Easy Partial Mash Brewing (with pics)

[jcole]

I just did my first AG batch using this method. I was shooting for an OG of 1.043 with 8 lbs. of grain and no extract on a 5.25 gallon batch. I hit 1.042.

Aside from keeping my mash temp steady in my 5 gallon stock pot, everything seems to have good well. I'll be very interested in tasting the results!

 

[killsurfcity]

i'm going to go for the dunkel this coming weekend i think. couple questions.
when do i add the hops? final 10 min?
do you do a 2 stage fermentation with this style?
this style seems like something that would age well. anything i can do to assist it in doing so?
thanks.

 

[killsurfcity]

can anybody give me a hand here? thanks

 

[DeathBrewer]

Sorry, missed this!

i'm going to go for the dunkel this coming weekend i think. couple questions.
when do i add the hops? final 10 min?
do you do a 2 stage fermentation with this style?
this style seems like something that would age well. anything i can do to assist it in doing so?
thanks.

If you are talking about the Dunkelweizen recipe (a Dunkel generally refers to a dark lager) then there should ONLY be bittering hops at 60 minutes.

I don't do a two-stage fermentation with any beers (aside from "stepping up" belgians)...are you asking if you use a secondary? Secondaries are used only as clearing vessels, not for a "secondary fermentation". You should never transfer to secondary until your beer has completed fermentation.

I would just leave this beer in the primary for 3+ weeks, then straight to keg/bottle.

Wheat beers don't generally age well. They are best fresh, mine are usually consumed within a month of brewing, longer if bottling.

 

[jimba009]

I am going to do an AG version this weekend of you Dunkelweizen, is there enough diastatic power for conversion with just the munich and wheat malts?

 

[DeathBrewer]

absolutely. munich has enough diastatic power to convert a little more than itself and wheat generally has more diastatic power than 2-row barley

 

[jimba009]

thanks DB, this will be my first AG with a "proper" MLT (splash sparging still rocks) and want it to go as smooth as possible.

 

[killsurfcity]

DB, i was referring to the dunkelweizen.
and yes, i was referring to racking to a secondary. thanks for the tips.

ok, so i'm clearly new to this, so sorry for all the questions, but when you say bittering hops at 60 min, how long do you keep them in?

thanks

 

[jimba009]

for the 60 min addition, you have the hops in the boil for 60 min.

 

[DeathBrewer]

60 minutes. Any time you see any recipe, the minutes are counted from the END of the boil.

So, a 20 minute flavor addition would be added 20 minutes before you shut the flame off, a 5 minute addition would go just before the boil ends, etc.

60 minutes is pretty standard for boil time, although hops can be boiled UP TO 90 minutes.

No worries on anything, just wanted to make sure you understood. Keep the questions coming

 

[bgough]

Great thread!!! Got a couple of questions.

1. It says mash for 30-60 mins. (or until conversion) How can you tell if conversion has taken place?

2. When you lift the grains up, do you just let them drip, or do you squeeze them?

 

[woollybugger2]

I'm going to use your method on my next mini-mash, I've done three now and I've achived less than perfect results, your method will help out a lot!

Thanks for sharing, and I'm an old hippy, that "almost cut my hair"

 

[magnj]

2. When you lift the grains up, do you just let them drip, or do you squeeze them?

Drip, don't squeeze at all.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Great thread!!! Got a couple of questions.

1. It says mash for 30-60 mins. (or until conversion) How can you tell if conversion has taken place?

you can do an iodine test (run a search on google or in the wiki and you should find it.) If you mash for 60 minutes, you WILL have full conversion. I rarely check when I use this method. 30 minutes is pushing it, unless you have a very small amount of grains.

2. When you lift the grains up, do you just let them drip, or do you squeeze them?

i just let the drip. I have a colander now. Pouring a little bit of your sparge water over the top could help, too, but i generally just drain for a minute and then move to my sparge water for 10 minutes or so.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I'm going to use your method on my next mini-mash, I've done three now and I've achived less than perfect results, your method will help out a lot!

Thanks for sharing, and I'm an old hippy, that "almost cut my hair"

Let me know if you have any questions and don't cut it until it falls out! Even then, only cut it if you want to

 

[jcole]

Drip, don't squeeze at all.

What's the issue with squeezing?

 

[bgough]

I think it releases bitter tanins from the grains. That's what I suspect anyways, but I'm not sure.

Thanks Death Brewer. I cant decide whether to try the wit first or your dunkel weizen...decisions, decisions

 

[DeathBrewer]

the dunkelweizen is always a winner

 

[magnj]

I think it releases bitter tanins from the grains. That's what I suspect anyways, but I'm not sure.

That's what I've been told by numerous people, idk for sure...I'm no scientist .

Deathbrewer: I mashed for 90 minutes and stirred twice...bad idea?

 

[DeathBrewer]

Nope, that's fine. A longer mash is never a bad thing...I've done 3-4 hour mashes many times (I will often mash in and then go out for dinner.) Stirring is good, too, unless it makes you lose temp. If you can maintain temp for over an hour, you'll get great conversion.

