Is this "Partial Mash"

[Morrey]

I do full volume, single infusion AG BIAB and have done so for 50 or so batches. I started out extract and some of the more advanced kits had a few ounces of grain to be used in a steeping bag before the boil and extract/hop additions.

Wife's brother is the type that if you have done it, he has done it better. We all know the type. On a recent visit he starts his bragging stuff and says I do All Grain brewing too.....and my beers are soooo good. (Like his beers are better than mine which is typical LOL)

When I asked him about his technique, he is using a 5G extract kit with 8 oz of steeping grains. He claims this is all grain brewing but I know better. At the outside best this is partial mash...but is really don't think it is even that.

Does his 8 ounce of steeping grain in an extract kit truly mean he is doing a partial mash? I don't think so but I may be wrong.

 

[jerbrew]

Nope. Just steeping some specialty grains int here for color/flavor. Doing a partial mash with only .5 lb would be a lot of effort for a 5 gallon batch. Doing a partial mash is essentially cutting the amount of extract used with some base malt. A great option if you don't have the room or desire to go the all grain rout but that's not what he's doing. I say you start telling him things like "I actually used nettles in that beer for flavoring" or " using half bread yeast and half brewers yeast makes the beer have better head retention". You know stuff that will make him lie about all the "cool" things he's tried and you can sit there and smirk while drinking your HB. Have fun with it I love those kinds of people.

 

[Oginme]

The difference between steeping and partial mash is really a matter of grains. If you have 'base' malts, those malts which have unconverted starches, then you need to do a mash. Mashing is really holding the grains at a temperature between 145F and 160F long enough for the starches to solubilize and the enzymes in the base malts to reduce them to fermentable sugars.

If the grains are specialty grains, i.e. already converted into sugars (caramel/crystal, biscuit, chocolate, black, etc.) then the process is steeping.

The 'partial mashing' terminology, IMHO, means that although you are performing a mash using base malts (2-row, pilsner, pale ale malt, munich, vienna, etc.) to obtain fermentable sugars the majority of the fermentables is coming from some type of extract (LME, DME).

'All-grain' to me designates that the majority or all of the fermentable sugars are coming from mashing base grains with specialty grains thrown in as well.

While I sometimes use DME in my all-grain batches to obtain a higher gravity, it is a minor portion of the fermentables, usually less than 10%.

 

[Mackster]

I have have always thought the partial mash refers to wort not made entirely from grains. A russian imperial that has a couple pounds of DME to reach its OG would be a partial mash. If steeping grains is partial mash, then how would one define extract brewing? Only extracts? My local brew club has a competition where each month a BJCP style is brewed by members. Once a year the category is "extract" (any style), with no more than 10% of sugars coming from grains. I think this is a fair threshold. If he breaches 11% of sugars from grain, I would call it partial mash.

 

[Morrey]

Nope. Just steeping some specialty grains int here for color/flavor. Doing a partial mash with only .5 lb would be a lot of effort for a 5 gallon batch. Doing a partial mash is essentially cutting the amount of extract used with some base malt. A great option if you don't have the room or desire to go the all grain rout but that's not what he's doing. I say you start telling him things like "I actually used nettles in that beer for flavoring" or " using half bread yeast and half brewers yeast makes the beer have better head retention". You know stuff that will make him lie about all the "cool" things he's tried and you can sit there and smirk while drinking your HB. Have fun with it I love those kinds of people.

That's funny! Gonna tell him I use the water from collard greens to make a St Patrick's Day beer. Guarantee he will say he has already done that.

The difference between steeping and partial mash is really a matter of grains. If you have 'base' malts, those malts which have unconverted starches, then you need to do a mash. Mashing is really holding the grains at a temperature between 145F and 160F long enough for the starches to solubilize and the enzymes in the base malts to reduce them to fermentable sugars.

If the grains are specialty grains, i.e. already converted into sugars (caramel/crystal, biscuit, chocolate, black, etc.) then the process is steeping.

The 'partial mashing' terminology, IMHO, means that although you are performing a mash using base malts (2-row, pilsner, pale ale malt, munich, vienna, etc.) to obtain fermentable sugars the majority of the fermentables is coming from some type of extract (LME, DME).

'All-grain' to me designates that the majority or all of the fermentable sugars are coming from mashing base grains with specialty grains thrown in as well.

While I sometimes use DME in my all-grain batches to obtain a higher gravity, it is a minor portion of the fermentables, usually less than 10%.

Come to think of it, all those "steeping" grains I remember from the kits were specialty grains, not base malts. Even saw some flaked maize in one. Good point you made and these grains don't typically have the enzyme conversion potential on their own w/o help from base malts like 2 row..etc.

I have have always thought the partial mash refers to wort not made entirely from grains. A russian imperial that has a couple pounds of DME to reach its OG would be a partial mash. If steeping grains is partial mash, then how would one define extract brewing? Only extracts? My local brew club has a competition where each month a BJCP style is brewed by members. Once a year the category is "extract" (any style), with no more than 10% of sugars coming from grains. I think this is a fair threshold. If he breaches 11% of sugars from grain, I would call it partial mash.

Sometimes I add a good amount of fermentables like Belgian Candi Sugar to boost the ABV potential. When I do a Saison, I often add enough sugar to boost the OG from 1.050 to 1.070. I do see your point and beers have to have a "line of demarcation" to separate the styles as you mention.