first partial mash

[NordeastBrewer77]

I dunk sparged. MAN, do I recommend dunk sparging!! .

A big plus one there. Dunk sparging is easier, IME and I got really good efficiency doing it.

Well,here we are 8 days later,& It only dropped one point to FG1.012. & it still is very cloudy. Tastes good though,no yeast flavor. Hop flavors getting quite good,very fresh tasting. I'll give it till friday or saturday morning to settle more before it has to get bottled to be in time for thanksgiving.
I'm thinking of using wirlfloc or the like next time. I have no place to cold crash,so I may have to just bottle settle this batch.

Yeah, I'd recommend whirl floc when using a mash of any type. You get a lot more break/proteins from a mash as opposed to extract and the whirlfloc or Irish moss will really help with that.

 

[unionrdr]

I figured since five star's PBW & starsan work so well,I'd use this from them; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/super-irish-moss.htmlI def need to get the fine hazy stuff from the crush to settle out after this.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Never used the super moss, but I'm sure it works just as well or better than regular moss. Just whirl floc tabs, they're easy and they work well.

 

[unionrdr]

I guess either one would do it. But the super moss sounded a lil better to me. 1/4tsp last 10 minutes of the boil with that one. I'll find out on the next batch coming up soon.

 

[unionrdr]

Ok,finally bottling day! Cleaned & sanitised the bottling bucket after filtering my jug of starsan. Heating up 2C of water for priming solution now. Forgot the battery for the scale though. I got this shot glass measuring thing from bed,bath,& way beyond that has ounces,tsp,& TBSP markings. I got the 5oz bag of dextrose from the kit,& it needs 4.6 oz per tastybrew priming calculator for 2.52 vco2. Since I know about how much that'll be,this'll be a good test of the lil measure. I also have a couple cases of bottles I went through & cleaned again as well. One less thing to worry about. An update will come after bottling.

 

[unionrdr]

Ok,well.nordeast,I think you're right about the amount of trub.etc one gets from any kind of mash vs extract. I strained all going into primary,& only got 47 bottles out of the batch a couple minutes ago. The primary bucket feels a lil heavy too vs extract trub amount. I did find it easier tio get the last drop of brew out of this pm vs extract batch though. The pm beer separates from th etrub during racking easier with pm ,from my observations. Now the wait begins. The aroma was out freaking standing. Lots of malt & hop aroma while bottling! I think I'm going to like pm!

 

[Yooper]

Ok,well.nordeast,I think you're right about the amount of trub.etc one gets from any kind of mash vs extract. I strained all going into primary,& only got 47 bottles out of the batch a couple minutes ago. The primary bucket feels a lil heavy too vs extract trub amount. I did find it easier tio get the last drop of brew out of this pm vs extract batch though. The pm beer separates from th etrub during racking easier with pm ,from my observations. Now the wait begins. The aroma was out freaking standing. Lots of malt & hop aroma while bottling! I think I'm going to like pm!

You didn't mention the flavor! How's it taste going into bottles?

 

[unionrdr]

Sorry girl,I forgot. My bad babe. It tasted like the malt was progressing faster than an extract would in terms of greenness. The hop flavor/aroma from the cascade hops used waas...I know this might sound weird...But the hops smelled/tasted more like a finished beer! Does that make any sense to you? The partial mash def made q difference in terms of malt & hop flavors in green pm beer vs extract. This pm beer smelled & tasted like it had progessed further,faster than extract in terms of greenness. Is it just me or do you understand/get this result??? Seriously...

 

[Yooper]

Sorry girl,I forgot. My bad babe. It tasted like the malt was progressing faster than an extract would in terms of greenness. The hop flavor/aroma from the cascade hops used waas...I know this might sound weird...But the hops smelled/tasted more like a finished beer! Does that make any sense to you? The partial mash def made q difference in terms of malt & hop flavors in green pm beer vs extract. This pm beer smelled & tasted like it had progessed further,faster than extract in terms of greenness. Is it just me or do you understand/get this result??? Seriously...

Interesting description, but I think I know what you're saying. Sounds really good, actually!

 

[unionrdr]

It does indeed smell/taste like the pm brew is better than extract in terms of progression of aroma & flavor. It is less "green" than extract equivalents,imho. Boy,does beer & vodka feel good after bottling...

