Partial mash strategy help - strike H2O volume and minerals

[airbrett]

My first brew is currently bottle conditioning and I am ready to plan the next brew. I want to used relatively the same partial mash recipe with a few modifications to compare the end result (such as only doing a primary fermentation, etc.).

The partial mash recipe will involve 2 lbs or pale malt grain and 6 lbs of extract and this will all be done on my gas stovetop.

Tell my if this plan sounds sane - it is partially inspired by the DeathBrewer tutorial in the sticky:
I will heat the strike water to the planned strike temp, turn the burner off, then put the grains directly in the water and cover. After the planned mash time (45 mins) I will then pour this into the kettle (that already has water heated to 180) using a grain bag or a metal colander to catch the grains. To sparge, I will use the pour over method of heated sparge water I have put aside, or a combo of that and tea-bagging if I use a grain bag.

My rationale is that by having the grain completely in the strike water I would get more efficiency.

1) Does this method sound like a good one?

2) Water volume for the mash: I've read about sparge water volume here: http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-6.html. "A thinner mash of >2 quarts of water per pound of grain dilutes the relative concentration of the enzymes, slowing the conversion, but ultimately leads to a more fermentable mash because the enzymes are not inhibited by a high concentration of sugars." Is that a bad thing or does it mean I would have to wait too long for the conversion (> 45 minutes) and suffer more temperature drop?

3) I'm using San Francisco sierra snowmelt tap water that has a high PH of around 9 and almost no calcium. I want to add gypsum, but given the stove top method, removing the lid from the mash to test the PH mid-cycle would release too much heat. Any ideas on estimating the amount of gypsum to add to the strike water ahead of time and/or the kettle water? I'd lean toward being conservative as many brew just fine with regular SF tap water.

SF water chemistry: http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=...ntent=language-en&utm_campaign=qualitymatters

 

[TheHappyHopper]

1 - That method sounds pretty solid. personally, I think I would go with the grain bag - when dealing with grains, I think they are easier to handle than a colander.

2 - I do partial mashes (using a 2-gallon mini mash tun, link in my signature), and I mash and sparge with about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain. I do all of my partial mash batches with 5 pounds of grain, so I end up with around 3 gallons of water in the brew kettle.

3 - Personally, I am a fan of just brewing with your tap water if it tastes fine (others may strongly disagree of course), at least until you have several brews under your belt and have a good handle on the rest of the brewing process. If you are really worried about it, you could buy a couple of gallons of distilled water and do like half tap water + half distilled to dilute your tap water.

 

[Tinpanharry]

1 - That method sounds pretty solid. personally, I think I would go with the grain bag - when dealing with grains, I think they are easier to handle than a colander.

2 - I do partial mashes (using a 2-gallon mini mash tun, link in my signature), and I mash and sparge with about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain. I do all of my partial mash batches with 5 pounds of grain, so I end up with around 3 gallons of water in the brew kettle.

3 - Personally, I am a fan of just brewing with your tap water if it tastes fine (others may strongly disagree of course), at least until you have several brews under your belt and have a good handle on the rest of the brewing process. If you are really worried about it, you could buy a couple of gallons of distilled water and do like half tap water + half distilled to dilute your tap water.

+1
I do partial mash as well, using BIAB. I have begun using about 5 lbs grain , some steeping grains and 2-3 pounds DME. DME goes in late in the boil.

The bag is about as big as my boil kettle, so I just mash in the bag in the boil kettle, then after the mash I put the mash/boil kettle in my sink. I suspend the bag in a colander over the pot (this fits perfect). Then run very hot tap water to rinse the grains. I use enough tap water to bring the approximately 3 gallons of wort up to about 6 gallons, then boil off about a gallon.

 

[bobbrews]

Two kettles with water held at the appropriate temps:

--The smaller volume kettle for mashing. 1.3 to 1.5 L per 1 lb. grain is the most common amongst homebrewers.

--The larger volume kettle for dipping/rinsing your grain bag.

After the grain is rinsed, proceed to pour your mashed wort into your main kettle. Bring to a boil, add DME, proceed as planned.

-------------------------------

Gypsum / CaSO4

• 4.0 grams per level teaspoon
• Minimally decreases pH and moderately increases alkalinity
• Useful for adding calcium if water is low in sulfate
• More soluble in cold water
• Use to add crispness to the hop bitterness


Look into acid malt or lactic acid for mash pH control. EZ Water Calculator 3.0 (free excel spreadsheet) will tell you how much to add.

 

[airbrett]

Thanks for all the advice. I ended up putting the grains in the smaller pot for the mash (1.3 qts per lb), used the oven after calibrating the day before to maintain the exact temp (I checked halfway into the mash and it was within .1 degrees), then poured into the kettle containing the sparge water using a grain bag to catch the grains, followed by some stirring and teabagging.

The pouring was the hardest part and was a two person job and only resulted in minor discomfort from my brewing partner from the occasional splash of mash on their forehead. Next time I would used a bigger bag.

I ended up going with a Black IPA recipe and 3.5 lbs grain. I got 71% efficiency so it did the trick.

 

[bobbrews]

then poured into the kettle containing the sparge water using a grain bag to catch the grains, followed by some stirring and teabagging.

Next time, mash the grain in a bag in the smaller kettle. After the mash, let that big drip dry as much as you can and then teabag it in the rest of the water in the main kettle BEFORE pouring the mashed wort into the main kettle. That way, you're essentially rinsing the mashed grain in clear water as opposed to dunking it in weakened wort over and over again.

 

[airbrett]

Next time, mash the grain in a bag in the smaller kettle. After the mash, let that big drip dry as much as you can and then teabag it in the rest of the water in the main kettle BEFORE pouring the mashed wort into the main kettle. That way, you're essentially rinsing the mashed grain in clear water as opposed to dunking it in weakened wort over and over again.

Ah- I was going back and forth on whether to do that so I'll try that next time and compare the results. I wasn't sure if I would gain more efficiency from having the grains straight in the water for the entire 60 minute mash than any efficiency I would lose from not finishing with the clear water.