What is my process called -- partial mash, steeping, BIAB?

[peterlambert]

Hi everyone,

I'm a relatively new brewer who started off following LHBS instructions using extract and 2-3 lbs steeping grains. As far as I can tell, it was pretty standard steeping method, using a single 5 gallon pot:

1. heat 3 gallons to 160
2. turn off heat and add grain bag
3. cover and wrap pot for 45 min.
4. remove grain bag, squeeze
5. bring to boil, add extract, hops when appropriate

I noticed that all the recipes I was using included at least 1 lb of base malt in the steeping grains, so I realized that I was essentially doing a partial mash. For the next batch, here was the grain bill:

5 lb Dry Malt Extract - Wheat
1 lb American - Pale 2-Row
1 lb American - White Wheat
0.5 lb Torrified Wheat

Based on lots of research and reading, I modified my technique to the following, using an additional smaller pot:

1. heat 5 qts water to 164 F (in stockpot)
2. add grain bag with 2.5 lbs grain, put mash pot into preheated oven (mash temp was 153 F)
3. wait 90 min.
4. while mashing in oven, heat 3 gallons to 170F (in large boil pot), turn off heat
5. remove grain bag from mash pot (squeeze out) and dunk in boil pot multiple times, and squeeze (this is a dunk sparge?)
6. add contents of mash pot to boil pot
7. continue on to boil, with late addition for half the extract

This new method was convenient, and seemed to get me better efficiency than my old steeping method.

My question is: what did I do? Would you call this partial mash, or BIAB? I mostly care so that I can use brewing software (Beersmith, etc).

At the moment, I am considering this a partial mash, with single infusion (5 qts), and single batch sparge (3 gallons).

Also would appreciate any feedback / suggestions on my methods.

 

[aiptasia]

Steeping is when you just soak already roasted grains in warm water to extract the sugars. No actual mashing is required to extract the sugars and is therefore known as a "steep."

A partial mash is an extract brew that requires you to mash some of the grains. This is common in beers that come with a little extra two row or unmashed malt grains such as vienna or munich malt. The diastatic enzymes in the base malt will help convert the sugars in the specialty grains, which imparts a fresh all grain flavor to an extract based recipe. This type of brewing requires maintaining the beer at a specific temperature to convert the sugars and extract them (generally around 155f. for 45-90 mins). This is known as a partial mash.

All grain requires that you mash all of your base malts and some of your specialty malts at mash temperatures. This is typically done in a mash tun that's just designed to hold a specific temperature for a few hours, such as a converted cooler. You pour in your base malts (and specialty malts) and let them sit in hot water to convert the sugars, then rinse them (called a sparge) with warm water to extract all the sugar. This is known as all grain brewing (full mash).

BIAB is similar to regular all grain except that you aren't using a mash tun. You use one bigger pot and line it with a fine mesh bag, then you put all the grains into the bag and mash in the big pot and let the grains drain out by hoisting out the bag. Both the mash and the boil occur in the same big pot. Some brewers sparge their grains, some don't but adjust their grain bills upwards of about 10% and double grind their grains. This is a space and time saving way of brewing and works well for a lot of brewers.

 

[kh54s10]

I guess it is closest to partial mash with a full boil.

The base malts help with some conversion of the specialty grains.

I did my partial mashes at less than full volume and used top up water.
It is not BIAB which would not use any extract.
With extract and steeping you are really going for color and flavor. Almost all of the fermentables come from the extract. Usually you steep for about 30 minutes in the 150-160 degree range.

The volumes in your examples seem strange. Do you top up to 5 gallons?

One question, why mash for 90 minutes? I do 95% of my recipes at 60 minutes. I have done a couple of recipes to 90 minutes but don't remember what or why. Probably pilsner malt.

 

[freisste]

+1.

But I will also add for the OP: I would call what you are doing partial mash brew in a bag (PM BIAB).

If your fermentables come from extract (with a minor amount from grain) that's extract brewing. If your fermentables come from grains (maybe with an adjustment from extract due to poor efficiency), that's all grain. If it's a roughly 50:50 mix, I'd call it partial mash.

So you're somewhere between extract and partial mash, but I would call it partial mash because you are mashing.

 

[freisste]

Kh54s10: BIAB is often used as an alternative to buying a mash tun and all the other dedicated all grain equipment. However, it is not exclusive to all grain.

If you mash in a bag in your boil kettle instead of using a mash tun, you are using the BIAB method.

If you mash and add significant fermentables from extract, that is partial mash.

