Easy Partial Mash Brewing (with pics)

[borden]

Read this entire thread and have been using the bag method of partial mash brewing for some time. I am looking to go all grain but I just can't pull that trigger of 200+ dollars for two coolers with fittings.

You've seen this thread, haven't you?

Easy Stovetop All-Grain Brewing (with pics)

I went all-grain a year and a half ago and only had to buy a $25 7.5 gal aluminum pot and a custom BIAB bag (and that was optional!).

 

[Ogri]

Thanks for the guide! This seemed like a pretty effortless step up from steeping/extract so I gave it a shot.



I've tried this twice now but mine doesn't quite look like this (I should have taken a picture but never did). I use the same ratio of water to grains but it doesn't seem to be enough water to cover them. I don't have grains floating in water like that, I have a tiny island of grain poking out of the water that I'm worried isn't converting well. Is my bag too narrow? My brewpot(/mash tun) too wide? Or is there something stupid I'm doing wrong?

Since no one else has replied to you I'll throw my tuppence ha'penerth in.

I'd have thought, with a name like that, you were synonymous with water and gates and stuff:fro:

Sounds like you're already realizing what the problem might be. Going by what you mentioned:

IF your bag is considerably narrower than your brew kettle then that could lead to the grains not getting sufficient contact and rinsing. Might actually be more beneficial to have a bag that is bigger than the kettle and take up slack using clips around the pot. That would allow the grain to take up a larger surface area, requiring a lower level of water to fully soak the grains.

Absolute best situation would be to have a bag that fits, exactly, your kettle.

If you post a pic or two, to better illustrate your situation, I'm sure someone will be able to offer the right advice.

 

[Xanatos903]

Sounds to me like his pot is too wide. I had the same problem with my first partial mash, and solved it by splitting the grains into two bags. Even the "large" muslin bags don't stretch enough to cover the bottom of my pot, so I've got some still above the water line.

 

[RM-MN]

Read this entire thread and have been using the bag method of partial mash brewing for some time. I am looking to go all grain but I just can't pull that trigger of 200+ dollars for two coolers with fittings. I generally after the mash run a 3 gallon boil and add my water to the pot during the cool down....I do boil my water and let it cool for a couple of days that will be my top off.....

Maybe you need to do this in smaller steps? Try using more base grains and less extract for your next brew. It's still a partial mash, right. Next time use more grains and less extract yet. It's still a partial mash but you are getting closer to all grain. When you get to the point that you are only using a teaspoon of extract and the rest grain, youi're still partial mashing, but you'll be only one teaspoon away from all grain. Sounds easy, doesn't it. I skipped some of the steps along the way and used my 5 gallon pot and a paint strainer to do 2 1/2 gallon batches to see how it was done and if I wanted to go to 5 gallon batches. Now I have a turkey fryer pot 7 1/2 gallon and mash in that for a 5 gallon batch, sometimes no sparge, sometimes a modified sparge to hit my preboil. Works fine.:rockin:

 

[RichardMNixon]

Absolute best situation would be to have a bag that fits, exactly, your kettle.

That seemed to do the trick, thanks for the confirmation. Picked up a 2.5 gal ceramic pot to use for the mash instead of my 6.5 gal brewpot.

 

[Malty_Dog]

A HUUUGE "THANK YOU" to DeathBrewer and all other contributors for this thread. You were with me every step of the way for my first ever partial mash, which went swimmingly and resulted in a tasty wort with a perfect OG.

 

[catfishunter]

I just tried my first partial mash after attemping two extract brews that turned out pretty well. I am kind of worried because my OG was around 1.042. I did some researching and apparently this is low for a german pilsner. I was shooting for around 5 to 5.5%. Is there anything i can do to raise it or is this an acceptable reading?

 

[carlk47]

So I've completed my 2nd partial mash recipe this weekend and my fermenter is bubbling away like crazy! Think I did a much better job aerating this batch. It's definitely much more fun and challenging to do PM over all-extract for sure but well worth the extra effort. Funny thing is my effeciency has been 83% and 85%.. not sure how I am hitting those but curious to see if I keep hitting those going forward. I'm using a 3 gal Igloo cooler as a mash tun and it holds temps within 2 degrees over an hour.. very happy with that! Oh yes.. and Beersmith is VERY helpful in calculating recipes.. awesome!

Thanks Deathbrewer for the great instructions and everyone who has posted and replied on this thread!

 

[Ogri]

I just tried my first partial mash after attemping two extract brews that turned out pretty well. I am kind of worried because my OG was around 1.042. I did some researching and apparently this is low for a german pilsner. I was shooting for around 5 to 5.5%. Is there anything i can do to raise it or is this an acceptable reading?

