Partial Mash, Efficiency, and Weak Beer

[NPK]

I put in a couple orders for partial mash kits at AHS (Pumpkin Ale and a Mirror Pond clone). I plan on using DeathBrewer's methods as posted in the Beginners Forum. Being a first time partial mash brewer, lacking a mash tun, etc., I have concerns that I may only get 45-50% efficiency (he says 70 on a good day). That would be fine if I had extra grain or DME on hand hand to compensate, but I don't. I have no problems with making 4 gallons of proper beer as opposed to 5 gallons of weak beer.

Tell me. Am I over-reacting or do you have any suggestions? I'll have a hydrometer and will be checking my gravity, but I want to minimize the surprises before I delve into it.

(partial)Grain Bills -
Pumpkin ale: 4 lb Dry Malt Extract, 2.5 lb Base Grains, 1 lb Specialty Grains
Mirror Pond Clone: 5.5 lb Liquid Malt Extract, 1.75 lb Base Grains, 1 lb Specialty Grains.

Thanks!

 

[Pascal]

I use the same method and come out with great results. My efficiency is between 70 and 75 almost every time. Just watch the temps and you should be good!

 

[Yooper]

With only a couple of pounds of grains, it doesn't matter if you get poor efficiency or not. It's more for taste than actual fermentables. I mean, 2.5 pounds of base grain in a 5 gallon batch (first recipe) would give you 13 gravity points at 70% and 9 gravity points at 50% efficiency- a .004 difference which is negligible.

In the second recipe with only 1.75 pounds of grain, you may only get 9 gravity points at 70% and 6 gravity points at 50%- another negligible difference.

.003 or .004 is nothing to worry about- the bulk of the fermentables is coming from the extract.