Easy Partial Mash Brewing (with pics)

[OzarkPA]

Crystal malts, for instance, are already sugary, so don't need to be "converted".

Pale 2-row, for example, is starchy, not sugary, so you need to grind it and put it at a certain temperature to optimize the enzymes converting the starches to sugars. That's called "mashing".

So, extract plus grain could be a partial mash or merely specialty grain, depending on which grains it includes.

I'm going to be trying to do a PM on the Pliny Pack I bought a while back, and have Crystal 20 and Carapils grains to add to the DME. Crystal, I see what you wrote already, but would the carapils also be considered a 'sugary' malt?

 

[Justibone]

Would the carapils also be considered a 'sugary' malt?

I don't think it needs to be mashed/converted, but I could be wrong on that.

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Carapils_Malts.htm

 

[BostonBrewins]

How would you perform a mash out step using this method?

 

[Justibone]

How would you perform a mash out step using this method?

I don't believe mash-out steps are necessary in this method, because if you're going straight to a boil you denature enzymes naturally just by heating up the water. Also, you can't really get a stuck grain bed: you can just stir the grain in the bag directly, so that's not really a concern either.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17.html

 

[bjl110]

Brewing my first PM right now using this method. It is Biermunchers Centennial Blonde (except I changed up the hop schedule and type, using only late additions of Simcoe). Thanks for showing us that this isn't any harder than extract!

 

[BostonBrewins]

Has anyone ever increased the length of the sparge to an hour or 45 minutes? I tried it and my efficiency increased, but my beer developed a funky off flavor during the first few sips. Could this be indicative of releasing tannins because of over sparging?

 

[Justibone]

Has anyone ever increased the length of the sparge to an hour or 45 minutes? I tried it and my efficiency increased, but my beer developed a funky off flavor during the first few sips. Could this be indicative of releasing tannins because of over sparging?

Depends on the temp of the sparge. Could be that's exactly what happened.

 

[kyle6286]

Just a quick question. I plan on doing my first PM this weekend and have a question with the mash/sparge volumes. The kit from Northern Brewer, an Oatmeal Stout, calls for 4 lbs of grains and 2.5 gallons of water. Would I be better off using, say 1.5 qt/lb of grain, which would translate to 6 quarts or 1.5 gallons? Also, is there a ratio for sparge water per lb of grains, or can my sparge volume simply be the difference between my mash volume and my desired pre-boil? So in this case, because my mash will be about 1.5 gallons, do I sparge with 1.5 or 2 gallons to bring it up to my desired pre-boil of 3 or 3 and a half gallons? My largest pot is only 5 gallon capacity. Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Justibone]

Just a quick question. I plan on doing my first PM this weekend and have a question with the mash/sparge volumes. The kit from Northern Brewer, an Oatmeal Stout, calls for 4 lbs of grains and 2.5 gallons of water. Would I be better off using, say 1.5 qt/lb of grain, which would translate to 6 quarts or 1.5 gallons?

You can do it your own way, but it won't be exactly the way they intended. Extra water makes for more maltiness, so maybe that's what they were going for when they designed the kit. If you want a more dry stout, then by all means, decrease the mash volume.

Either way, I think you'd be fine.

Also, is there a ratio for sparge water per lb of grains, or can my sparge volume simply be the difference between my mash volume and my desired pre-boil? So in this case, because my mash will be about 1.5 gallons, do I sparge with 1.5 or 2 gallons to bring it up to my desired pre-boil of 3 or 3 and a half gallons? My largest pot is only 5 gallon capacity. Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

Sparge volume = Boil volume - Mash volume
(x.x gallons) = (3.5 gallons) - (1.5 gallons) = 2.0 gallons


If you are adding water to get up to boil volume, why NOT use it to sparge a bit extra off the grain, amirite??

Note: boil volume is not fermentor volume... it is fermentor volume + boiloff volume. If your boil volume is 3.5 gallons, I assume you want to ferment 3 gallons?

 

[kyle6286]

Thanks for the help Justibone. That's what I thought about sparge volume. I kind of lost you with the boil volume. I was referring to my pre-boil volume (what I start my 60 min boil with before I add the extract). After the mash and sparge, I'd hope to have 3 or 3.5 gallons to boil before adding extract. My pot is 5 gallons, so I'm only able to boil 3, maybe 3.5 gallons on my stove. Also, this is only a partial boil. At the end, I would top off to get to 5 gallons for fermentation.

