Partial Mash - Confused Newb Questions

[MotoGP1000]

Hey Everyone -

Im new to the brewing world, made my first extract batch, and now I’m ready to start going into partial mashing.    I am however a little confused about the order of things as things seems to differ from Youtube video to video I watch.

I have a 5gal brewing kit.  Just bought an Igloo cooler to convert into a mash tun.    Hopefully I dont bore or annoy you with ‘day 1’ questions.    Below is what I was planning to follow but was hoping for a little confirmation or suggestions.

1. For every pound of grain in the recipe, collect 1 quart of water in the mash kettle. This will be the mash water. E.g, 3 pounds of grain = 3 quarts of water.    This seems self explanatory

*2. Heat mash water to strike temperature. Approximately 10°F warmer than the first mash temperature in the recipe (e.g., if the first mash temperature is 152°F, heat the water to 162°F).   *

Again self explanatory

3. Add crushed grain to the hot mash water in the pot. Stir well to thoroughly mix the grain in!  Do i use a bag or just let the grains go freely in the water?

4. Measure the temperature of the grain-water mixture. It should stabilize within 1-2° of the mash temperature given in the kit inventory. Add cool or hot water as needed to bring it into this range.  No need to explain

5. Hold temperature for mash rest. Maintain the mash temperature for the time specified by the kit inventory.      no need to explain other than i think mash time/temps are relatively static?

6. Collect and heat sparge water. Using the second pot, collect the same amount of water used in Step #1, heat it to 170°F, and hold it at that temperature until it’s needed in Step #9.

Do i absolutely need a 2nd pot if I have the Igloo mash tun?

7. Raise temperature to next mash rest. Return the mash kettle to the stove and apply very low heat. Stop heating when the next mash temperature is reached and repeat Step #5. Mash-Out: All kits end with a final mash temperature of 168°F, or “mash-out.” After mash-out, proceed to Step #8.

8. Separate the grain from the liquid portion of the mash. Don’t spill or waste the liquid, which is now the wort.

this would be the mash now in the igloo mash tun and draining back into pot?

*9. Sparge the grain. Slowly pour the 170°F sparge water through the grain, one quart at a time, until it’s gone. Collect the sparge water along with the wort in the boil kettle. Discard the grain.*Essentially the same as the step above only Im empytying 2nd batch of water into igloo mash tun and draining into pot again?

step 10 and 11 are self explanatory
10. Top up the kettle (if needed). Add more water if necessary to achieve your normal boil volume.
11. Boil the wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes with malt extract and hops, chill the wort, and top up in the fermenter to a final volume of five gallons, exactly as you would for an extract batch

I guess im just confused about where my igloo mash tun comes into play and what all am i moving around in this process.    Any help would be awesome

Thanks!! 

[morticaixavier]

It sound like your kit instructions assume you are doing a Brew in a Bag mash or mashing directly in the kettle hence the instructions for a second pot for the Sparge water.

I would personally simplify things a lot by mashing in with 2 qt/lb of grain in the cooler (you probably want to go more like 5 degrees above your target temp here instead of 10 but there are on line calculators that will give you the exact strike temp). Let it sit an hour then drain off. You only need a bag if that is the filter mechanism you chose to use on your mash tun.

After an hour you can run off the wort (and here you might need an extra kettle or you can just run off into your fermenter for now) and add the sparge water all at once. stir, and let sit for 10 minutes then run off the second runnings wort into your boil kettle. add the first runnings and begin the boil.

Check out dennybrew.com for more detailed instructions on the mash tun build and the basics of batch spargeing.

@MotoGP1000

Hey Everyone -

Im new to the brewing world, made my first extract batch, and now I’m ready to start going into partial mashing.    I am however a little confused about the order of things as things seems to differ from Youtube video to video I watch.

I have a 5gal brewing kit.  Just bought an Igloo cooler to convert into a mash tun.    Hopefully I dont bore or annoy you with ‘day 1’ questions.    Below is what I was planning to follow but was hoping for a little confirmation or suggestions.

