Converting all grain recipe to extract?

[Spoon]

Noob question, but bear with me.

I'm i the process of building an all grain setup, but stretched funds mean it's taking it's time materialising. In the mean time I've got a 33l kettle sat doing nothing and in itch to start brewing.

I've got an all-grain recipe I've wanted to try (an american IPA/IIPA)

Thing is, most guides I've googled for converting all grain to extract assume you're doing partial boils, steeps, etc. As I've got a full size boiler I was thinking I'd give it a test run at the full volume by bringing it upto mash temp with ~20l of water, and partial mashing the specialty grains before adding liquid malt extract until it meets the pre boil gravity. Suppose I could just do a full BIAB, but at 7.5% it might be pushing it getting all that grain in. Presume that would work, or is there a reason why those grains are just steeped for a shorter time in most extract instructions (beyond just time saving)?

Second question. The recipe calls for Carafoam and Melanoidan, the latter I can get, the former seems to be available in the USA from Weyermann but not over here. Carapils seems to be very similar?

Ideally the plan is to get this brewed then do a batch all-grain once the last bits arrive on the slow boat from china as a comparison. Although I'm suspecting the grain bill may mean having to top it up with malt extract anyway (or buy a bigger mash tun)!

 

[Covrich]

You could do a partial mash and then add the extract.

What is the recipe? the conversion all depends on the type of extract you are using.

 

[Spoon]

Recipe is 1990lb of 2-row, 55lb Carafoam, 55lb Melanoidan for 30bbl (yes, there is some scaling involved). Roughly 10.25lb, 0.25lb, 0.25lb to make 25l, and about 4oz of hops in the boil, 1.5oz dry hopped.

I think even trying to do it all-grain in a 33l mash tun will be a challenge so even then it may be a partial mash topped up with extract and dextrose.

Presumably I'd just partial mash the carapils and melanoidan, then add about half the malt extract to the start of the boil and half towards the end (to avoid too much caramelisation). But for the partial mash do I mash them in the full volume of liquid, or in a small saucepan, is there an issue with extracting tannin's or other compounds?

 

[Covrich]

so You're looking at about just short of 5KG of grain? pretty standard grain bill size.

Why could you not do that in a 33 mash tun and a boiler??

But even so you could mash the carapils and melanodian plus say 2.1kg of pale malt.. then 1.5KG of Light DME.... that is just an example

WHat size pot/ boiler are you mashing in?

 

[Spoon]

Mashing and boiling in 33l containers, i was under the impression (maybe I'm wrong) that the stongest that was practical to brew in equal sized containers (i.e. my mash tun, boiler and fermenter are all made from identical buckets) was about 5%. So in order to go bigger than that I'd either need to make smaller batches, or mash as much as possible then add liquid malt extract to bring the gravity up.

[edit]
Just had a play in beersmith and it looks like it fit's in the mash tun, just. Be interesting to see how close it is.