If you partial mash using the BIAB method, it's still partial mash AND BIAB - PM BIAB.

 

[peterlambert]

Thanks for replies -- it's pretty much what I thought, just wanted to make sure that when I enter stuff into software, I am doing it correctly.

Regarding my volumes, yes I always top off to 5 gallons in the fermenter.

As far as the 90 min. mash -- this was sort of by accident, as I didn't start heating the boil kettle until too late (got busy doing something else), and that's just when it got up to 170F.

 

[Beernik]

Just keep in mind that an oven can be +/- 20F from the set temperature. That's not dial accuracy, that's the heat up and cool down cycle range.

 

[unionrdr]

There's extract with steeping grains,or what I started calling E/SG. I do partial boil,partial mash brew in a bag,or PB/PM BIAB. As said,biab is not exclusive to AG,or All Grain brewing. I get about 50% of the fermentables,color & flavor from the partial mash. I make up the difference,usually,with plain DME. Sometimes with plain LME. Your choice there. I started referring to all extract brewing as AE.
Any kind of mashing is done at a precise temp for the style being brewed. But generally 1.25-1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain. I mash 5-6lbs of grain in 2 gallons of water,for example. Then sparge with 1.5 gallons @170F to get my boil volume of 3.5 gallons in my 5 gallon Brew Kettle & Mash tun BK/MT. Then add 3lbs of plain DME or 3.3lbs of plain LME as the remaining fermentables.

 

[RM-MN]

Kh54s10: BIAB is often used as an alternative to buying a mash tun and all the other dedicated all grain equipment. However, it is not exclusive to all grain.

If you mash in a bag in your boil kettle instead of using a mash tun, you are using the BIAB method.

If you mash and add significant fermentables from extract, that is partial mash.

If you partial mash using the BIAB method, it's still partial mash AND BIAB - PM BIAB.

In my mind, any time you have base malts and mash them but have part of the fermentables come from extract that is partial mash. Since you seem to have handled the partial mash OK, next brew use more base malt and perhaps specialty grains and less extract. It's still partial mash, isn't it?

If that batch turns out, for the next one, use more base malt and less extract yet. It''s still partial mash because not all the sugars come from the base malt so it isn't scary like all grain.

When you keep following this progression and you get to the point that all the extract you use is a teaspoon, you're still doing partial mash because you are using extract for part of the fermentables, right? Now do another batch but accidentally forget to add the extract. Now you did all grain. See how easy that was?

 

[JordanKnudson]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already and I just missed it, but you are right -- put your BeerSmith setting on "Partial Mash." Since you are using those base grains, you will be getting some extra conversion out of your mini-mash, which the software will account for in its O.G. prediction (which will potentially also affect your hop utilization/IBUs). If you have it set to "Extract," it will not even move the gravity by a single point and won't be as accurate a prediction for what you can actually expect. This becomes more and more relevant the larger the quantity of grain in your partial mash.

 

[Grinder12000]

Using the oven I've found the best way is to heat at lowest temp and when you put your pot into the oven just turn it off completely.

The oven will cool naturally. The most important part of the "mashing" is the 1st 10-15 minutes. Your wort will not heat up because when you open the oven a lot of temp is lost. It'll still be in the 160s but cool down perfectly.

I don't think you need 90 minutes, I go with 45.

DO NOT squeeze the grain bag to get the last drops out.

I have a big bowl with a small strainer. Put the strainer upside down in the bowl and the dripping wort bag on top. It will drain naturally over time and you can add that wort to the boil.

RM-MN is correct but do you have a pot that holds 20+ pounds of grain??

I'm not an all grain person, never want to be. I can make beer as good as most AG people and have won awards. It's not the process, it's the brewer.

As long as you get good extract and understand the process. Don't over boil extract, it's been boiled already, temp control the fermentation, make a great starter and yada yada.

 

[peterlambert]

Yeah, that's exactly what I do with the oven -- heat it to lowest temperature (170F) and then turn off. I figure by the time I open and put the pot in, it probably loses 20 deg, but that is still better than sitting at room temperature with towels.

I'm mashing such a small amount because that is the size pots I have. At some point, I will get more stuff and start using a larger proportion of grain, but for now this is working out well for me.

Thanks again for the responses.

 

[Grinder12000]

Don't forget you can full boil using 2 pots. Then you don't have to add water at the end and you get better hops utilization. The draw back is if you have two boil overs at the same time That adds a small amount of localized stress.