Partial mash vs extract brewing

[sleepymonkey]

I'd like some clarification on this, as I've steeped grains for 30 minutes at 155 degrees for a bunch of my extract brews. But I thought that was just steeping grains. I'm looking at a recipe I'd like to try now on brewtoad.com (it is listed as an extract recipe and indeed has 8 lbs. of malt extract as the main fermentable), but it has 1-2 lbs. of grain listed as "mash" instead of "steep", so I am wondering if there is some difference in the two that I'm not aware of. I've made a couple of recipes on that site, so I know it gives you the option to specify between the two when making an extract recipe. Any knowledge here would be appreciated.

 

[ChshreCat]

I'd like some clarification on this, as I've steeped grains for 30 minutes at 155 degrees for a bunch of my extract brews. But I thought that was just steeping grains. I'm looking at a recipe I'd like to try now on brewtoad.com (it is listed as an extract recipe and indeed has 8 lbs. of malt extract as the main fermentable), but it has 1-2 lbs. of grain listed as "mash" instead of "steep", so I am wondering if there is some difference in the two that I'm not aware of. I've made a couple of recipes on that site, so I know it gives you the option to specify between the two when making an extract recipe. Any knowledge here would be appreciated.

For a mash you need a few things. The right amount of water at the right temperature for the right amount of time and the proper grains that have the enzymes required to convert the starches to fermentable sugars. When you steep, even if you're using the proper amount and temperature of water, if the grains are just specialty grains with no diastatic power (enzymes sufficient for conversion) then you're getting flavor and color but no fermentables. This recipe lists it as a mash because it likely has a mix of grains with some sort of base malt so it can convert and add a little more to the party than a steep.

 

[DocDriza]

I know this is an old post that no one has commented on for the past year, but this morning I was trying to understand what the difference was between partial mash and extract brewing. I just realized I have been doing partial mash from the beginning. The kits I buy have ~1lb of grain that I am supposed to steep for a half hour. Now when I use beer smith, I have a better understanding of how to convert AG recipes.

I only feel like have have to make this comment because this forum has helped me out with so much.

Thanks guys

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Steeping specialty grains for extract brewing is to extract their flavor and color. It isn't actually mashing since it isn't converting starch to sugar. Specialty grains usually won't convert by themselves. They need the presence of a base malt (2-row or 6-row pale malt) under temperature controlled conditions.

A partial mash uses a small amount of base malt along with the specialty malts. You then mash these at a specific temperature (usually between 148F and 156F) for a specific time like 45 or 60 min. You end up with a small amount of sugar laden wort and then supplement with additional water and extract to get to your full volume. Partial mash is a great way to get some of the benefits of AG brewing even if you have limited gear and pot size.