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Considering a PM and have some equipment ideas/questions
So I have a good handle on extract brews and the fermentation process. I am interested in moving up and trying a partial mash. I have a few questions and ideas about some equipment. I have an 8 gallon kettle and another 6 gallon kettle. I put a kettle valve in the 8 gallon kettle. What my idea is to put a bazooka screen in the large kettle with the valve, heat up my mash water and add the grains directly to the kettle. Then I can keep it on the heat of a gas stove to keep the temp desired (around 160 or so depending on recipe). Once the grains have been mashed, I can open the valve and drain the wort off into the other kettle and then use more heated sparge water to rinse the grains in the 'mash kettle'. Then I would boil as usual. Would this work as a good way of mashing the grains? My friend has tried the PM by using the large grain bag and we weren't happy with the results (poor extract from the grains). Let me know what you guys think. If this would work it is only a temporary fix until I can move up to getting a cooler mash tun and then that puts me one step closer to all-grain. I am also looking to making a Rye PA for my first PM, would the rye cause a problem with the bazooka screen?
I've been using partial mash as my regular brewing method for my last 15 batches or so. I typically mash 5 to 6 lbs of grain and make up what ever I need to with extract. My partial mash tun is a small (~ 3 gallons, not sure exactly) bright orange igloo cooler that has a few added parts to make a working valve for draining and straining. I inherited mine, but I've seen plans to make one for about $40.
Google image search "igloo partial mash tun" for a visual.
The main question I have about the setup you are talking about is temperature control. You described it as a kettle, so I'm assuming this is just a aluminum / steel kettle that you could use to brew with? Typical mash times are an hour, so unless you plan on putting it over a burner and watching it very closely your grain would fall out of the 148-156 degree range you need pretty quickly.
I've tried doing something similar for a decoction and it was extremely difficult to keep it in the right range. I think it's possible to do what you are talking about, just difficult and very labor intensive. Using the cooler I have, once I get it to the right temp and screw on the lid the temperature doesn't change by more than 1 degree over an hour.
It might be hard to maintain temp and prevent scortching in the pot the way you describe it.
If you don't want to go the cooler route, he is an alternative.
I'd preheat your oven to 170F. Usually, its the lowest setting on a standard home oven. Once its at temp shut it off. Then put the put with the grain in there to keep it from losing temp to fast. You can crack the door open with a wooden spoon to help prevent the thing from getting too warm. But it shouldn't really over heat too much.
I found a 10 gallon cooler in the shed and I am in the process of making it into a mash tun. I am planning on using the ss braid trick I have seen so many other people using. Hopefully this will work better than leaving the kettle on the heat. Would this work well for a PM even tho it is much less grain than in an all-grain batch?
Thats how I got into all grain. The other issue for you will be the quantity of your boil. My boil starts with around 9 gal. so I have a boil kettle made from an old keg.
I got an 8 gal kettle for christmas and I could probably handle a 7 gallon rolling boil on it. Why do all grains seem to start with such a high boil quantity?
basementbrewer wrote:
I got an 8 gal kettle for christmas and I could probably handle a 7 gallon rolling boil on it. Why do all grains seem to start with such a high boil quantity?
I think a big part of it is batch size. Almost everyone makes 5 gallon extract batches as a final volume. Once people start all graining they realize a 6 gallon batch post boil allows for 5.5 in the fermenter and 5 gallons come out for packaging. Where as a 5 gallon finishing volume usually results in less than 5 out for bottling, and alot of unwanted trub in the fermenter.
I start with a lot of wort, because I lose a lot to evaporation during the boil. on my last all grain brew, I mashed with 3 gallons, then sparged twice with 3 gallons each time, so I had over 8 gallons in the brew pot. after the boil I had 5 gallons, and I nailed my recipes og.
@hogarthe
WOW man thats almost a 50% evaporation rate? What are you boiling in a larger turkey pan with only 4 inches of depth?
I have been doing PMs for 5-6yrs. Keep thinking that I'm going to go to All Grain, but haven't got it all together yet.
Using stainless pots - 3, 4, & 5 gal I do a temperature mash in the 4 gal, usually 30 min each 120F, 150F, & 158F, then a 10min mash out @ 170F. The temp is pretty easy to hold using bath towels held in place with a light bungie cord. You do have to stir the mash while heating.
Heat the sparge water in the 3 gal pot.
Then to sparge, into the 5 gal. wort pot with a large stainless strainer, with the same kind of cloth your buddy probably made the bag out of, dump back in the mash tun, and batch sparge twice.
Using 6# of grains & around 2# of extract, or adjunct, like honey, brown sugar, corn sugar, and then adding water to 5.5gal in the fermenter, I'm regularly getting 1.050 - 1.054 SG, with ABV's in the 4.8 - 6% range.
brewchez wrote:
@hogarthe
WOW man thats almost a 50% evaporation rate? What are you boiling in a larger turkey pan with only 4 inches of depth?
I have a 15 gallon pot, Midwest sells them as Commercial quality kettles, other places call them mega-pots. it is very wide. I think I could fit a couch cushion in there, if I ever needed to boil one, lol. And boiling outside in the winter, the wide area exposed to the air evaporates a lot of liquid.
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