Steeping /partial mash ???

[liamf89]

Can someone please help me understand this and tell me if I am getting this correct...with steeping you steep specialty grains like carapile , crystal ect to enhance body of brew mouth feel head retention ect with 20-30 min at 67℃ or so ...with partial mash do you use base grains steep for 1hour and rinse to extract the sugars mean you can use slot less lme, dme therefore saving a good bit of money . .also I read you add your specialty grains In with the base grains for the 1hour steep at 67℃ which kind or confused me as I read before that if you steep your specialty longer than half and hour can produce of flavours. If anyone can clear this all up for me and educate me would be much appreciated thanks 😊

 

[Slid]

Can someone please help me understand this and tell me if I am getting this correct...with steeping you steep specialty grains like carapils , crystal etc to enhance body of brew mouth feel head retention etc with 20-30 min at 67℃ or so ...with partial mash do you use base grains steep for 1hour and rinse to extract the sugars mean you can use lots less lme, dme therefore saving a good bit of money . .also I read you add your specialty grains In with the base grains for the 1hour steep at 67℃ which kind or confused me as I read before that if you steep your specialty longer than half and hour can produce of flavours. If anyone can clear this all up for me and educate me would be much appreciated thanks 😊

Hi Liam

What you outline above is correct.

The way kit brewers (like me) might progress goes something like this:

Add some steeping grains - these do not need a full mash and include Crystal, Chocolate and Roast Barley. Since a dark beer is fairly forgiving in kit form, this is a great start. You don't need much grain - 200g will make a gig difference. It does need to be boiled, though, and this gives you a useful way to add a few hops as well.

A partial mash extends the fresh grain proportion in your beer, but you will need a sizeable pot. (I got mine from Wilko and it was then marketed as a stock pot at 15L. It does have a noticeable line of "usefulness" on it at 12.5L and on that basis, it could be the same pot that is the 12.5L pot available now.)

You would add to each ~ 3L of water at around 75C, 1kg of grain - mainly base malt, but plus other grains as well. The aim is to mash it at ~ 65C (63-69) for an hour or so.

A 15L pot will take 2.5kg grain easily and even up to 3kg at a pinch, when you know the process well.

A large oven on the lowest setting ~ 50C holds the temps, brilliantly. A quick stir after 30 mins is a good move.

Steeping can be done at a range of temps, but as you say, steeping for a long period outside of mashing temperatures could be a problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[liamf89]

Hi Liam

What you outline above is correct.

The way kit brewers (like me) might progress goes something like this:

Add some steeping grains - these do not need a full mash and include Crystal, Chocolate and Roast Barley. Since a dark beer is fairly forgiving in kit form, this is a great start. You don't need much grain - 200g will make a gig difference. It does need to be boiled, though, and this gives you a useful way to add a few hops as well.

A partial mash extends the fresh grain proportion in your beer, but you will need a sizeable pot. (I got mine from Wilko and it was then marketed as a stock pot at 15L. It does have a noticeable line of "usefulness" on it at 12.5L and on that basis, it could be the same pot that is the 12.5L pot available now.)

You would add to each ~ 3L of water at around 75C, 1kg of grain - mainly base malt, but plus other grains as well. The aim is to mash it at ~ 65C (63-69) for an hour or so.

A 15L pot will take 2.5kg grain easily and even up to 3kg at a pinch, when you know the process well.

A large oven on the lowest setting ~ 50C holds the temps, brilliantly. A quick stir after 30 mins is a good move.

Steeping can be done at a range of temps, but as you say, steeping for a long period outside of mashing temperatures could be a problem.

Hope this helps.

At the minute I'm doing extract brews in a peco boiler and am happy with the results . Generally do 30 min with specialty grains at 67℃ for 30min with 10-15L of water then fill to 25L to get 21-22L patch bring to boil while adding about 3kg of dme . And then do 60min boil adding hops at different times whirlfloc tab and cool then pitch yeast . But if doing a partial mash with base grains to extract the malt and reduce the amount of dme I need would only take extra half hour and save me serious money I think I might be better of. I use an inkbird to control temperature so it's not like it would be any more difficult just taken extra half hour..could you get basically all your malt from a partial mash for your beer and how much grains would you need

 

[Slid]

At the minute I'm doing extract brews in a peco boiler and am happy with the results . Generally do 30 min with specialty grains at 67℃ for 30min with 10-15L of water then fill to 25L to get 21-22L patch bring to boil while adding about 3kg of dme . And then do 60min boil adding hops at different times whirlfloc tab and cool then pitch yeast . But if doing a partial mash with base grains to extract the malt and reduce the amount of dme I need would only take extra half hour and save me serious money I think I might be better of. I use an inkbird to control temperature so it's not like it would be any more difficult just taken extra half hour..could you get basically all your malt from a partial mash for your beer and how much grains would you need

Typical grain bill for 40 pints / 23L is ~5kg. You would just need a large nylon grain bag for mashing in. For most AG methodologies, there is a "mash-out" and a sparge. This means raising the mash temp to 75C for 10 mins and then draining the grain bag and using 75C water to extract some more sugars before the boil. Somehow, it will be more like an extra 1.5 hours than 30 mins.

 

[liamf89]

Typical grain bill for 40 pints / 23L is ~5kg. You would just need a large nylon grain bag for mashing in. For most AG methodologies, there is a "mash-out" and a sparge. This means raising the mash temp to 75C for 10 mins and then draining the grain bag and using 75C water to extract some more sugars before the boil. Somehow, it will be more like an extra 1.5 hours than 30 mins.

So if I got 3kg of base grains and steeped at 67 for one hour then take out and rinse with hot water then would probably need about kg of dme to get og up.. then fill to 25L like I normally do with my extract and bring to boil and do 60min with hop additions.. would that not only be an extra half hour on to how I normally do it with the extra half hour on to the steep to extract malt

 

[Slid]

So if I got 3kg of base grains and steeped at 67 for one hour then take out and rinse with hot water then would probably need about kg of dme to get og up.. then fill to 25L like I normally do with my extract and bring to boil and do 60min with hop additions.. would that not only be an extra half hour on to how I normally do it with the extra half hour on to the steep to extract malt

I like your approach, my friend and would never disagree with a keen brewer. Just be sure to ask on here if anything goes slightly off-plan.

The DME does not really need that length of boil. Otherwise, A1 plan :thumb:

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted.

 

[liamf89]

I like your approach, my friend and would never disagree with a keen brewer. Just be sure to ask on here if anything goes slightly off-plan.

The DME does not really need that length of boil. Otherwise, A1 plan :thumb:

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted.

yeah I know the dme doesn't need that long but I left it till near the end one time and ended up with too much liquid because I started with 25L boil and then adding the dme at end brought the volume up which never calculated that in like I should of before filling to 25L.. so now I normally just add it after steeping specialty grains while I am topping it up and bringing to boil..is this bad for the beer do you think

 

[Slid]

yeah I know the dme doesn't need that long but I left it till near the end one time and ended up with too much liquid because I started with 25L boil and then adding the dme at end brought the volume up which never calculated that in like I should of before filling to 25L.. so now I normally just add it after steeping specialty grains while I am topping it up and bringing to boil..is this bad for the beer do you think

No, this should be fine