Question about partial mashing....

[two_tails]

Hi everyone!

I started off by brewing beer kits, these were always no boil versions complete with all hops etc, you just dissolved the can of LME in hot water and then topped up to 19 litres with additional water.

I moved straight from here to AG brewing and generally brew small 5 or 8 litre batches due to the lack of space for larger equipment.

My question is, if I do a partial mash, do I need to add LME to the boil at any point? In my head I figure I should be able to mash the speciality malts and then boil these as usual with the full amount of hops, then add LME and top up water in the fermenter to come all the way up to 19 litres filling my fermenting bucket but only using my smaller 12 litre kettle (stock pot!).

Is this actually feasible, or should I just stick to my small batches...?

Thanks!​

 

[MyQul]

That shouldnt be a problem. After all you dont boil the LME for a kit do you? I've never done a partial mash so i'll drawn @Slid 's attention to the thread as he's forum partial mash meister as he's done loads of em

 

[two_tails]

Thanks, it seemed like it made sense to me, but having never done it, maybe there are unforeseen issues I've not thought about.

 

[two_tails]

Hi everyone,

I've had a play around in Beersmith (I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm doing!) and have come up with the below. I was intending on still doing a full mash, and then adding the liquid extract at the end. At the moment the recipe calls for building the LME, is this a necessary step bearing in mind, the reason for doing things this way is that I don't have the ability to boil large quantities of liquid.

I'd love to hear your opinions - all the gravity, bitterness, IBUs etc all match my original, smaller batch AG recipe, so how bad can it be?!​

 

[RichK]

Partial mash with the additional LME going straight into the fermenter works fine.

 

[terrym]

This might be useful too
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/simple-kit-plus-mini-mash-method-to-improve-a-kit.52938/
The basics are similar.

 

[two_tails]

Awesome, thanks both!

 

[ExpatBrewer]

I do PM brews exclusively these days - typically 50/50, mash/extract. I mash around 2 - 2.5kg of grain adding the LME at the very end of the boil. One thing to look at and factor in is your boil volume and pre-boil gravity as this will have an impact on hop utilisation.

 

[two_tails]

Thanks, looks like a need to do some reading up on hop utilisation next. Every days a school day :)

 

[steve denholm]

Hey, I do partial mashes as well as I can't heat 5g of water, (doing a partial wit this weekend also with Stevenage water :) ), I'm using a couple of KG of grain into a mash tun, then boil do the boil with the wort from that, 1.5kg of LME into the FV then the boiled wort ontop of that topped of with cold water, seems to work pretty well :).
Hope this helps
Steve

 

[Slid]

This might be useful too
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/simple-kit-plus-mini-mash-method-to-improve-a-kit.52938/
The basics are similar.

Belated response - I was away for the weekend Oct 20 as it was SWMBO's birthday.

The thread referenced above is where I got my ideas from. Basically I would make a 12L AG batch using a 12L Wilko pot and mashing around 2.75kg of grain in the oven (lowest setting at 50C keeps it at 65C for the hour). A bag to strain and sparge gives 12L in the pot and a slowish boil for up to an hour was fine. It can be cooled quite easily in the sink, as adding a kit and cold water brings it easily down to pitching temps.

I usually used a Coopers kit, plus something like 2.5kg MO and 250g crystal. The kit gives you most of the bittering, so it must be possible to reduce the boil down to 30 mins, with late hop additions.

 

[phildo79]

Using DME is a safer option. LME sinks to the bottom of the brew kettle and can scorch. DME floats whilst you stir it into the boil. Plus, pound for pound, it should yield a higher ABV. But either can be added towards the end of the boil.

 

[terrym]

Using DME is a safer option. LME sinks to the bottom of the brew kettle and can scorch. DME floats whilst you stir it into the boil. Plus, pound for pound, it should yield a higher ABV. But either can be added towards the end of the boil.

If I'm dissolving LME in water for an extract brew for example, I heat the water to boiling or thereabouts, then remove from the heat, add the LME, stir until fully dissolved, then put back on the heat to re-establish the temperature.
I work on 1kg Pale Malt = 750g LME = 650g DME for converting recipes.
And if you are doing a partial mash with a kit or malt extract you don't necessarily need to boil the malt extract you can just add it straight to the FV, just like for a kit , thereby saving on boil volume.

 

[two_tails]

Lots of useful info, thanks everyone.

Belated response - I was away for the weekend Oct 20 as it was SWMBO's birthday.

The thread referenced above is where I got my ideas from. Basically I would make a 12L AG batch using a 12L Wilko pot and mashing around 2.75kg of grain in the oven (lowest setting at 50C keeps it at 65C for the hour). A bag to strain and sparge gives 12L in the pot and a slowish boil for up to an hour was fine. It can be cooled quite easily in the sink, as adding a kit and cold water brings it easily down to pitching temps.

I usually used a Coopers kit, plus something like 2.5kg MO and 250g crystal. The kit gives you most of the bittering, so it must be possible to reduce the boil down to 30 mins, with late hop additions.

How have I not thought about leaving the mash in the oven to keep temperature - that's a great idea. I always seem to struggle hitting an expected post mash gravity, having said that maybe I'm just useless at testing it properly as post boil always seems to be there or thereabouts!

Hey, I do partial mashes as well as I can't heat 5g of water, (doing a partial wit this weekend also with Stevenage water :) ), I'm using a couple of KG of grain into a mash tun, then boil do the boil with the wort from that, 1.5kg of LME into the FV then the boiled wort ontop of that topped of with cold water, seems to work pretty well :).
Hope this helps
Steve

I'm boiling up a batch with some Stevenage water as we speak :) After thinking about acting on the advice in this thread I remembered I didn't have any malt extract! Instead I'm brewing a small AG batch using Brewdog's Dead Pony Club recipe.

 

[steve denholm]

Lots of useful info, thanks everyone.



How have I not thought about leaving the mash in the oven to keep temperature - that's a great idea. I always seem to struggle hitting an expected post mash gravity, having said that maybe I'm just useless at testing it properly as post boil always seems to be there or thereabouts!



I'm boiling up a batch with some Stevenage water as we speak :) After thinking about acting on the advice in this thread I remembered I didn't have any malt extract! Instead I'm brewing a small AG batch using Brewdog's Dead Pony Club recipe.

It's not Datchworth water is it? :)

 

[two_tails]

It's not Datchworth water is it? :)

Unfortunately not, its edge of Stevenage near Great Ashby water

 

[steve denholm]

Unfortunately not, its edge of Stevenage near Great Ashby water

that's a shame I thought I had an emergency run out of yeast neighbour :)