Partial Mashing With A Coopers Can.

[Pale Man]

Community here seems to be made up mainly of people that brew with a can and extract. And then minority that All Grain their beers.

There is an in-between that can step up to All Grain if you desire, or just do it because it really does beautifully dress up a Coopers can with freshness and that lovely craft beer taste and leave that twangy can extract taste behind.

Its not just steeping 100 or 200 grams of grain, I'm talking about half if not more of fermentables with a can in a partial mash beer. 

Partial mashing. You dont need much extra gear. Just a 20 litre pot, a grain bag and a thermometer. 

I wont go too much more into it, just see what interest this thread generates and ask any questions and advice and I'll answer the best I can to help you guys brew a better beer 

[Kegory]

4 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Community here seems to be made up mainly of people that brew with a can and extract. And then minority that All Grain their beers.

There is an in-between that can step up to All Grain if you desire, or just do it because it really does beautifully dress up a Coopers can with freshness and that lovely craft beer taste and leave that twangy can extract taste behind.

Its not just steeping 100 or 200 grams of grain, I'm talking about half if not more of fermentables with a can in a partial mash beer. 

Partial mashing. You dont need much extra gear. Just a 20 litre pot, a grain bag and a thermometer. 

I wont go too much more into it, just see what interest this thread generates and ask any questions and advice and I'll answer the best I can to help you guys brew a better beer 

Is that using a BIAB method on the grain side?

If so, does BIAB require a finer grain crush than a normal mash?

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Community here seems to be made up mainly of people that brew with a can and extract. And then minority that All Grain their beers.

There is an in-between that can step up to All Grain if you desire, or just do it because it really does beautifully dress up a Coopers can with freshness and that lovely craft beer taste and leave that twangy can extract taste behind.

Its not just steeping 100 or 200 grams of grain, I'm talking about half if not more of fermentables with a can in a partial mash beer. 

Partial mashing. You dont need much extra gear. Just a 20 litre pot, a grain bag and a thermometer. 

I wont go too much more into it, just see what interest this thread generates and ask any questions and advice and I'll answer the best I can to help you guys brew a better beer 

Great topic @Pale Man it seems most k & k brewers don't realise that a basic kit will always produce the 'home brew twang', the thing is until they taste an All-Grain beer or even a fresh wort kit.

I brewed kit beers for years & took it as far as I could with additions etc,it was better but bottling it also contributes to the twang. I say this because when I drink the last few litres from a keg, the keg beer always taste better.

[Pale Man]

6 minutes ago, Kegory said:

Is that using a BIAB method on the grain side?

If so, does BIAB require a finer grain crush than a normal mash?

Yep BIAB is a very easy way to go. You can get a few paint strainer bags from Bunnings or any hardware store that will fit a 20 litre pot. 

Give them a boil first to get rid of any chemical element that might be present.

[Pale Man]

Here's around 3 - 4 kilo of Ale Malt I mashed. On the boil for an hour or so. When done and cooled I'll pour into my fermenter and add the Coopers can. You can add hops at flame out in the pot or dry hop your fermenter later. Easy Peasy.

 

[Pale Man]

Obviously mashing the grains beforehand. In the same pot. It's very easy. If you can steep grain you can partial mash your Coopers Can.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Pale Man

[Back Brewing]

6 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Here's around 3 - 4 kilo of Ale Malt I mashed. On the boil for an hour or so. When done and cooled I'll pour into my fermenter and add the Coopers can. You can add hops at flame out in the pot or dry hop your fermenter later. Easy Peasy.

 

What do you find is the quickest way to cool it

[Pale Man]

19 minutes ago, Kegory said:

If so, does BIAB require a finer grain crush than a normal mash?

Yes mate, a finer crush is good with BIAB. Dont have to worry about the sparge so much. When i partial mash with a Coopers Can, I very rarely sparge, just squeeze the bag to get the extra malt out. I have a colander that fits over my pot.

[Pale Man]

1 minute ago, Back Brewing said:

What do you find is the quickest way to cool it

Chuck the pot in the sink with the plug in. Refresh the water every now and again. Be as sanitary as possible with this step.

[Pale Man]

9 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

What do you find is the quickest way to cool it

Another good tip is to have your top up water which should be around 10 - 12 litres cooled right down and ready to go.

