First Partial Mash

[AlanJones]

Thinking of doing first partial mash and found this simple recipe:

Poe's Boston Bitter
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.037 FG = 1.009
IBU = 33 SRM = 9 ABV = 3.6%

Ingredients
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) British 2-row pale ale malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
2.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) light dried malt extract (such as Muntons) 
7.5 AAU Kent Golding hops (60 mins)
(1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Kent Golding hops (10 mins)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Kent Golding hops (5 mins)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Kent Golding hops (0 mins)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Kent Golding hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or White
Labs WLP026 (Burton Ale) yeast
(1 qt./1 L yeast starter)

Extract with Grains Option:
Reduce amount of pale ale malt to 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) and increase amount of light dried malt extract to 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg). Steep grains at 153 °F (67 °C) in 2.8 qts. (2.6 L) water for 45 minutes. Add water to make 3 gallons (11 L) of wort and add roughly one third of the malt extract. Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add remaining malt extract for final 15 minutes of boil. Cool wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with cool water. Pitch yeast and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). After primary fermentation has ceased, let beer set for 2 days, then rack to secondary and add dry hops. Dry hop for 1 week.

I was planning to use Safale 04 yeast

I've never added hops at flame out so little unsure of benefits and exactly what to do, do i just add them and leave while the wort cools? would probably not bother with the dry hopping (how do you sanitise the hops / bag?) any suggestions or comments welcome.

Alan

 

[rodwha]

Adding hops at flameout is what is known as whirlpooling. The idea is to cool down to about 82*C and allow to sit for 20-30 mins whirlpooling them. What this does, from what I understand, which may not be quite accurate, is takes in the hop oils but doesn't break them down. It adds no IBU's but does add the aroma, which is supposed to last much longer than dry hop additions would due to the temperature. I've yet to try this but have been intending on doing so with an IPA.

I highly recommend a partial mash, if not all-grain. It opens so many doors to beers you wouldn't have been able to make. A rye pale ale is what got me started. I do mostly partial mashes as I cannot handle mashing much more than 3 kg of grains.

 

[AlanJones]

thanks for the advice, hoping to give it a go over the weekend. Hopefully be ready to drink over Christmas! cheers

 

[MyQul]

I've done flame out hops a couple of times. I followed the instructions in Graham Wheeler's book. Like Rodwha says cool to about 80C then chuck em in. I didn't do any whirpooling (the instructions didn't state to do so) d left them in there for 15mins instead of 20-30. But you do get an apreciable aroma/flavour from doing this.

If it was me I'd just chuck the 5 min hops in with the 10 min ones as I don't think that a 5 min hop addition will do too much (from my reading around the subject) but as this is your first partial mash you may want to follow the recipe exactly. I'm still fairly new to hop schedules anyway, and just follow the idiot -proof 60/10/0 schedule on the odd occasion I create my own receipes

 

[AlanJones]

Gave this ago yesterday. Adjusted the recipe a little as I had enough malt to do 21L and the hops were 6.9 AA. First gravity reading came out at around 1.040 so i guess that pretty good?

I've got about 20g of hops left so was thinking of going the whole hog and dry hopping using a muslin bag. Will this not just float about on the surface or doesn't it matter?

 

[MyQul]

Gave this ago yesterday. Adjusted the recipe a little as I had enough malt to do 21L and the hops were 6.9 AA. First gravity reading came out at around 1.040 so i guess that pretty good?

I've got about 20g of hops left so was thinking of going the whole hog and dry hopping using a muslin bag. Will this not just float about on the surface or doesn't it matter?

Stick some (sterilized) marbles or ball bearings in the bag with the hops

 

[rodwha]

I bought some reusable hop bags, but didn't care much for them during the boil. I do, however, like using the draw strings to suspend from the lid of my bucket for easy retrieval. I weigh mine down too.

You can likely get your vessel to hang on to your muslin bag too. Maybe run a string through it if it's too much for the lid to deal with?

 

[AlanJones]

Great thanks, was thinking of the string idea myself and i'm sure we have some marbles around here somewhere to weigh the bag down.