Extract Vs. Partial

[Cocko]

Hi,

At the risk of looking like a knob end :unsure:

Ok, So 'Extract' is steeping speciality grains to gain flavour, colour etc. But you still ad fermentables; LME, Dex etc

Specialty grains being kiln treated to pre-exspose sugars.

Partial is mashing and sparging grain to gain all your sugars [malt] from grains and you don't add any other fermentables...

Obviously skipping the boil process, just looking for an easy way to separate the 2 terms!!

Have I got this right?

Anyone?

 

[bconnery]

Hi,

At the risk of looking like a knob end :unsure:

Ok, So 'Extract' is steeping speciality grains to gain flavour, colour etc. But you still ad fermentables; LME, Dex etc

Specialty grains being kiln treated to pre-exspose sugars.

Partial is mashing and sparging grain to gain all your sugars [malt] from grains and you don't add any other fermentables...

Obviously skipping the boil process, just looking for an easy way to separate the 2 terms!!

Have I got this right?

Anyone?

Kind of. The extract description is pretty much spot on. You don't have to add grains, you can make all extract beers, but the process involves getting the bulk of your fermentables from extract.

Partial is mashing and sparging as outlined to gain some of your fermentables from a base malt, but topping up with extract or something else, so it's a partial grain as opposed to all grain.

Essentially it all comes down to where you get the bulk of your fermentables from I suppose.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

once again - kinda

The main difference I see between "partial" and "extract with steeping grains" is the sort of grains you can use. In both methods you are probably going to be getting most of your fermentables from malt extract, eithre dried or liquid, and a chunl of your flavour and character from specialty grains.

But when you simply steep some specialty grains, no real conversion of starch to sugar takes place, so you can only use grains where its not required. Crystal, roast malt, carafa etc etc

If you wanted to use some munich malt, amber malt, brown malt etc, or any unmalted adjunct - grains that need to have starch converted, then if you just steep them, thats not really going to happen and you will get some of their flavour, but you will also get their unconverted starch.

So for those grains, you sub out a little of you malt extract for a base malt like pilsner, this supplies a bunch of starch converting enzyemes, and you mash your "steeping grains" with that at a nice mid range mash temp like 65-66C, its just the same as steeping them really, just that tehy need to be held at a particular temperature for a while, and that you need to include a bit of a base grain (for some specialty grains you could get away without a base grain, butit wont hurt to put it in there, play it safe and do)

So now you have extract, and a small mash - so maybe you are gettigng 20-50% of your fermentables from the grains, and the rest from the extract. Thast = Mini-mash/Partial Mash

Thats as simple as I can do, sorry.

TB

PS - Oh, and in a partial, I would be boiling the liquid from the mashing part, its a mash just like an AG mash, just smaller. It still needs to be boiled. Maybe not for as long though.

 

[Cocko]

All good, thank you guys!!

Its a little clearer..... So I was not far off.

Cheers
Cocko
:icon_cheers:

 

[Adamt]

The way I see it:

Full Mash: All fermentables come from the mash, and a boil with full hop additions.

Partial: A mash (with base malt) to make up part of the fermentables... unhopped extracts added in boil and full hop additions.

Extract: No mash, unhopped extracts added in boil with full hop additions.

Kit + Specialties: Steeped specialties and a short boil, maybe with flavour/aroma hop additions, added to hopped kit and other extracts/adjuncts.

Dump and Stir: No boil, just dump and stir.

 

[Cocko]

Good wording Adamt - Thanks!

So in theory; you could do a full mash, with mash tun and HLT - to your fermenter, split a little off to a pot say 8 litres, for hop additions and add that back to your fementer to make up batch amount - get temp right, pitch etc... and all grain with out a 'full boil' or does a full boil finish off the mash/sparging process and/or need to be done for some reason??

:unsure:

Thanks again!

 

[Adamt]

All your liquor from steeping/mashing must be boiled due to potential nasties in the grain.

There's no reason you can't do 10L or smaller batches. You know what they say about variety.

 

[Cocko]

Exactly what I wanted to hear, cheers again At.

Full volume boil is needed for AG/Full mash - regardless of size...

Ok, Kettle must match batch size - Kettle shopping I shall go!

 

[Adamt]

Kettle should be quite a bit larger than batch size due to evaporation...

For standard 20-25L batches, I'd go no smaller than a 50L kettle.

 

[Cocko]

Yep, sorry bad wording on my behalf... I am going 50L 'Keggle' so all good....

Probably BIAB a few first....

Seriously, thanks heaps Adamt, you have cleared up a lot for me in a few well worded posts!


:beerbang:


Cocko.

 

[Cocko]

Anyone else got a opinion on this??

 

[pablo_h]

Like adamt said, Partial refers to partial mash and partial boil. Ie you might add a minimash of maris otter to add a little bit of flavour to your english bitter, but you are still using extract for the bulk of it. You are also normally doing a partial boil and topping up with water in the fermenter.