Questions about Extracts.
BK wrote:
What about the amount for a partial mash. Should I stay with the 4 pounds of DME/LME and 4 pounds of grians.
That's up to you. The only way it would hurt doing that is if you don't get the efficiency from the grains you were aiming for. Then it would affect the gravity readings. If you're confident you can get 70% efficiency then it would be fine going that route. The more grains you use the more important it is to get the efficiency right.
DC
When I was using kits thats what it was before. Some if the partial mash recipes I've been reading has a similar. So whats the least amout of extract can I use.
You don't need extract at all. You can use 1 oz, or 1/2 oz or all extract. Point is there isn't any perfect combination of grains and extract. the important things is if you use grains and are using them as part of the gravity needs you need to know what your fficiency will be or close to it or your beer will taste like carbonated water. extract helps take guesswork out of it for those of us who aren't seasoned all grainers. BeerTools is a site where you can formulate your own recipes according to different styles. It helps take the guesswork out of it. It's free too or you can upgrade to a premium version. I still use the free version. you can also put your recipes in a brewing library which is what I do so if one turns out good I can always access it there to make it again.
DC
BK wrote:
What about the amount for a partial mash. Should I stay with the 4 pounds of DME/LME and 4 pounds of grians.
This post is in reply to all you questions.
When I did extract brews I eventually just wen to all dry, because I found it easier to work with for measuring and resealing. Also I found that DME was more reliable than LME from a freshness standpoint, because DME has a better shelf life.
I always added all my extract at the beginning before my water boiled. But I was also doing full volume boils so color change wasn't an issue like doing a concentrated boil. (i.e. all the extract in only 2 gallons, then topped off in the fermenter with water to get to 5 gallons).
Seeing how you are doing partial mash, you could just boil your mashed wort, add hops on schedule, then with 15 minutes left add your DME and or LME. That will limit darkening on the extract and it will take less energy from the stove to keep the thing cooking (that second part is a minor point).
And as for more grains and less extract.... the more wort you create with a larger patial mash, the better the beer will get in most cases. That portion of the total wort will be fresher and you will have had more control over the profile of the wort (who really knows what goes into making a pound of amber DME??).
As for your last question that I quoted above. You need to just figure that out for yourself based upon what you want for final gravity to be. But the two do not need to be balanced. You can get 75% of your wort from the partial mash if you want.
The reason people do partial mash normally is because they don't have the room for a full mash or full boil. So they do a small mash to have some control over the final wort profile, but they still use extracts to make up the bulk of the wort.
If you find that your really starting to do more than 50% of the wort from mashing, then maybe its time to just drop the extract and go the rest of the way to all grain, because your more than half way at that point.
My last point is to start using just light DME or LME. Stay away from extracts called golden, amber or dark. Because when you do finally make it to all grain your going to ask yourself, so what is in dark DME? And no one has the answer to that. If you start only using light DME now, it will save you that headache later, because all your recipes will contain the coloring and flavoring from grains. Then you'll just be adding base malt to get the gravity to where you want it. And not coming up with a grainbill that mimicks 2lbs of amber DME and 3.3lbs of dark LME.
That helps a lot. Thanks. I've been looking at all grain equipment and reading about it. I'm not there yet but sometime soon. Its the time that gets me. I just went from extract with grains to partial about 3 tos beers ago so Im still learning. My last 2 were my own try at making a recipe. Turned out good. Amber and a Wheat.
Couple questions about using beer smith and adding grains. It asked for a couple things I do not have or they supply on the website.
Yield
Potential SG
Dry Yield, Fine Grain Percent.
Course Fine Difference Percent
Moisture%
Poperties
Diastice Power Linter
Max in Batch Percent
Protein %
Then there is figuring the efficiency.
It asked for....
Efficiency in boiler.
OG in boiler
Efficiency in fermentor
Actual batch volume.
I don't want to sound stupid but I'm a little confused.
What grains (maltster and variety) are you using and what websites are you checking? You can usually get that info from a malt analysis provided by the maltster's website.
Homebrewers Outpost.
Beersmith should have pre set values for your malts and these wont change too drastically. The lovibond rating on some grains does differ from maltster to maltster but the rest should stay fairly consistent. If not then like Firepit says you can check with the maltster's website.
I ordered my ingredients to day for another Amber. Only used 2 pounds of DME and all other grains. Hope it turns out well. My only issue is its almost time to go to full grain. My equipment might not be able to handle this much grains.