First All Grain. When to add specialty grains?

[EtchyLives]

This will be my first all grain. It will be a 5 gallon batch and is based off of one of my favorite holiday beers. (Starting Early). My mash tun is a 10 gal cooler setup and I plan to batch sparge. I took the extract recipe and converted it in BeerSmith but I have a question: When do I add the specialty grains? Do I put them in with the 2-row during the mashing or should I steep them before boiling like in an extract brew?

Thanks.

Recipe
12 lbs 13.7 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) (5.5gal mash in at 170, mash at 156 for 45 minutes)
2 lbs 6.1 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
1 lbs 7.1 oz Wheat, Flaked
6.3 oz Chocolate Malt
6.3 oz Roasted Barley
1 oz Cascade - Boil 60.0 min
0.5 oz Fuggles - Boil 60.0 min
0.5 oz Willamette - Boil 60.0 min
1.0 oz East Kent Goldings - Boil 1.0 min
California Ale (White Labs #WLP001)

Also, does this look good for a nice winter ale?

 

[myndflyte]

Put them in the with the 2 row and mash all the grains at the same time.

 

[EtchyLives]

OK. That's what I thought but I've read some other threads about people feeling the need to steep when doing AG. I'm new so I'm researching as best I can.

Thanks,

 

[myndflyte]

I'm new to all grain myself as well, but the way I see it, steeping in addition to mashing is just a waste of time and I think it'll keep enzymes active longer than what you really want. All grain veterans, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Hoppity]

Don't forget to adjust your mash water volume for the additional grains. Mash water temperature calculators are really good at helping you reach target mash temps. I usually shoot for mash temps in the 150-152 range to get more fermentables, but maybe winter ales are supposed to be sweeter.

 

[Rev2010]

Mashing is essentially steeping. You're putting grains in hot water and letting them sit. The real difference is conversion with base grains. So yes, just mash them all together, there is no separate steeping needed.


Rev.

 

[EtchyLives]

Thanks for the advice on volumes and temps concerning the additional grains. Any preferred mash water calculators?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Your conflicting research about mashing specialty grains vs steeping them may be because some AG brewers will withhold really dark grains (roasted barley, black patent) from the main mash. They will instead add them at the very end of the mash or just steep them and add the steeped "tea" to the wort after the mash. This gives the color and some flavor without the harsher elements these grains can impart. I do AG and usually just mash them all together.

 

[bob352]

I am one of those AG brewers that does not mash specialty grains.
Instead they are added to the mash tun just before mash out.
By the time mash out temp is reached, they seemed to be steeped enough.

I like the results.

 

[Roundhouse]

If the grains need to be mashed, I mash them. If they can be steeped, I steep them. I treat allof my brewing water to 5.5 ph up front. Mashing only base grains will result in a mash ph around 5.2. By the time I add the specialty malts, conversion is essentially over. If I were to mash all at the same time, the mash ph would be very different and I'd have to have different water profiles for each beer style. This is the generally accepted method but is unnecessary. If you aren't worrying about water and aren't checking ph, keep it simple at first and just mash them all together.

 

[peter78]

Mash everything together. I doubt you'll have any trouble. I used to separate but came to the conclusion that there is not much difference, if any. Save yourself the extra work.