How much DME makes a batch "partial mash"

[QuadConPana]

Getting ready to brew this White IPA tomorrow. I boil in a 30 qt turkey fryer, and like to use the basket to hold and support the bag for BIAB. Since this limits my space, I wanted to try limiting the amount of grain to 9 lbs., and add a couple pounds of DME to bring the gravity up.

The few partial mash recipes I've seen are weighted more to extract with a bit of grain to add complexity. Where would you say the line is between AG and Partial Mash?

Or does it matter?


P.S. If commenting on the recipe, I probably would have made some slightly different choices on the fermentables, but was limited to what my LHBS had on hand. I feel like a weenie when I buy online instead of supporting the local guy. Especially, when he's in the same homebrewing club.

 

[m00ps]

Id say thats an all-grain beer. IMO, its all grain if you get most your fermentables from mashing and you have enough dp to convert stuff. That looks like what I need to do with my new electric system if I want a beer over 1.075ish. I can fit a max of like 13.5 lbs of grain for a 5.5gal batch. So I always end up using 1-2lb DME in bigger beers now, but I certainly wouldnt say im now doing partial mash

seems like a cool recipe. No boil hops. No crystal malts. Hop bill is a bit jumbled but itll be good

 

[chickypad]

I consider any time I add DME to be partial mash, even if it's just a lb or two. Then again I don't think I've ever done a PM with less than about 50% of the recipe from the mash, and most of time it was in the 70%+ range. I can't see that it matters what you decide to call it though.

 

[eadavis80]

I guess I feel if you're getting 50% of your fermentables from extract, I'd say that's a partial mash - that's just my opinion. If I used like 10 pounds of grain and my gravity was too low and threw in a pound of DME to up the gravity, I guess TECHNICALLY I would say it's a partial mash, and not "all-grain" since there is EXTRACT IN IT, but at the end of the day really all that matters - to me - is 1) having fun in the process 2) enjoying the end product. Who cares what you (or others) call it?

 

[BeerFst]

What is the reasoning for dry hopping for 18 days? that seems like an awfully long time to me

 

[CUrchin]

I don't think you'll find an official answer to the original question, and I wouldn't sweat it. BIAB is kinda an evolution of partial mash if you think about it, and it's not uncommon to add dme when gravity is low. Do what you need to do to make good beer and move on...

 

[QuadConPana]

What is the reasoning for dry hopping for 18 days? that seems like an awfully long time to me

Not for 18 days, after 18 days. And, in reality, it will more likely be when time permits. I want to ferment low, and don't want to risk skunking and infection with frequent gravity readings, so I'm going to be overly sure primary fermentation is done. Then, I was going to give the hops about a week and rack to the keg for cold crashing.

 

[Jim311]

18 days seems way overkill to ensure primary fermentation is done. If you get a krausen and it drops, I doubt there's much to worry about. I just had one finish fermenting in 3 or 4 days. I gave it until a week to clean up, and then dry hopped. Turning an IPA around in 2 weeks seems better than a month to me.

 

[Shockerengr]

Partial Mash is somewhat of an arbitrary term, but in practice is really used to describe an extract beer that gets part of it's fermentables through a mash, usually to use grains that can't be steeped and aren't available in extract form.

The process typically only includes enough base grain to ensure conversion of the specialty grain, with extract making the bulk of fermentables.

With that, I wouldn't call what your doing partial mash. It's a lot like a sugar addition in the sense that it's done to boost gravity, not "character"

It's also a fairly common method for high gravity beers, even for pro-brewers when mash tun size becomes a limiting factor.

But in the end - it's all just words.

 

[BeerFst]

18 days seems way overkill to ensure primary fermentation is done. If you get a krausen and it drops, I doubt there's much to worry about. I just had one finish fermenting in 3 or 4 days. I gave it until a week to clean up, and then dry hopped. Turning an IPA around in 2 weeks seems better than a month to me.

Agreed, I let them sit a week or maybe 10 days if I couldnt get it done the following weekend. Toss in the dry hops for 4-5 days, then keg and carb.

burst carb makes it basically read in 24 hours after that and spot on at about 72

 

[QuadConPana]

Agreed, I let them sit a week or maybe 10 days if I couldnt get it done the following weekend. Toss in the dry hops for 4-5 days, then keg and carb.

burst carb makes it basically read in 24 hours after that and spot on at about 72

So, you're saying drink my beer 2 weeks earlier than I originally planned?

Okay. If you insist.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Personally? I'd say anything about 15% fermentables being extract would be a partial mash IMO.

 

[RM-MN]

What part of "all grain" don't you understand. If it has anything but grains in it, the beer can't be all grain. Thus if you add even a teaspoon of extract it isn't all grain. With all that, who cares.

 

[DougalYoung]

If my OG lands low, my AG recipes pretty quickly turn to partial mash.
I mean I think kinda the same as RM-MN.