Help with Mini Mash/Cereal Mash

[mlstarbuck]

My buddy and I picked up everything we need for this Spotted Cow clone yesterday, but when we got home from our LHBS, I realized that I forgot to tell them not to put the Munich in with the 6-row, flaked corn and flaked barley:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Spotted Cow (extract)
Brewer: Justin Stewart Talbot
Style: Kolsch
TYPE: Extract


Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.14 gal
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 4.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 18.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amount Item Type % or IBU
4 lbs 12.6 oz Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 61.91 %
1 lbs 7.8 oz Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 19.28 %
10.0 oz Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 8.09 %
7.2 oz Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 5.81 %
6.1 oz Barley, Flaked (Briess) (1.7 SRM) Grain 4.92 %
1.26 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] (60 min)Hops 18.9 IBU
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Kolsch Yeast (Wyeast Labs #2565) [Starter Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: None
Total Grain Weight: 6.91 lb
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Steep grains as desired (30-60 minutes)


Notes:
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The day before brewday prepare a 1L (1quart) starter by adding 100 grams of light DME to 1000mL of water, bring to boil for 15 minutes, cool in sink to 70º, then pitch smack pack. Aerate by shaking as often as possible until brewday.

On brew day: In your main brew kettle, steep Munich malt with 2 quarts of water in a large grain bag at 155º. While the Munich is steeping, in a separate kettle (cereal kettle), combine the corn, flaked barley, 6-row, and 4 quarts (1 gallon) of water and bring to 155º. After a 10 minute rest, slowly bring the cereal kettle to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes. Then dump the cereal mash into the grain bag holding the Munich malt in your main kettle. Mix well within the bag and make sure the water seeps through the whole thing.

Lift the grain bag out of the water, and fill the kettle to the largest pre-boil volume your kettle can handle by pouring the water slowly through the grains int he lifted bag. This will rinse the sugars out of the grain and into the kettle. If you have a smaller kettle, use Fermcap-S to avoid boil overs and increase your boil volume.

Bring the kettle to boil. Remove kettle from heat, stir in half the DME. Bring back to boil and start boil timer. Add hops as directed. At 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add the remaining DME and half a Whirlfloc tablet along with some yeast nutrient.

Cool to pitching temps (68º) via ice bath or whatever. Pitch entire yeast starter. Ferment at 68º actual fermentation temperature (likely about 62º ambient). After fermentation is complete (about 7 days), cold crash to 32º or as cold as you can.

In 14 days, bottle keg or do whatever you like. Wait for conditioning and enjoy!

This should drop in gravity to about 1.008 ish or at least 1.010. A good starter and plenty of O2 at the start of fermentation are important to dry this beer out.

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It's all crushed and mixed together in one bag. We can't follow the directions now (steep the munich seperate and boil the ceral mash). We've already made a yeast starter and we plan on brewing today. Can we just steep all of the grain and adjuncts at ~160 for 30 minutes?

 

[Yooper]

It's all crushed and mixed together in one bag. We can't follow the directions now (steep the munich seperate and boil the ceral mash). We've already made a yeast starter and we plan on brewing today. Can we just steep all of the grain and adjuncts at ~160 for 30 minutes?

Yes, but ideally you'd have a bit more two-row to convert the corn. If you can't get some more, then you can try do a partial mash anyway.

What you'll need to do is use 2 quarts of water per pound of grain (3 pounds of grain there, so use 6 quarts of water). Bring the water to 163ish, and turn off the heat and add the grain. Check the temperature and make sure it's between 150-156. Stir well to make sure the grain is thoroughly wetted and keep the temperature there for an hour. If the temperature drops too much, turn on the heat a bit. Or you can put the whole mash in a warm-ish oven to maintain the heat.

After an hour, lift up the grainbag over your brewpot. It's easiest to put them, in the bag, in a colander, and pour 1.5 gallons of 170 degree water over it.

Then you can throw away the grains and proceed.

 

[mlstarbuck]

The only extra grains I have are ~14 oz of crystal 15L and 14 oz of Carapils.

 

[BigEd]

Those recipe instructions are bogus. A cereal mash is unnecessary with flaked grains and you are better off with the Munich mixed in the the other grains. The Munich has enzymes which will contribute to the starch conversion. Do a mini mash with all the grains for an hour at 150-155F, rinse the grain bag with a portion of your clear water @ 170F and continue with the recipe from there.

 

[mlstarbuck]

Thanks guys! We're about to give it a shot.