I’m fairly new to home brewing. I’ve brewed several extract kits and over the weekend just brewed my first partial mash kit. I have partial mash recipe for a SNPA clone that I plan on brewing next.
My question is, what are the water guidelines for the partial mash and sparge? My recipe doesn’t list this. I’ve read that for a full grain mash it’s about 1.25-1.5 qt of water per lb. of grain, and 3 qt of water per lb. for the sparge. Are the guidelines for a partial mash the same?
You don’t say where your kit came from. This is Northern Brewers’ partial mash instructions for Speckled Heifer. You can fly sparge with any volume up to your boil volume. Temperature of sparge water is important.
Collect and heat 5 quarts of water to 164°F in
your mash kettle.
Crush the grains if they are unmilled. Pour crushed grain
into your nylon mesh bag and place in the kettle, or if
you are not using a nylon bag pour the grain directly into
your mash kettle.
Adjust the temperature. Take a temperature reading of the
mixture. The temperature should be within 1-2°F of 152°F. If
not, adjust by adding cold or hot water as needed.
Put the lid on your mash kettle and wrap it in old towels
or blankets to insulate it, or put it in an oven set to “warm”
or “low” to maintain the temperature (make sure your oven
is not too hot! The temperature of the oven should be at or
under 152°F). Leave for one hour.
While the mash rests, collect and heat sparge water in your
second pot. Collect 5 quarts of water and heat to 170°F. Hold
at this temperature until the mash is finished.
When the one hour mash is finished, return the mash kettle
to the stove (without towels!) and apply very low heat. Raise
the temperature of the mash to 170°F, being careful not to
scorch the grains.
Separate the grain from the liquid portion of the mash.
Remove the grains from the mash - don’t spill or waste the
liquid, which is now the wort. If using a mesh bag, you can
simply lift it out. If not using a mesh bag, scoop the grain
into a colander or sieve over a bowl or pan to collect the
drips. If you are using a separate kettle to boil with, pour the
wort from the mash kettle to the boil kettle.
Sparge the grain. Using a strainer or mesh bag, hold the
grain over the wort in the kettle. Slowly pour the 170° F
sparge water through the grain, one quart at a time, until it’s
gone. Collect the sparge water along with the wort in the boil
kettle. When this step is finished, you may discard the grain.
Top up the kettle. Add more water if necessary to achieve
your normal boil volume.