 

[J187]

It does indeed smell/taste like the pm brew is better than extract in terms of progression of aroma & flavor. It is less "green" than extract equivalents,imho. Boy,does beer & vodka feel good after bottling...

Yea, once you're setup equipment wise and process wise, there are really no drawbacks to PM over ESG that I can see. Not only more control, more options, and its cheaper!! Knocking a $16 bottle of LME off for a couple bucks in grain is wonderful. I enjoy my Partial Mashes a lot more with dunk sparging! It was easier and better conversion. Glad you enjoyed the process and I hope your beer is great!

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks,it did settle out more of that fine cloudy stuff by bottling time. The pm kit was $25 vs an average of $35 for my extract recipes. I'm also thinking of trying the dunk sparge next time to get the OG up a little.I got 47 bottles out of this batch. Gunna change some of the grains next time to get closer to what my APA's were.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I think it's safe to say that an grain based beer comes across much "fresher" than an extract. Malt and hops flavors seem more defined maybe. Definitely give the dunk sparge a try when you do BIAB, way easier than trying to pour the sparge water, and you'll get similar if not better efficiency. And don't be afraid to squeeze your sack either. Don't over do it, but a little squeezing will get some extra wort out. Couple more PM batches and you'll be ready to do a BIAB all grain!

 

[unionrdr]

Now that I think about it,pm does seem to have better definition of aromas & flavors right off the bat. Sure,my extract beers were good. But this is looking to be more well defined,to say the least. And I def wouldn't want to squeeze my sack very hard. I'll be experimenting with pm for a while yet. But an AG pale ale might be fun to try. I'm liking the idea of using different grains to get various flavor qualities already. Not to mention the cheap grain prices! I'm gunna try adding up the prices of the grains I'll be using next batch just to get a comparison to how much my extract APA costs.
**PS-Just looked up the prices on 5lb of grains I need for my APA pm version with 3.3lb jug of Breisse gold. $20.69 for a 5 gallon batch. Not a bad price at all from midwest!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Yep, and that LME jug is what, almost half of that cost! I still buy my grains on a per batch basis up at Midwest, and the cost is the awesome compared to extract. If I'm reusing yeast, session beers are ~$15-20. Once I get the garage finished, I'm gonna start buying my base malts in bulk which is like another big decrease in cost.
I'll be honest man, it didn't take me long to go from PM to AG. When I realized how easy BIAB is, and how good the beer is, I quickly started doing BIAB all grain. Another thing I noticed is that (I'm assuming due to paying more attention to every detail) my extract beers are better. The last few batches I've brewed have been extract, and they've been coming out just as tasty and well attenuated as my AGs.

 

[unionrdr]

Interesting point. I have been thinking of brewing some of my extract recipes again in the future. Might make a nice comparison doing my APA as an extract & a pm. Then side by side taste test,color,etc.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,here we are 3rd day after bottling. They're already clearing very nicely. That fine misty/cloudy stuff from the fine crush didn't take much to settle out. Light color,gold with some amber maybe.
Still have to get those heavy cases upstairs where the extra warmth will carb them better. It's ok down here,but heating isn't as even.

 

[ronsky]

Never used the super moss, but I'm sure it works just as well or better than regular moss. Just whirl floc tabs, they're easy and they work well.

I use regular Irish moss... I am not yet making Super Beers, just regular beers. ;-)

I am following this thread because I am interested in doing Partial Mashes. I am a noob, and I want to get the specialty grains/extract method (as well as all my other processes) down before venturing over that next horizon.

I do have a question, and hopefully some one following this can answer it (and not trying to highjack your thread, just thought someone already following can answer it):
Are partial mash/mini mash the same thing, meaning AHS might call it mini mash, but NB might call it partial mash?

