Steeping 2.5 lbs of grain in 4.5 liters of water

[twistyboy]

hi guys,

i was doing this recipe this morning : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/kings-nutz-imperial-nut-brown-ale-134818/

i was wondering why Suthrncomfrt1884 steeped his grains in only 4.5 liters of water instead of the full amount of water minus the sparge water ?

 

[Yooper]

Because Munich malt is a base malt that needs to be converted. Conversion happens when a prescribed amount of water and grain at a prescribed temperature for a prescribed amount of time is mashed.

Many grains can just be steeped, and in that case the amount of water and temperature isn't so criticial, but for a mash you want to have the proper pH and temperature for the starch in the Munich malt to convert to sugars.

 

[JR_Brewer]

Yep, looks like SoCo1884 is doing a mini-mash. Most people mash with 1.0-1.5 quarts per pound of grain. This is a little higher, but it's close.

 

[savestheclash]

Partial/mini mash indeed. Here's a forum with a helpful hint for how to use iodine to test your mash for a full conversion before you boil https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/how-do-iodine-conversion-test-37609/