Probably best to just roll with what you have. It could well attenuate out to a suitably low Final Gravity and give you something close to your target of 5 to 5.5% but even if it doesn't it'll still be beer.

Having said that, additions of sugar/sugar syrup to primary is a pretty common practice with some Belgian ales. If you have a search around you might get some useful ideas.

 

[catfishunter]

Ok. Thanks. I actually just added a little less than a pound of sugar to it. I realized that when i filled my fermenter i added to much water and was a little over 5.5 gallons which would explain why my OG was so low i guess. Stupid mistake. Ya well i think it should turn out ok.

 

[walcotteric]

Can someone do me a huge favor and help me out with mashing oats. I'm going to brew an oatmeal milk stout, and am a bit confused on the process for mashing the oats. Maybe it's because it really is simple, and I'm trying to make it complicated.

I read somewhere this:

"you just steep the oats with an equal amount of two row grains for 45 minutes at 150-155. "

Is that correct? If so, then do I just add the rest of my grains and steep in the same pot after steeping the oats with 2-row?

Am I making this too complicated? probabaly, which is why I need someone to dumb it down for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Can someone do me a huge favor and help me out with mashing oats. I'm going to brew an oatmeal milk stout, and am a bit confused on the process for mashing the oats. Maybe it's because it really is simple, and I'm trying to make it complicated.

I read somewhere this:

"you just steep the oats with an equal amount of two row grains for 45 minutes at 150-155. "

Is that correct? If so, then do I just add the rest of my grains and steep in the same pot after steeping the oats with 2-row?

Am I making this too complicated? probabaly, which is why I need someone to dumb it down for me.

Thanks in advance.

If you are using flaked oats from the LHBS or rolled oats from the supermarket (any quick oats like Quaker) you can just toss them into your mash with all the rest of your grains. If you are using steel cut or whole oats you have to cook them first to gelatinize the starch. So use flaked or rolled oats and toss em in! You should have no problem with this method, but if you move into a different kind of mash system be aware that too many oats in your mash can make for a sticky mess and a stuck sparge. Brew on!

 

[walcotteric]

If you are using flaked oats from the LHBS or rolled oats from the supermarket (any quick oats like Quaker) you can just toss them into your mash with all the rest of your grains. If you are using steel cut or whole oats you have to cook them first to gelatinize the starch. So use flaked or rolled oats and toss em in! You should have no problem with this method, but if you move into a different kind of mash system be aware that too many oats in your mash can make for a sticky mess and a stuck sparge. Brew on!

What if I just wanted to mash the Oats (with some 2-row), to use in an extract recipe where I'll be steeping the rest of the grains. Would that be done the same way?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

If you are mashing anything you don't have to steep. I assume you are using the BIAB method, so just toss all your steeping grains in with the 2 row and the oats. It will actually work better than the separate processes. What is your grain bill?

 

[walcotteric]

If you are mashing anything you don't have to steep. I assume you are using the BIAB method, so just toss all your steeping grains in with the 2 row and the oats. It will actually work better than the separate processes. What is your grain bill?

Well, I was going to do this, which is an extract recipe (2.5 gallon batch), but now I'm thinking of doing partial mash instead, since I've been told I should mash the oats regardless.

Here's the extract recipe:

M.O. Stout (Milk Oatmeal Stout)

Light Dry Malt Extract – 2.25 lbs
Black Patent – 4 oz
Chocolate Malt – 6 oz
CARAPILS – 4 oz
Lactose – 1/2 lb
Oats, Flaked – 1/2 lb
Fuggle Pellet Hops – 1/2 oz (60 min)
Fuggle Pellet Hops - 1/2 oz (5 min)
Nottingham Yeast
Irish Moss - 1/2 tsp

Steep oats for 15 minutes at 115 F.
Bring temp up to 155.
Steep grains and oats for 45 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add malt extract.
Bring to boil.
Add bittering hops with 60 minutes remaining.
Add 1/2 tsp Irish Moss and 1/2 lb lactose at with 15 min remaining.
Add aroma hops with 5 minutes remaining.