 

[unionrdr]

I believe they're interchangable terms. This was a 1st for me as well. I was recombining extract malts-DME,LME,pre-bittered,plain with various hops & styles different volumes,etc. I just said to myself F'it,I've read enough about it,nothin left to it but to do it. It's clearing very nicely in the bottles now,so that's nearly the last hurdle in this new level learning process.
Looking back to brew day,Oct 9th,I'd have to say my stressing like a noob was unfounded. And the bit about needing a fine crush for biab may not be entirely accurate. I'll play around with that aspect of it some more before I come upon a good solution. Need a grain crusher though. Didn't find one locally I could afford,so I used an old mini food processor I mentioned earlier. Efficiency must've been pretty good,since I got an OG of 1.044 from a range of 1.042-1.046. FG range 1.010-1.012,got FG1.012. Looks to be on track so far.

 

[J187]

Partial mash and mini mash or interchangeable terms. For me, Mini Mash is more appropriate, but partial mash seems more popular. I get that you are mashing "part" of the grain bill... but you are FULLY mashing what grain you are mashing, just on a smaller scale, so Mini-mash is more appropriate in my eyes.

Also Ronsky - I don't mean to be so repetative with this whole dunk sparge business, but I gotta tell you... I can certainly understand someone being intimidated by reading about AG or PM and hearing about fly sparging and hot liquior tanks, etc. But if you do a BIAB mini mash with dunk sparging, it is LITERALLY no different from steeping grains other than paying more attention to water volume and specific temperatures. You are soaking a grain big (bigger one) in a volume of water for about an hour. Then you are soaking it in another volume of water for a few minutes. The only difference really being that the temps of the water is important and is being held closer.

 

[ronsky]

Thank you unionrdr and J for the information. Now it's not *quite* so confusing... When it comes time to venture into (your chosen name)-mashing, I will read up on the 'dunk sparging' technique.
:: Slainté mhath! ::
/ron

 

[unionrdr]

I was thinking of trying the dunk sparge myself next time. I sparge with 1.5 gallons of water,should be 160-165F. Instead of pouring over the grain bag in a collander on top of the BK,just leave the hot water in the other pot & dunk/soak the grain bag in it for a few minutes then squeeze.

 

[zeg]

As I just posted in another thread, I just tried the colander / sprinkle-sparge and found it FAR easier than a dunk sparge, and got as good or better efficiency. Part of my issue, though, is that I only have one pot large enough to mash/sparge in, and only one pot large enough to store the liquor after mash. As a result, I have no way of heating the dunk sparge water until after I've finished the mash. That adds an extra half hour or so, plus a lot of uncertainty about the sparge temp because the grain bag cools significantly while the water is heating.

 

[unionrdr]

That's why when Giant Eagle had a set of four nested SS stock pots with lids,steamer trays AND polished for some $25 bucks I made a huge scarf! This ws about feb of last year. Now I have plenty of pots,& some new higher powered burners as well. So I can get the BK/MT & HLT going at once. And the better burners will now let 3 gallons of water/wort in my 5G BK boil in about 18 minutes vs a couple hours before.
Anyway,you say the normal sparge & dunk sparge are about the same in your experience? I'll have to try it & see how the readings come out.

 

[dstranger99]

Stupid question: When I place an order to do my partial mash, do I have them crush the grains, or should I do it myself, or does it matter?

 

[J187]

Stupid question: When I place an order to do my partial mash, do I have them crush the grains, or should I do it myself, or does it matter?

If you have a good mill and the knowledge of how to operate it, feel free to crush yourself. If you are going to be relying on a rolling pin or a hammer, get them precrushed!

 

[dstranger99]

Thanks, I was looking at midwest's Boston Red, but they want an arm/leg for shipping, I'm looking at Austin Homebrew now, and the shipping is $6.99 flat and their budget mini-mash's are between $20-25....

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,midwest's Fed-Ex home delivery is $11.41 to where I live. If you sign up for their E-mails,you sometimes get shipping deals.

 

[dstranger99]

I went ahead and stuck with midwest, Adding up everything at Austin's was still more expensive, but not much. I ordered the Boston Red from Midwest, shipping was $14. But the kit itself was just $24.99. Cheaper than extract...

 

[unionrdr]

That's what I liked about midwest's pm kits. They're about 10-15 bucks cheaper than my multiple extract batches. My 1st pm kit of there's will be ready to drink for Thanksgiving. Their cascade pale ale. I gotta check the grain prices over at JW Dover in Westlake. Maybe I can save the shipping costs locally?