extract partial boil to full boil questions...

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smithnick0

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So ive read through some previous posts about this and cant find a clear answer. Can i start with 6-6.5 gallons of water and steep my grains just like directions say or do i need to steep with 2.5 gallons then add water before the boil? I also seen the hop debate about switching too. Are these the only 2 things you would change from partial boil to full boil?
Thanks
 
From my understanding the idea behind using 2.5 gallons is that you can bring it to the correct temp faster than doing 6 gallons. Either way I would not think that there would be a real difference beyond how much energy you have to expend to get the larger to the right temp.

If the calculations are correct for the recipe (ie based on 6 gallons or 5 gallons or whatever gallons) then doing hops in a partial boil or full boil should not really matter. My understanding of building the recipe is that you figure out your hops and malts based on the resulting wort, not on what you started with. Your total water is also calculated based off your resulting wort size as well. Taking in of course, the amounts left behind or boiled off.
 
When you do a Partial mash you are actually mashing the grains. That means that you are controlling the temps to allow certain enzymes to convert the starches within the grains to sugars. This is most effectively accomplished by keeping the enzymes ON THE STARCHES not floating around some large pool of water looking for them. That is why brewers use a specific ratio of water to grains. They want the enzymes 'concentrated' on the starches.
 
steeping grains in 2.5 gallons and then topping up to full boil value is so you can get your temps faster and also so you can top off to the appropriate boil volume as opposed to getting up to temps with 6~ gallons, putting steeping grains in, losing volume from absorption, and then topping again.

You definitely need to adjust your hops to your boil volume as the more water you boil, the more aau's you get out of the hops.

and i dont think he means partial mashes here as he says extract partial boil to full boil; only his boil water volume.
 
If you have a kettle large enough, add the 6 gallons of water and steep. Then remove the grain bag and bring to a boil, remove from heat and add the extract. Then turn the heat back on and proceed with the boil. Here is a good instruction sheet that I used when I was doing extract/steeping batches.

http://morebeer.com/themes/morewinepro/mmpdfs/mb/ExtractBrewing.pdf

Those instructions are for steeping grains. Not the same as Partial Mash.

I guess the OP isn't doing a Partial Mash. No idea where I got that he was.
 
to the OP, if all you're looking to do is increase your boil volume from 2.5 to 5-6 gallons, using a recipe with extract with steeping grains (not a partial mash), all you have to adjust is your hop additions.

as pwndabear stated, your aau (hop utilization) increases as your boil SG decreases. You can use less hops in a full boil to get the same utilization as more hops in a concentrated boil.
 
i have a 7.5 gallon kettle and wanted to try full boils for my extract kits. I was just mainly concerned if i had to steep grains in 2.5 gallons of water or if i could add 6 gallons of water and steep then bring to boil. I have a SQ14 burner i use.
 
i have a 7.5 gallon kettle and wanted to try full boils for my extract kits. I was just mainly concerned if i had to steep grains in 2.5 gallons of water or if i could add 6 gallons of water and steep then bring to boil. I have a SQ14 burner i use.

yes, you can steep in 6 gallons as long as you're just using specialty grains with an extract recipe. I think that's what you are saying you're brewing :drunk:
 
Yeah, I tried to derail the thread by brining up Partial Mash. Sorry about that.

Steeping? Doesn't matter. You're just extracting flavor and color.
 
One of the easiest ways to steep grains is to throw them in at flame on and pull them out when your water gets to 170. If you want to do a full boil extract with grains this is the route I would go. You can dunk them a few times when you get to 170 to make sure you got all the malty goodness out of them them pitch them and continue on up to boil.
 
so i make sure i get this right. I can take the grains that come in the extract kit i buy, put them into the grain sack and soak them in 6 gallons of water for 45 minutes?
 
so i make sure i get this right. I can take the grains that come in the extract kit i buy, put them into the grain sack and soak them in 6 gallons of water for 45 minutes?

Yeah, or you could throw it in while the water comes up to temp and save some time. Just take them out when it gets up around 165ish.
 
so i make sure i get this right. I can take the grains that come in the extract kit i buy, put them into the grain sack and soak them in 6 gallons of water for 45 minutes?

Probably. The reason I say "probably" is because I don't know what kind of grains you have. If it's crystal malt or chocolate malt and the like, yes, you can do that. If it's other malts that must be mashed, then, no you can't.

To make it easier, I always recommend steeping grain in 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain at 150-160 for 45 minutes and then topping pulling out the grains and pouring 170 degree water over them in a colander to get to your boil volume. That way, it doesn't matter WHAT kind of grains you have- it works perfectly!
 
Probably. The reason I say "probably" is because I don't know what kind of grains you have. If it's crystal malt or chocolate malt and the like, yes, you can do that. If it's other malts that must be mashed, then, no you can't.

To make it easier, I always recommend steeping grain in 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain at 150-160 for 45 minutes and then topping pulling out the grains and pouring 170 degree water over them in a colander to get to your boil volume. That way, it doesn't matter WHAT kind of grains you have- it works perfectly!

I was wondering about that, whether partial mash and steeping are really all that different from each other. Seems to me that you'd be getting at least a tiny amount of enzyme activity, regardless of the amount of grains and size of mash. Steeping grains in 150-160 will allow enzymatic activity, too... so it makes sense to me to stick with steeping in a smaller amount of water to maximize the amount of goodness that you get from your grains, whether it's just a pound or 20 pounds...
 
I was wondering about that, whether partial mash and steeping are really all that different from each other. Seems to me that you'd be getting at least a tiny amount of enzyme activity, regardless of the amount of grains and size of mash. Steeping grains in 150-160 will allow enzymatic activity, too... so it makes sense to me to stick with steeping in a smaller amount of water to maximize the amount of goodness that you get from your grains, whether it's just a pound or 20 pounds...

And the reason I always say "1.5 quarts of water per pound" is because enzyme activity is pH dependent.
 
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