Maybe I'll just stick to the recipe. It calls for 2 gallons for the mash, 2 gallons sparge, and topping off to get the final 5 gallons.

 

[Justibone]

If you make it and like it, you can always adjust it later. My experience with kits is, they are pretty good as they are.

 

[russcowles]

Whew! I just finished all 1711 posts. Loads of information...and thanks to DeathBrewer and to all who have contributed.

I came across an all-grain recipe for Maudite ( which rocks ) and I would like to convert it to a partial mash using this methodology. Any input / corrections would be greatly appreciated.

ORIGINAL RECIPE
===============

Batch Size: 13 gallons
Anticipated OG: 1.076
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75%

Grains and Adjuncts:
30 lbs. Pilsener - German
1 lb. CaraMunich - Belgian
1 lb. CaraFoam Dextrine
1 lb. Aromatic Malt - Belgian
1 lb. Biscuit Malt - Belgian
1 lb. Special B Malt - Belgian

1 lb. Granulated Sugar (beet sugar if possible)

Hops:
5 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet - 2.6%AA [60 min] ~ 22.3 IBU

Additions:
1 oz. Bitter Orange Peel Spice. [15 min]
7 Whole Clove Spice. [15 min]
1 oz. Corriander Seed Spice [15 min]
1/4 oz. Grains of Paradise Spice [15 min]
1 tsp. Irish Moss [15 min]
1/2 oz. White Pepper Spice [15 min]

Yeast:
WYeast 3864 Canadian / Belgian

OK, so if I want to try a Partial Mash, I would take all grains except pilsener and mash according to the instructions here. I plan to use 1.50 qt water/ lb grain for the mash (8.25 qts or 2.5 gallons for easy measuring). If my target mash temp is 150*F (medium body), the strike water should be 165*F. Mash for 60 minutes then drain. Sparge water of 3 gallons at 170*F for 10 minutes.

Questions are these:

1) I don't know how to adjust hops from 13 gallon boil to a (roughly) 4.5 gallon boil. Can anyone help?

2) I get two widely different calculations for Pilsener DME requirements. I think I need 8.5 pounds. Is that right??

3) is there enough diastatic power in the mini mash to work??

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Justibone]

3) is there enough diastatic power in the mini mash to work??

Best not to risk it. Mash as much pilsner as your setup can handle, up to 1:1 with the other grains. That's my $.02

If I knew the answers to your other questions, I'd answer them... but I don't.

 

[JimTheHick]

Hopville.com has a free calculator. I really like it (im a beginner). Its simple- Enter in your whole recipe and then adjust the hop addition ounces to match the proper IBUs. I hear lots of people like it, but I'm sure the long-toothed homebrewers prefer the pay to play programs like beer-smith.

Just make sure you have the average boil volume entered correctly. If you know the OG of your recipe it should also make quick work of turning the all grain into partial mash by subbing in dme for grains.

 

[JimTheHick]

Aromatic and biscuit wont convert themselves according to Palmer. At least two of your other listed malts only need to be steeped - spec b and dex-

 

[ncodedcode]

New at all this, so please bear with me. I recently made a stout which called for an all grain recipe, my first all grain recipe. I used the steps mentioned in this sticky.. followed all the temps, quantity, time. My OG was supposed to be arnd 1.058 or so, however mine came out to 1.035. Did I do something wrong? Can I use this process for an all grain recipe or is it just for partial mash (some grains + extract I suppose.. still new at all the terminology)?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Justibone]

New at all this, so please bear with me. I recently made a stout which called for an all grain recipe, my first all grain recipe. I used the steps mentioned in this sticky.. followed all the temps, quantity, time. My OG was supposed to be arnd 1.058 or so, however mine came out to 1.035. Did I do something wrong? Can I use this process for an all grain recipe or is it just for partial mash (some grains + extract I suppose.. still new at all the terminology)?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Did you measure the gravity while the wort was still hot? The hydrometer needs certain temps to be accurate.

Did you stir before getting a measurement? Sugar can create layers in a mixture unless it is well mixed.

Can you tell yet if the beer will be cloudy (could be starch)?

Which sparge technique did you use?

 

[ncodedcode]

Did you measure the gravity while the wort was still hot? The hydrometer needs certain temps to be accurate.
- I measured when the wort was cooled to 72F.