It's possible that squeezing the grains could extract tannins, although I've heard many people say they've done it without any ill effects. I just don't see how it is necessary, especially when you have your sparge water waiting there.

 

[magnj]

Nope, that's fine. A longer mash is never a bad thing...I've done 3-4 hour mashes many times (I will often mash in and then go out for dinner.) Stirring is good, too, unless it makes you lose temp. If you can maintain temp for over an hour, you'll get great conversion.

@ 60 minutes, second stir my temps were still good. A half hour later they were down to 149 though. Maybe next time I'll put it in some warm water to keep the temps up?

 

[DeathBrewer]

Nah, it's fine. With one of my systems (when I use my keggle mash tun and don't insulate) it always drops down to 140°F. It's weird...it doesn't matter what the ambient temp is, after a while it just drops to 140°F and stays there. Conversion is complete and I have a nice fermentable wort.

149°F is an excellent mash temp anyway. It'll give you a nice dry beer, and if it just dropped to that at the end then you really don't have anything to worry about.

We strive for perfection, but even when we don't hit everything just right, it still makes great beer.

If you really want to maintain that temp, insulate the mash tun with blankets or something. It really can make a difference.

 

[jcole]

Nah, it's fine. With one of my systems (when I use my keggle mash tun and don't insulate) it always drops down to 140°F. It's weird...it doesn't matter what the ambient temp is, after a while it just drops to 140°F and stays there. Conversion is complete and I have a nice fermentable wort.

149°F is an excellent mash temp anyway. It'll give you a nice dry beer, and if it just dropped to that at the end then you really don't have anything to worry about.

We strive for perfection, but even when we don't hit everything just right, it still makes great beer.

If you really want to maintain that temp, insulate the mash tun with blankets or something. It really can make a difference.

Interesting. I've been wondering about that. I've been starting my mini-mashes at around 154°F and by the end of the hour its usually dropped at least several degrees.

So it sounds like that's not an issue - and if its at around 149°F by the end of the mash then its all good anyways. Or at least getting really concerned about controlling the temp through the whole mash.

 

[DeathBrewer]

You'll just have a drier beer. 149°F is a good temp for, say, a strong belgian ale or a wit or any other beer you want dry. For this "tea-bag" method, I don't worry about it as much...it still makes beer.

Ultimately, however, we are after complete control. You should definitely insulate if you are dropping several degrees over an hour. Minimizing headspace is also greatly beneficial.

Also, I rarely mash over 152°F. I like most of my beers dry and I find when you go up in the high 150s, the dextrinous character of the beer is unpleasant. It definitely has it's place (such as milds) but I find that most people overshoot their temp. Of course, with the drop, many are not actually mashing at thier projected 155°F anyway You also get somewhat of a mixture as it drops over time, so mashing at 154°F and ending at 149°F is SORT OF like mashing at 151°F.

There are also hot spots and cold spots in the mash, so it's inconsistent and you often get an incorrect reading from your thermometer. All things to consider and all things to work on, but NOTHING TO BE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT. The beer will be fine.

 

[jcole]

I like drier beer as well. So perhaps I should be starting at around 153°F.

This method has been great for me so far - the only part I consistently have trouble with is keeping the temp of the mash constant in my pot on the stove. Lately I've been putting a towel around the lid, but I guess I need to do more.

Maybe use a smaller mashing vessel or switch to a cooler?

 

[DeathBrewer]

A smaller vessel (minimal headspace) and wrap it in several towels with straps holding them on and a pillow over the lid would definitely help. Or just start making a bigger mash to fit in your pot (see Easy Stovetop All-Grain Brewing)

A well insulated cooler also works very well. I rarely lose temp when I preheat mine (spray with hot water in shower just before use), although headspace can still be an issue at times.

 

[jimba009]

hot water in the shower you say... freakin ingenious!

 

[Couldbebrewing]

Well I will say it again DB. Amazing thread. read through all 36 pages and feel like I have learned a wealth of knowledge.. now for the standard DB questionnaire lol.

Once you get your water for the mash up to the desired temp do you kill your heat and and it maintains temp for the full period of the mash or do you temporarily apply heat every now and then?

 

[DeathBrewer]

I kill my heat. With this method, due to the amount of head space and the lack of insulation as I originally protrayed in this thread, I get a few degrees temp loss. I usually do all-grain all the time now, even when using this method, so I don't have the head space problem and I don't experience any loss.

I do not condone ever using an electric burner for temperature correction. It's too sporatic and seemingly impossible to make work correctly. Your best bet is to try and hit your temp the first time and let it hold. You could keep some water boiled and ready to go to add for ramping your heat and some cool water for cooling...this will work to correct temperature much better than applying electric heat. Gas works better, but be aware that the glass thermometer will go nuts when you apply heat and your reading will not be immediately correct.

But, again, a few degrees loss is not a big deal. Still makes fantastic beer.

 

[magnj]

Great thanks for the heads up. I started with 153F for this one and ended around 149F so it sounds like I did fine. Good thing about the hefe's is that they finish quick