Hello!
I'm trying to get into more partial grain brewing from a background of extracts and steeped grains. The more I find out, the more it seems that I lack knowledge.
Ok. So I'm looking to produce 5gal batches (19L) and my main brewpot is 21L. This means that I'm usually topping up my wort a little at the end and so technically performing a partial boil. I could split the wort, do 1-2gal in my other big pot which is 3gal, but as a working outline going forward. Is it that big of a deal to basically boil 16-18L depending on how likely it is to boil over, add my extract at flame out and then top the primary that small amount?
For my steeping grains, should I steep them separately and then add the liquid to the boil or process them as part of my partial mash? Is there a significant difference? I feel like mashing them with grain will get the best value out of them, but by doing them separately, I could use another pan and increase my boil volume if this is a benefit, and maybe the independant control can give superior flavour?
For my partial mash, my working outline is to preheat my 3gal pot and water, dough in, lid and perform protein rest/deglue if required (I want to brew wheat) add further water to bring the temperature up to mashing temperature and put it in my oven for 60-90 minutes to hold temperature through the mash. Then pour the whole lot through a grain bag lined colander sat atop my big brew pot, let it drip while I heat sparge water in the now empty smaller pot then use the bag to lift the grain and 'teabag' in my sparge water, lift and let drip, put back in the colander and then pour over my sparge water. Sound like it could work? Any room for improvements or suggestions? What about working quantities? I'm thinking no more than 2-4lb of grain per 5gal batch.
Then boil and perform hopping as usual. Add DME or LME at flame out. Chill with chiller and so on.
I might be overcomplicating it but I sort of want to complicate it. Also thinking about ph. I hear a problem with partial grain is that the grain amount often isn't enough to raise the ph to 5.5 or higher so the solution is to either use less water to gain (and suffer less efficiency?) or to use a weak wort solution to mash with? Can I not raise ph with some chemistry?
Also reading on here, seems a little sugar is a good thing for helping to create dry beers. Also about mash temperature, lower temperatures create more fermentable wort than higher temperatures emphasising alpha-amalyze. Worth matching to style to control dryness or is yeast selection and sugar additions more common to correct/adjust these factors?
I'm trying to get into more partial grain brewing from a background of extracts and steeped grains. The more I find out, the more it seems that I lack knowledge.
Ok. So I'm looking to produce 5gal batches (19L) and my main brewpot is 21L. This means that I'm usually topping up my wort a little at the end and so technically performing a partial boil. I could split the wort, do 1-2gal in my other big pot which is 3gal, but as a working outline going forward. Is it that big of a deal to basically boil 16-18L depending on how likely it is to boil over, add my extract at flame out and then top the primary that small amount?
For my steeping grains, should I steep them separately and then add the liquid to the boil or process them as part of my partial mash? Is there a significant difference? I feel like mashing them with grain will get the best value out of them, but by doing them separately, I could use another pan and increase my boil volume if this is a benefit, and maybe the independant control can give superior flavour?
For my partial mash, my working outline is to preheat my 3gal pot and water, dough in, lid and perform protein rest/deglue if required (I want to brew wheat) add further water to bring the temperature up to mashing temperature and put it in my oven for 60-90 minutes to hold temperature through the mash. Then pour the whole lot through a grain bag lined colander sat atop my big brew pot, let it drip while I heat sparge water in the now empty smaller pot then use the bag to lift the grain and 'teabag' in my sparge water, lift and let drip, put back in the colander and then pour over my sparge water. Sound like it could work? Any room for improvements or suggestions? What about working quantities? I'm thinking no more than 2-4lb of grain per 5gal batch.
Then boil and perform hopping as usual. Add DME or LME at flame out. Chill with chiller and so on.
I might be overcomplicating it but I sort of want to complicate it. Also thinking about ph. I hear a problem with partial grain is that the grain amount often isn't enough to raise the ph to 5.5 or higher so the solution is to either use less water to gain (and suffer less efficiency?) or to use a weak wort solution to mash with? Can I not raise ph with some chemistry?
Also reading on here, seems a little sugar is a good thing for helping to create dry beers. Also about mash temperature, lower temperatures create more fermentable wort than higher temperatures emphasising alpha-amalyze. Worth matching to style to control dryness or is yeast selection and sugar additions more common to correct/adjust these factors?
