Process question

[RazioFox]

Hi all

I am about to brew a Christmas Beer (a little late i know!) and would like to see if i can get some clarification on the instructions given. It is an extract recipe for Gordon Strong's Holiday Prowler:

Holiday Prowler
(5 gallon/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.014
IBU = 19 ABV = 5.8%

Ingredients
4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) Muntons Light dried malt extract
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) Crisp Maris Otter malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Scotmalt crystal malt (40 °L)
0.25 lb. (0.11 kg) Crisp chocolate malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) clover honey
½ can Lyle’s Golden Syrup
¼ cup Blackstrap molasses
6.1 AAU Goldings hops (60 mins)
(1 oz./28 g of 6.1% alpha acids)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Fuggles hops (5 mins)?
Spices: 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 nutmeg
seed, 1 vanilla bean, 7 allspice
berries, 1.5 tsp. whole cloves, 8
coriander seeds, 2 nectarine peels
White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

Step by Step
Steep grains in 3.0 qts. (2.8 L) of water at 158 °F (70 °C) for 45 minutes. Boil for 60 minutes, initially reserving half of the malt extract. Add remaining malt extract and other sugars with 15 minutes left in the boil. Steep spices (chopped up) in tight mesh bag at knockout for 10 minutes, remove, then chill rapidly. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Where i am slightly confused is why only start with 2.8L of water? All other recipes i have followed start with the full 19L or so, steep grains until the water reaches 70 degress then remove the grain bag and bring to the boil. What advanage would it bring steeping the grain in only 2.8L? Also, once the original 45 minutes is up do I then add the remaining 16L of water to boil?

Thanks in advance for the assistance!

 

[bobsbeer]

You are essentially doing a mash with the grains in 2.8 lt of water. You don't want to mash with too much water as it's not good for the efficiency. You then add 1/2 the malt extract which contains hops to help with the bittering process from the recently gained sugars from the grains. Once the mash is complete then add the water to top up. I'm assuming you will have the grains in a bag so you can remove them after topping up, which will help to sparge them. Then you go on to boil for 60 mins as per the instructions. Hope that helps.

 

[RazioFox]

Hi Bob

Thank you for the reply. That does help. I couldn't understand how adding 16L of cold water to the wort wouldn't have an adverse effect but after watching a few videos i guess i should heat this water to 70 degrees also and use it to help sparge, as you say. I think i'll leave this as my last extract brew and move on to AG!

Thanks again!