This is the first time I’m brewing a Partial mash recipe, when mashing the grain (steeping) is it best to use a large Muslin bag or just ad the grains in the water and use a strainer to collect the grains after the mash?
When I was doing PM I used a bag. Less chance of mess.
Think of it as a large tea-bag. Works fantastic.
Any idea on how much gains will fit in a large muslin bag? The place I got it from stated 3 - 5 lbs. I bought two large muslin bags, would I be able to add the grains to mash into one large bag or even separate the gains in two different bags to make sure I have room for the grains to swell? I have about 5lbs of grains to mash.
I’d do it all in one bag if the grain will fit. It swells but not that much. You’ll need some way to lift the bag out of the hot wort without burning yourself. Then you can let it drain by hanging it somehow or hold it there. It’s ok to squeeze the bag.
I like to the steep as a mini-mash @ 2qt/lb in a bag in a separate pot. Remove it and get all the liquid I can then dunk it in the primary pot of water before adding the extract. That way you get some extra goodness.
Thanks for the info and tips.
Just don’t put so much grain in that the bag looks like sausage. I’ve seen that and I’m pretty sure conversion and efficiency are going wrong.
You definitely want the bag to be loose. If it’s tight, the center may not even get wet.
Poke it and stir it with a long handle spoon while it’s mashing.
I have a large ss strainer that I put the grain bag into and let it drip back into the pot. I also rinse the grains while they’re in the strainer.
I put the bag on the side in a bowl and save the last bit of draining to use for starters.
+1
I use a grain bag at times and if I overfill, my efficiency is crap. Doesn’t matter how much poking and stirring I do, I will lose way more gravity points than I’m comfortable with. Find a large enough bag to fit all the grains with ease.
I found that you can strain, but the grain bags made it far easier and the beer came out great either way. I’ve had one “accident” trying to “strain” beer and for partial mashes I kept on using grain bags after that.
EDIT: also consider getting paint strainer bags from home depot. They hold a lot more than a muslin bag, and can be re-used if you clean them immediately after use. I use them for hops mainly, but they work great in a mini-mash too.
One of my batches recently some of the grain escaped from the bag, and I was still fishing them out when it came time to bottle. Use a bag for sure.
It sounds like you might have enough grain to warrant the use of a 5-gallon paint strainer bag. You defiantly want the grains to be able to swim.
Here’s my little BIAB setup:
+1 on the paint strainer bags. Very cheap, fit perfectly in my boil kettle and you can put as many grains in as you want.