Did you stir before getting a measurement? Sugar can create layers in a mixture unless it is well mixed.
- I stirred it for about 10 mins after it was cooled. I also stirred it while cooling.

Can you tell yet if the beer will be cloudy (could be starch)?
- I cannot tell yet since I just made the beer on Monday and I use plastics fermentation buckets.

Which sparge technique did you use?
-Are there more than 1 techniques? I just used the one mentioned here of leaving the grains in sparge water (not using colander).

Thanks for taking time to respond!

 

[Justibone]

Can you post the grains you used, and in which quantities? If you didn't have enough base malt you may not have had enough enzymes to convert the starches.

 

[ncodedcode]

Can you post the grains you used, and in which quantities? If you didn't have enough base malt you may not have had enough enzymes to convert the starches.

Sure.. I tried to make the Deception Cream Stout recipe from the recipe forum.

6.5 or 7 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
1.5 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Lactose (Boil 10 min)

 

[Justibone]

No, that's *plenty* of base malt...

I guess you just had crappy efficiency. The recipes are usually designed around 70% efficiency, unless they say otherwise. You got somewhere around 9/15 Plato points. With 8 lbs of what I think are fermentables (I don't count the wheat or the roasted), that would equal about 5.6 lbs. sugars if you had 70% efficiency. If you got 60% of the "standard" 70%, that's only 42% efficiency. That sounds pretty bad.

Did you have DME to top off with, at least?

 

[ncodedcode]

No, that's *plenty* of base malt...

I guess you just had crappy efficiency. The recipes are usually designed around 70% efficiency, unless they say otherwise. You got somewhere around 9/15 Plato points. With 8 lbs of what I think are fermentables (I don't count the wheat or the roasted), that would equal about 5.6 lbs. sugars if you had 70% efficiency. If you got 60% of the "standard" 70%, that's only 42% efficiency. That sounds pretty bad.

Did you have DME to top off with, at least?

Unfortunately I didnt...

Can I somehow save the batch now or is kinda moot to do anything to it now? And in my frustration, I have already pitched the yeast too.

 

[Justibone]

Just boil up some more DME and after it cools down, add it in.

You can add sugar at any point, as long as you're sure you're not adding microbes.

It will have affected the hop utilization, but c'est la vie!

 

[ncodedcode]

Just boil up some more DME and after it cools down, add it in.

You can add sugar at any point, as long as you're sure you're not adding microbes.

It will have affected the hop utilization, but c'est la vie!

Thanks a lot for all your help!!

 

[Roscoe]

I had the same problem, but my mistake was using too much water. 1st allgrain, new equipment, and did not enter the right equipment into trial version of BeerSmith or something. Started to rain during my boil, ran out of propane with 7 mins left, let's just say I learned a lot.

I was going to boil up some LME to add, but think I will just let it ride and have a sessons Porter. Was afraid to ruin it more. It has been in the primary for a week, actually split into two with 3.25 gals in each. I will be flavoring one with Cherry, and maybe coffee on the other.

 

[Justibone]

Porters are rarely made into sessions, from what I've seen, but I think they'd be perfect for it. They taste a little less "mouthy" than a stout, so I think a lower ABV and a bit more dryness could really let the roastiness feature well. I wouldn't go crazy with the coffee, though... people can get a bit too excited sometimes.

If you were planning on brewing the coffee first (as opposed to a secondary on top of ground beans) then you could do a serial-dilution test to see what the right concentration would be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_dilution

 

[ncodedcode]

Should I wait to add DME till the primary fermentation has subsided or should I just pop the lid on the fermentation bucket and put the cooled DME in?

Also, any idea on how many pounds of DME I might need. As I stated earlier, my OG was 1.035 but the OG according to the recipe was supposed to be 1.058. I do not know how much increase in gravity you get after adding DME.

Thanks!

 

[Justibone]

Should I wait to add DME till the primary fermentation has subsided or should I just pop the lid on the fermentation bucket and put the cooled DME in?

If you have the choice, add it while the fermentation is still active, so the CO2 layer is still there and protective.

Also, any idea on how many pounds of DME I might need.

Roughly one pound of fermentables into one gallon of liquid makes about 5% ABV or so. Therefore, each lb. of fermentables will give a five-gallon batch about 1% ABV. I think you need about 2 lbs. of DME, but that's just guesstimating. You're improvising at this point -- there are no hard and fast rules.

 

[ncodedcode]

If you have the choice, add it while the fermentation is still active, so the CO2 layer is still there and protective.



