PM Question - Water per lb of grain

[riored4v]

Done 2 PM's so far and I'm still working the kinks out and each one has been a bit more of a success than the last. So to improve I've been doing more and more reading, but that's where my question comes from.

I saw on here that alot of people like to use 1.25q per lb of grain, but with most of the PM instructions that I've been reading it seems 1.33q per lb of grain seems more common.

Is it better to use more water with PM? Should I be using 1.33q rather than 1.25q?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[mrk305]

That is the amount or ratio that we use for brewing all grain. When I was doing partial mashes I used a lot more water than that and a grain bag. I used enough to fill up my brew pot, but I don't do anything right anyway. I still made good beer back then.

 

[rwdr4]

1.25 and 1.33 quarts of h2o per lb of grain is very close either way. I would venture to say go a little lower with the 1.25 q p/lb, this way you dont ever go over with to much water if your doing a 5 gal batch. I say this because I was brewing a beer with a friend and he kept going little over on the mash and a little over on the sparge water and the when he boiled he didnt burn off (evaporate) as much as he thought he would and he had a beer that turned out just a little watery. He was mad, but the beer was still beer and tasted good, but he knew it could have been better.


Brewing is trial and error. You will learn something everytime you brew.
Bill

 

[mrk305]

I had to think about it a minute, because I only partial mashed a few times and it has been a while. I used a 3.5 gallon brew pot and 5 pounds of grains. I would heat up about 2.5 gallons of water, and then add the grains in a bag so that is two quarts @ pound. I would put that in a preheated oven to maintain 151 for 1 hour. I would heat some sparge water in another pot, dip the grain bag in it trying to get just enough to fill up the larger pot. Then I would boil on the stove for 45 minutes, remove from heat and add my extract and boil again for 15 minutes. Hop additions like usual 60,15 & 5.

 

[Hagen]

It depends on how you do the PM.

Some simply steep the grains in a bag at mash temps, and then sparge through a colander or strainer. For this approach, water volume isn't so critical.

Others (myself included) go through the same exact process as AG, but with smaller equipment, weights and volumes. For this method your hot liquor volumes need to be measured a little more carefully. With this process, I'd reccomend mashing in at 1.25 qt/lb or a little less, so you have some room to add hot or cold water in case you miss your mash temp.

 

[Arneba28]

^^^I do that as well. I mashed 3lbs at 1.25qt/lb then just dumped the whole thing into a colander and sparged that enough to bring to 3 gallons, my boil volume. I have done that now twice and both times I liked the results much better than when I just steeped my grain for my extract w/ grain

 

[TexLaw]

If you feel confident that you can hit your mash temperature, go with 1.33:1, as your amylases are more effective in mashes more on the thin side. Either ratio is fine, though.


TL

 

[riored4v]

If you feel confident that you can hit your mash temperature, go with 1.33:1, as your amylases are more effective in mashes more on the thin side. Either ratio is fine, though.


TL

Not sure about being confident yet, but definitely getting closer. First time was a bit of a disaster since I didn't preheat the cooler, second time around I did a way better job at getting the temp where i wanted it.


Maybe I'll stick with the 1.25:1 ratio since it seems like it would be a bit easier to measure out, plus with that being what i've already been using it might be a better way to maintain and improve on my process.


Another question though regarding the sparging portion.. If I mash with 1.25:1, once i recirculate and collect the runoff, I would then add the same 1.25:1 ratio with sparge water correct? I believe the process I've been doing is batch sparging, and just dumping all the sparge water in, collecting it, and then dumping rest of the sparge water. Seems to take about 2 times w/ filling up the cooler to the same level as the initial mash water level was at (and using an equal amount of water as used for initial mash).

Hopefully this makes sense.. still pretty new at it, but i'm slowly picking it up..lol

 

[malkore]

I don't go on a set ratio. Rather, I let the desired total runnings, and my house efficiency, determine my ratio. Some brews its 1.4qt/lb.

other brews that need a step mash are barely 1qt/lb. of strike water...and then more is added.

Don't restrict yourself to set numbers. The ratio is a range, not a value carved in stone.

 

[riored4v]

I don't go on a set ratio. Rather, I let the desired total runnings, and my house efficiency, determine my ratio. Some brews its 1.4qt/lb.

other brews that need a step mash are barely 1qt/lb. of strike water...and then more is added.

Don't restrict yourself to set numbers. The ratio is a range, not a value carved in stone.

Well this confuses me..lol I thought you were supposed to sparge with the same amount that you mash with, so i just figured a predetermined amount was needed.

I haven't really moved into step mashing, but i could see how using a lower amount at first would be needed since more is added later. With the PM's i've done is just been a single mash.

I'm also still working on the efficiency aspect. My next one that I'll do I will measure effeciency since it's something I more or less just figured out.