1. For every pound of grain in the recipe, collect 1 quart of water in the mash kettle. This will be the mash water. E.g, 3 pounds of grain = 3 quarts of water.    This seems self explanatory

*2. Heat mash water to strike temperature. Approximately 10°F warmer than the first mash temperature in the recipe (e.g., if the first mash temperature is 152°F, heat the water to 162°F).   *

Again self explanatory

3. Add crushed grain to the hot mash water in the pot. Stir well to thoroughly mix the grain in!  Do i use a bag or just let the grains go freely in the water?

4. Measure the temperature of the grain-water mixture. It should stabilize within 1-2° of the mash temperature given in the kit inventory. Add cool or hot water as needed to bring it into this range.  No need to explain

5. Hold temperature for mash rest. Maintain the mash temperature for the time specified by the kit inventory.      no need to explain other than i think mash time/temps are relatively static?

6. Collect and heat sparge water. Using the second pot, collect the same amount of water used in Step #1, heat it to 170°F, and hold it at that temperature until it’s needed in Step #9.

Do i absolutely need a 2nd pot if I have the Igloo mash tun?

7. Raise temperature to next mash rest. Return the mash kettle to the stove and apply very low heat. Stop heating when the next mash temperature is reached and repeat Step #5. Mash-Out: All kits end with a final mash temperature of 168°F, or “mash-out.” After mash-out, proceed to Step #8.

8. Separate the grain from the liquid portion of the mash. Don’t spill or waste the liquid, which is now the wort.

this would be the mash now in the igloo mash tun and draining back into pot?

*9. Sparge the grain. Slowly pour the 170°F sparge water through the grain, one quart at a time, until it’s gone. Collect the sparge water along with the wort in the boil kettle. Discard the grain.*Essentially the same as the step above only Im empytying 2nd batch of water into igloo mash tun and draining into pot again?

step 10 and 11 are self explanatory
10. Top up the kettle (if needed). Add more water if necessary to achieve your normal boil volume.
11. Boil the wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes with malt extract and hops, chill the wort, and top up in the fermenter to a final volume of five gallons, exactly as you would for an extract batch

I guess im just confused about where my igloo mash tun comes into play and what all am i moving around in this process.    Any help would be awesome

Thanks!! 

[stpug]

@MotoGP1000

Hey Everyone -

Im new to the brewing world, made my first extract batch, and now I’m ready to start going into partial mashing.    I am however a little confused about the order of things as things seems to differ from Youtube video to video I watch.

I have a 5gal brewing kit.  Just bought an Igloo cooler to convert into a mash tun.    Hopefully I dont bore or annoy you with ‘day 1’ questions.    Below is what I was planning to follow but was hoping for a little confirmation or suggestions.

1. For every pound of grain in the recipe, collect 1 quart of water in the mash kettle. This will be the mash water. E.g, 3 pounds of grain = 3 quarts of water.    This seems self explanatory
Don’t forget to account for grain absorption. If you put 3 quarts of water in 3 pounds of grain then you will get <3 quarts of wort back out - even with squeezing.

*2. Heat mash water to strike temperature. Approximately 10°F warmer than the first mash temperature in the recipe (e.g., if the first mash temperature is 152°F, heat the water to 162°F).   *   Again self explanatory.
Yes, that’s approximate but should work. If you have some cold and boiling water on hand then you can quickly adjust if you end up way off your mark.

3. Add crushed grain to the hot mash water in the pot. Stir well to thoroughly mix the grain in!  Do i use a bag or just let the grains go freely in the water?
However you choose to do it is fine, but you will want to separate the grain from the wort when you’re all done mashing. The goal is complete conversion and good separation of grain from wort.

4. Measure the temperature of the grain-water mixture. It should stabilize within 1-2° of the mash temperature given in the kit inventory. Add cool or hot water as needed to bring it into this range.  No need to explain

5. Hold temperature for mash rest. Maintain the mash temperature for the time specified by the kit inventory.      no need to explain other than i think mash time/temps are relatively static?
Mash time and temp are not static, but I’ve heard of folks who always mash the same temp and time for every batch. I, myself, do not. I target a beer profile and based on my end goal and yeast strain adjust this way or that.