 

[walcotteric]

Oh, and 1/2 lb of American 2-row as well.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I plugged that into Beersmith and only got an OG of 1032...I would imagine you are going for something a little bigger than that. If you bump the 2-row up to 4lbs (which would also make for a better mash consistency, more enzymes, and better conversion of the starches) you have an OG of 1050...a little bigger beer. Make it 5lbs and you are at 1056, right in the middle of the style for an oatmeal stout. Yours will be sweeter because of the lactose. You could also bump the amount of extract, but if you are already making the jump to a PM, why not go for the cheaper option! Have you done a PM or AG batch before, or mostly extract and steeping grains?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

That also only has you at about 7 IBU's!!!! (all of this is for a 5 gal batch) You will need to bump up the 60 minute addition to 2oz to get you to the very low end of the style (around 26 IBUs) if you use Fuggles. Challenger is a really nice bittering hop with a little higher Alpha acid content. If you tossed in 1oz of Challenger and 1oz of Fuggles at 60 minutes you would be around 32 IBU's, right around the middle of the style. These are good numbers for a sweet stout as well. And if you want a little more oatmeal cookie flavor and aroma in your beer, try toasting the oats lightly in your oven and/ or adding some character malt like Victory. The latest Brew Your Own mag has a good article on using oats and some great pointers on brewing oatmeal stout from Jamil Zainasheff.

 

[walcotteric]

That also only has you at about 7 IBU's!!!! (all of this is for a 5 gal batch) You will need to bump up the 60 minute addition to 2oz to get you to the very low end of the style (around 26 IBUs) if you use Fuggles. Challenger is a really nice bittering hop with a little higher Alpha acid content. If you tossed in 1oz of Challenger and 1oz of Fuggles at 60 minutes you would be around 32 IBU's, right around the middle of the style. These are good numbers for a sweet stout as well. And if you want a little more oatmeal cookie flavor and aroma in your beer, try toasting the oats lightly in your oven and/ or adding some character malt like Victory. The latest Brew Your Own mag has a good article on using oats and some great pointers on brewing oatmeal stout from Jamil Zainasheff.

I've never done PM or AG, just extract with steeping grains. Also, I'm doing a 2.5 gallon batch (I did mention that above), so does that change the OG or IBUs?

The reason I though of trying PM is that I was told that to use the Oats in the extract recipe I needed to mash the oats with the 2-row first.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Sorry I missed the 2.5 gal batch size! Is there any particular reason you are going for a smaller batch? I scaled the recipe to 2.5 and it looks like this...

Milk Oatmeal Stout
Sweet Stout
Type: Partial Mash Date: 2/21/2013
Batch Size (fermenter): 2.50 gal Brewer:
Boil Size: 1.67 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Extract/Partial Mash
End of Boil Volume 1.30 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 2.10 gal Est Mash Efficiency 117.2 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 45.0 %
4.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.6 %
3.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.3 %
2.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.8 %
2.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 6 33.8 %
4.0 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7 5.6 %
0.76 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 19.3 IBUs
0.76 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 11.6 IBUs
0.38 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 1.2 IBUs

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.057 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.8 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 32.0 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 20.2 SRM
Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 4 lbs 7.0 oz
Sparge Water: 1.15 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 4.36 qt of water at 160.4 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 1.15 gal water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 1.65 oz Carbonation Used: Bottle with 1.65 oz Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F Age for: 30.00 days
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Storage Temperature: 65.0 F
Notes


Created with BeerSmith

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Here is the 5gal version...I tweaked the extract to base malt ratio a little

Milk Oatmeal Stout 5 gal
Sweet Stout
Type: Partial Mash Date: 2/21/2013
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal Brewer:
Boil Size: 4.27 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Extract/Partial Mash
End of Boil Volume 3.90 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal Est Mash Efficiency 90.5 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 54.8 %
8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.5 %
6.1 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.2 %
4.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.7 %
4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.7 %
2 lbs 4.0 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 6 24.6 %
8.0 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7 5.5 %
0.99 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 19.6 IBUs
0.99 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 11.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 1.2 IBUs

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.056 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.6 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 32.6 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 21.8 SRM
Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 2.1 oz
Sparge Water: 3.04 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 8.97 qt of water at 161.8 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 3.04 gal water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 3.61 oz Carbonation Used: Bottle with 3.61 oz Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F Age for: 30.00 days
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Storage Temperature: 65.0 F
Notes


Created with BeerSmith

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I just wanted to add that you shouldn't be afraid to jump into something new. Deathbrewer's technique helped me (and hundreds if not thousands of others!!!) make the jump from extract to PM or AG. You will love it and find that it is easier than you think. After a couple of years of AG brewing, I have recently re-discovered how relaxing and chill an extract brew day can be (it doesn't hurt that where I live we have had lows in the -30's this winter) but I love the versatility I have with AG and PM brewing. If you use a 5 gal paint strainer and a pot (or a small cooler) for your mash you will see how easy it is. You are basically steeping at a little more controlled and intentional temp and just throw all your grains in and let it sit. Once you drain and rinse the grains, you just brew like normal. Good luck

