler with the SS braided hose. Help me out here...isn't SS braided hose...well...hose that is not meant to LEAK? What I'm asking is, how are you opening the valve and getting liquid to come out when the valve is connected to a SS braided hose which is PLUGGED on the other end??

Anyway, I REALLY like Deathbrewer's simple approach to this. No cooler/building/extra cost, etc. I will give that a try next time. Although, for sparging, I may use a collander method...rest the collander over the main kettle with the wort it's been making for an hour at 155. Then lift the grain bag into that, and pour 175 degree water slowly over it. I'm sure either his way of dunking in another hotter water pot, or the pouring over the collander way would both work well.

 

[hammacks]

SS braids on hoses are for strength and protection, not to hold water. The braid is slid off the rubber hose inside of a braided hose. Without the rubber hose inside, the braid is not water tight, that's why it's a filter.

 

[ezatnova]

SS braids on hoses are for strength and protection, not to hold water. The braid is slid off the rubber hose inside of a braided hose. Without the rubber hose inside, the braid is not water tight, that's why it's a filter.

Brilliant! I would still think it would get clogged up and whatnot. Anyway, I never knew there was something INSIDE ss braided hose. I was always curious how they were water tight!

 

[hammacks]

Brilliant!

I know. I always have such good ideas...