6. Collect and heat sparge water. Using the second pot, collect the same amount of water used in Step #1, heat it to 170°F, and hold it at that temperature until it’s needed in Step #9.  Do i absolutely need a 2nd pot if I have the Igloo mash tun?
Your igloo mash tun can serve as your mash tun and you can use your other pot as your hot liquor tank. Again, the goal is to convert the starches to sugars and get as much of them out as you reasonably can get with as little grain debris as possible. However this is accomplished is probably a fine way of doing it. If your grain is encased in a fine-screened bag then you can simply lift the bag out of the MLT/pot and you’re left with your wort. Sparging will simply help to rinse extra sugars from the grain so you’ll be getting more sugars but at the cost of more wort.

7. Raise temperature to next mash rest. Return the mash kettle to the stove and apply very low heat. Stop heating when the next mash temperature is reached and repeat Step #5. Mash-Out: All kits end with a final mash temperature of 168°F, or “mash-out.” After mash-out, proceed to Step #8.
IMO, any kind of stepped mash is overboard for your first mash, especially a partial mash brew. You run into potential risks when stepping and direct heating that I don’t think are needed for your first “mashed” brew.

*8. Separate the grain from the liquid portion of the mash. Don’t spill or waste the liquid, which is now the wort.*this would be the mash now in the igloo mash tun and draining back into pot?
If you use the igloo MLT then the water portion of that mash is your wort, the remainder will become the spent grains. You simply need to filter the grain from the liquid, and get the liquid into your boil kettle.

*9. Sparge the grain. Slowly pour the 170°F sparge water through the grain, one quart at a time, until it’s gone. Collect the sparge water along with the wort in the boil kettle. Discard the grain.*Essentially the same as the step above only Im empytying 2nd batch of water into igloo mash tun and draining into pot again?
Yes, your description sounds correct. Separating another batch of wort from the grains, after you’ve collected your first batch of wort of course.

step 10 and 11 are self explanatory
10. Top up the kettle (if needed). Add more water if necessary to achieve your normal boil volume.
This volume will be your batch size + evaporation amount from the boil + losses in the boil kettle + losses in the fermenter, that way you end up with the amount of beer at bottling/kegging that you expect.

11. Boil the wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes with malt extract and hops, chill the wort, and top up in the fermenter to a final volume of five gallons, exactly as you would for an extract batch
    Sounds good

I guess im just confused about where my igloo mash tun comes into play and what all am i moving around in this process.    Any help would be awesome
Your igloo is your mash lauter tun (MLT) and holds the mash. It should have something in it to assist in holding back the grain when the wort drains out. It will be used as such:
-put in strike water
-add grain and mix
-mash at your temp for your time
-filter out the wort (first runnings) into your boil kettle (BK)
-add your sparge water and mix
-filter out the wort (second runnings) into your BK
-done - now clean it up.

Thanks!! 

Hope this helps. I’m assuming your batch sparging and that’s what my comments are based off of.

[MotoGP1000]

Hey!  thanks!!

Yeah I just pulled off my first round of partial grain today.    I pretty much did it to spec as you listed.

Hoping for good things! ;D

[santoch]

Congrats!  Be sure to post the results

[crakers540]

I’ve done partial mashes for years, using up to 3 lbs total of grain.  I try to keep it simple.  I place all grains in a bag (I am cheap, so I made bags from fine mesh cheesecloth, used my Wife’s sewing machine to create a bag).

I heat water (about 2 qts per pound) in my boil kettle to strike water temp.  Lower grains in the bag (I use zip-ties to close the bag) into the water, and hang the bag from a dowel rod to keep it off the bottom of the kettle.
Add heat as needed to keep temp, and continuously agitate the bag by poking it with the handle on my large stirring spoon to ensure even temp within the bag.

After mash time is complete, I raise and drain the bag (squeezing) into the same kettle.  I then place the bag into the same volume of water used for strike (2 qts per pound) at around 170F, and continue to agitate the bag by poking and squeezing to get as much out as possible.  I then add this “sparge” water to boil kettle, add extracts, bring to boil volume, and start my boil.