 

[walcotteric]

I just wanted to add that you shouldn't be afraid to jump into something new. Deathbrewer's technique helped me (and hundreds if not thousands of others!!!) make the jump from extract to PM or AG. You will love it and find that it is easier than you think. After a couple of years of AG brewing, I have recently re-discovered how relaxing and chill an extract brew day can be (it doesn't hurt that where I live we have had lows in the -30's this winter) but I love the versatility I have with AG and PM brewing. If you use a 5 gal paint strainer and a pot (or a small cooler) for your mash you will see how easy it is. You are basically steeping at a little more controlled and intentional temp and just throw all your grains in and let it sit. Once you drain and rinse the grains, you just brew like normal. Good luck

I'm doing the 2.5 gallon batch because I'm in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen, and an electric stove. It's just more convinient for now. Hopefully moving in the next couple months to a house, then I want to switch to 5 gallon and AG.

 

[walcotteric]

Sorry I missed the 2.5 gal batch size! Is there any particular reason you are going for a smaller batch? I scaled the recipe to 2.5 and it looks like this...

Milk Oatmeal Stout
Sweet Stout
Type: Partial Mash Date: 2/21/2013
Batch Size (fermenter): 2.50 gal Brewer:
Boil Size: 1.67 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Extract/Partial Mash
End of Boil Volume 1.30 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 2.10 gal Est Mash Efficiency 117.2 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 45.0 %
4.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.6 %
3.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.3 %
2.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.8 %
2.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 6 33.8 %
4.0 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 7 5.6 %
0.76 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 19.3 IBUs
0.76 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 11.6 IBUs
0.38 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 1.2 IBUs

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.057 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.8 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 32.0 IBUs Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 20.2 SRM
Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 4 lbs 7.0 oz
Sparge Water: 1.15 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 4.36 qt of water at 160.4 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 1.15 gal water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 1.65 oz Carbonation Used: Bottle with 1.65 oz Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F Age for: 30.00 days
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Storage Temperature: 65.0 F
Notes


Created with BeerSmith

What scale did you use to go from Extract to PM? I'm seeing different numbers here, and I'm sure there's a reason, I just don't know it. How do you convert the recipe?

 

[walcotteric]

One more question. When I put the recipe into BeerSmith I ended up with a Post Boil Vol of 1.3 gallons, which would require me to add 1.2 gallons of water at the end. I know that water helps with cooling it down (at least somewhat), but there's no reason I couldn't add more water in the mash or sparge and then have less to add at the end right? Or am I wrong about that?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

What scale did you use to go from Extract to PM? I'm seeing different numbers here, and I'm sure there's a reason, I just don't know it. How do you convert the recipe?

Sorry for the delay, I decided to play hookie and brew today! I set this up as a PM from the beginning and tweaked until I got numbers that matched the style. I had it set as a 5 gal batch so I used the scaling tool in beersmith to drop it to 2.5. I wouldn't mash less than 2 lbs of base malt, but that's just me.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

One more question. When I put the recipe into BeerSmith I ended up with a Post Boil Vol of 1.3 gallons, which would require me to add 1.2 gallons of water at the end. I know that water helps with cooling it down (at least somewhat), but there's no reason I couldn't add more water in the mash or sparge and then have less to add at the end right? Or am I wrong about that?

You can boil as much as your stove and pot can handle. For a 1 hr boil you would probably want to start with about 3-3.25 to end up with 2.5 gal post boil. You can boil any amount and top up with water to get to the volume you want.

 

[walcotteric]

You can boil as much as your stove and pot can handle. For a 1 hr boil you would probably want to start with about 3-3.25 to end up with 2.5 gal post boil. You can boil any amount and top up with water to get to the volume you want.

Awesome. I figured that was the case, but just wanted to make sure. What'd you brew today?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I brewed a Belgian Pale Ale that started out as Saccharomyces' recipe https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/belgian-pale-ale-117569/
but I have since made it my own! It has become my house brew. I just upgraded my system with a pump, camlocks, and a homemade whirlpool and diptube and have been dying to try it out. Everything worked like a dream (except the whirlpool...still too much hop debris) but cleaning in freezing temps still requires a lot of lugging and lifting when the hose freezes. Cest la vie!

 

[jkendrick]

Question for those of you that have used this method to make the jump from extract to PM. Would you suggest certain recipes or would I not be getting in over my head doing a bigger recipe. The reason I'm considering doing this is I want to brew an Imperial stout, specifically the Kate the Great clone. We've got infant twins at home so brew time is hard to come by right now but I also don't want to screw it up. Thanks!