Roughly one pound of fermentables into one gallon of liquid makes about 5% ABV or so. Therefore, each lb. of fermentables will give a five-gallon batch about 1% ABV. I think you need about 2 lbs. of DME, but that's just guesstimating. You're improvising at this point -- there are no hard and fast rules.

Thanks a lot! You have saved me from dumping this beer.. I was really frustrated when I had finished making it.. greatly appreciated!

 

[kyle6286]

I have two questions since I'm going to be doing my first partial mash soon. One, isn't it preferred to mash for 60 minutes? I was under the impression, after reading instructions on various sites, that 60 minutes is the ideal mash time. Would this increase efficiency moreso than doing just 30-45 minutes? Second, if I heat my sparge water to 170, can I just transfer the bag of grains from my mash and let them sit in the sparge water, or is it more beneficial to tea-bag, or dunk them over and over for 10 minutes or so?

 

[Justibone]

I have two questions since I'm going to be doing my first partial mash soon. One, isn't it preferred to mash for 60 minutes? I was under the impression, after reading instructions on various sites, that 60 minutes is the ideal mash time. Would this increase efficiency moreso than doing just 30-45 minutes?

Like most things in brewing... it depends.

Some people can get a full conversion in 40 minutes. It depends on the grain you use, and the quantity (and quality) of enzyme in the mash. If you got really good malt with lots of converting enzymes - say, a SMaSH of 2-row, and fresh, good stuff, at that - then the enzymes would be in excess and able to convert the starches to sugars that much faster. It also depends on the amount of water - excess water makes the solution more dilute, so it takes longer for enzyme to randomly find starches to break down.

Is it possible to mash (completely) in 30 minutes? Absolutely. Does it happen often? Probably not.

A longer mash is more likely to be complete, within reason. The only way to know for certain that (essentially) all of your starch is converted is to do an iodine test. If you have iodophor, or you use iodine to dress wounds, you already have some around and an iodine test is no problem. If you don't have any around, well, it can be a bit of a pain to find sometimes.

So, should you mash for 60 minutes? Yes. And no. You should mash until your starches are converted and no longer. Any duration that is suggested is just that - a suggestion.

As for steeping, well, that can be done in 20 minutes. It's purely a matter of taste, AFAIC, how long one steeps specialty grains... but an hour is definitely overkill for steeping.

Second, if I heat my sparge water to 170, can I just transfer the bag of grains from my mash and let them sit in the sparge water, or is it more beneficial to tea-bag, or dunk them over and over for 10 minutes or so?

Additional circulation through the grain will rinse them better. Do as you see fit in that regard.

 

[kyle6286]

Thanks justibone. Always helping me out when I'm confused.

Of the two options, is it better to pour the sparge water over my grains or just do the tea bag method for 10 minutes or so?

 

[brewapolis]

Thanks for this post. I just did my first partial mash yesterday and this was really helpful.

 

[zyx345]

I'm about to do my first partial mash. The kit instructions say in step 7 when the mash is finished, to return the mash kettle to the stove and to raise the temperature of the mash to 170°F. I take this to be "mashing out..?"

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/PM-RyePA.pdf

Is this step essential for Partial Mash or can it be skipped? I ask because I will be mashing in a 2 gallon Igloo liquid cooler.

 

[JimTheHick]

I skipped it, instead putting the bag in a pot with some (3/4 gal roughly) of 170F water.

As far as I could tell yes that is the mash-out step.

 

[Justibone]

Is this step essential for Partial Mash or can it be skipped? I ask because I will be mashing in a 2 gallon Igloo liquid cooler.

Mashout can safely be skipped, especially if your next step is a boil.

If they wanted the temp raised for better sparging, however, you might want to adjust somehow.

 

[whiskeyjack]

Awesome writeup DB. It may be somewhere in this thread but does any one have a good partial mash Hefeweizen recipe? With somewhere between 4-6 lbs of grain.

 

[whiskeyjack]

Or could I just use your original recipe DB and just leave out the chocolate malt ? It drops it down from 23 srm to a seven

 

[DeathBrewer]

Yep, that's the difference between my dunkelweizen and hefeweizen. I usually go a little lower on the bitterness for a hefe, too.

 

[thedude00]

I was just on http://www.austinhomebrew.com/ and they sale mini mash kits can i use your partial mash method ? You method seems cool and is alot easer then brewing all grain all the time.