Partial Mash Brewing

Last year in the span of a month; a home brewer told me about how easy partial mashing was, I found an article in Brew Your Own magazine about it, and I got Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing which gives very simple instructions on how to partial mash. Bottom line...the signs were there that I needed to make this step into partial mashing. I was intimidated by the idea of moving into all-grain before this, and now I'm definitely not. As of right now I don't have any plans to move into all-grain, while I might eventually, I'm satisfied right now with my system and like what I can do with partial mashing. I don't believe partial mashing is superior or inferior to either extract or all-grain brewing. I like making extract recipes, and some of my best beers are extracts. However, I do enjoy the extra step of partial mashing and that it allows me to mess with some base malts and other grains a bit more than I could before.
For those unfamiliar or curious about moving past steeping grains in an extract recipe, here's a basic breakdown.

1. You need to buy some more toys, primarily a small 2-gallon cooler. I suggest replacing the valve with something that flows easier. I did it with a bung, a small piece of tubing and a cheap plastic valve. And a bigger muslin bag.

2. You change your recipe to limit the amount of extract you have and increase the amounts of grains and some base malt. An example of your grain bill might be:
4 lbs- 6lbs Malt Extract
1-2 lbs base malt like 2-row, pilsner, munich, etc.
1-2 lbs of specialty grains.

(I suggest reading one of the links above for better breakdowns and recipes). I also suggest using Beertools.com (which is free) or another kind of brewing software.

3. Place your grains in the grain bag. Gather water with the following equation: 1 quart per pound. Heat up strike water to 11 degrees over your target (which is usually 150 to be safe, at least that's what Mosher suggests). Once your water hits the target, pour the water into the cooler, slowly put the grain bag in, mashing it with a spoon or mashing paddle. Then take the temp, adjust with warm or cold water if needed. Let the cooler sit for 45-60 minutes (although I've heard of 30 minutes since the cooler might not hold the heat long). I've tried both methods and haven't noticed a difference.

4. When the time is up, drain the cooler into a vessel, and then pour it back over the grains (I believe it's called vorlaufing), and finally pour a gallon of water (heated to 180) over the grains (sparge). Pour in the rest of the water you would normally boil, then start your boil from there.

It's a really easy process once you do it. I made this video about it:




So, for those extract brewers looking for an easy step towards all-grain, but not quite ready to make the plunge (time and/or financial) this is a very easy process. And as I mentioned, its a great way to start learning about different malts. It also is cheaper because extract is usually more expensive than a couple pounds of grain, so you're cutting out those costs.
Post questions if you have them or consult one of the resources I mentioned.
Salud!
The Bearded Brewer