Partial Mash Help

[davidamerica]

Partial Mash Question:

Ok, for my first partial mash in total, I am going to use 5.5lbs of fermentable grains to partial mash.

Question: How much water should I use for the mash water given the amount of grain I have and as far as the temperature I am getting conflicting answers from different resources.

I have heard roughly 153 deg but no more than 160 deg temperature for the partial mash but then I also heard that that’s not true. I heard it is 153 deg to 160 deg for the grains itself. If that is the case, how do I measure the temperature of the actual grain while it is in the water. Keep in mind I am going to use a stovetop for this step.

Also how much volume and at what temp for the sparge water?

Thanks guys any input would help


Dave:rockin:

 

[SKMO]

Partial Mash Question:

Ok, for my first partial mash in total, I am going to use 5.5lbs of fermentable grains to partial mash.

Question: How much water should I use for the mash water given the amount of grain I have and as far as the temperature I am getting conflicting answers from different resources.

I have heard roughly 153 deg but no more than 160 deg temperature for the partial mash but then I also heard that that’s not true. I heard it is 153 deg to 160 deg for the grains itself. If that is the case, how do I measure the temperature of the actual grain while it is in the water. Keep in mind I am going to use a stovetop for this step.

Also how much volume and at what temp for the sparge water?

You can mash at a lot of temps, but 148-158 will cover most of them. 152ish is pretty common. Lower temps produce thinner beers with more fermentable sugars thus more ABV. 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain is a safe place to start. To measure temp of the "grain in the water" (Mash) you need a thermometer, obviously. You can get some pretty quick-reading digitals for around $15.

Honestly you need to spend a couple hours reading this all on your own:

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

These are really basic questions all answered in the link. No reason you can't just read it there.

 

[BendBrewer]

You are going to have to figure some of this stuff out along the way.

I would start with a thick mash. 1 qt water to 1 pound of grain. This will allow you to add some water to adjust the temp as needed.

Have some additional water boiling or close to it and some ice cubes on hand. Assume you will lose 8-10 degrees when you add the grains. So if shooting for a mash temp of 153, heat your strike water to 161-163. Add the gains and stir to remove any doughballs and distribute the heat. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes and then take the temp of the grains. Just stick the thermometer into the middle.

If your temp is too low, add some of the almost boiling water. If to high, and a couple of ice cubes.

Take note of the temp drop. It will be similar the next time you use the same amount of grains. The more grains you use, the more temp you will lose.

 

[ayoungrad]

This is a link to a calculator for strike water temperature:

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

Many people shoot for 1.25 to 1.5 quarts per pound of grain. I do this with partial mashes on the stovetop. Remember to stir it well and the temp estimates from the site (or the ones I calculate myself) are pretty good. The temp may seem off at first but I stir for a couple of minutes to make sure everything is uniform. Cover it when you finish stirring or you will lose a lost of heat.

 

[davidamerica]

thanks guys