[Kegory]

24 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Here's around 3 - 4 kilo of Ale Malt I mashed. On the boil for an hour or so. When done and cooled I'll pour into my fermenter and add the Coopers can. You can add hops at flame out in the pot or dry hop your fermenter later. Easy Peasy.

 

What about water chemistry with this method? I assume you want to get rid of the chlorine/chloramine first, but what about PH and minerals?

Edited October 1, 2023 by Kegory
?

[Pale Man]

5 minutes ago, Kegory said:

What about water chemistry with this method? I assume you want to get rid of the chlorine/chloramine first, but what about PH and minerals?

Good question.  My feeling with partial mashing is Coopers have gone a long way in their product to deal with the chemistry with beer style in their can. You just provide good water. I boil rain water or cheap spring water from the supermarket to get rid of any possible nastys. That's probably being pedantic.

If you have a problem with your tap water, boil it off with half a cambden tablet beforehand. Should give you decent water. 

[Pale Man]

Ill add, as with everything in life. Basic simple steps. Dont stress or overthink anything.

Its really cool to step up your brewing when you can taste that difference. Without that much effort. You might have to put a tad more time in but you do other things anyway.

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Kegory said:

Is that using a BIAB method on the grain side?

If so, does BIAB require a finer grain crush than a normal mash?

Generally, yes, a finer mash should be used for BIAB. However, if you use a paint strainer bag instead of a grain bag, a more coarse mill might be better to keep grain fragments from entering the wort.

[Classic Brewing Co]

18 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Good question.  My feeling with partial mashing is Coopers have gone a long way in their product to deal with the chemistry with beer style in their can. You just provide good water. I boil rain water or cheap spring water from the supermarket to get rid of any possible nastys. That's probably being pedantic.

If you have a problem with your tap water, boil it off with half a cambden tablet beforehand. Should give you decent water. 

I leave my brew water in FV's with the lid off for 24-36 hours with the lid off, this helps clear the chlorine/chloramine.

I should also add I use PuraTap water anyway.

[Aussiekraut]

49 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

What do you find is the quickest way to cool it

Get yourself some 1l lunch containers, sanitise them and fill them up with water, then put them into the freezer. On brew day, add them to the how wort you just boiled to drop its temp down. 3 ice blocks should do a pretty good job.

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Pale Man said:

Community here seems to be made up mainly of people that brew with a can and extract. And then minority that All Grain their beers.

There is an in-between that can step up to All Grain if you desire, or just do it because it really does beautifully dress up a Coopers can with freshness and that lovely craft beer taste and leave that twangy can extract taste behind.

Its not just steeping 100 or 200 grams of grain, I'm talking about half if not more of fermentables with a can in a partial mash beer. 

Partial mashing. You dont need much extra gear. Just a 20 litre pot, a grain bag and a thermometer. 

I wont go too much more into it, just see what interest this thread generates and ask any questions and advice and I'll answer the best I can to help you guys brew a better beer 

The best thing, from partials, it is only a small step to go all out AG  

[Kegory]

25 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

I leave my brew water in FV's with the lid off for 24-36 hours with the lid off, this helps clear the chlorine/chloramine.

I should also add I use PuraTap water anyway.

Chloramine is not volatile, it's stable, it won't evaporate. That's why they put it in the water along with chlorine.

[Kegory]

26 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

Get yourself some 1l lunch containers, sanitise them and fill them up with water, then put them into the freezer. On brew day, add them to the how wort you just boiled to drop its temp down. 3 ice blocks should do a pretty good job.

Nice trick.

[Kegory]

15 hours ago, Pale Man said:

You can add hops at flame out in the pot or dry hop your fermenter later.

If I'm understanding correctly, you are getting your bitterness from the Coopers can. I assume in this instance the grains are replacing Light Dry Malt. I assume it would be just as easy to replace an unhopped can in this way.

[Aussiekraut]

33 minutes ago, Kegory said:

If I'm understanding correctly, you are getting your bitterness from the Coopers can. I assume in this instance the grains are replacing Light Dry Malt. I assume it would be just as easy to replace an unhopped can in this way.

Yes, the bitterness comes from the can and the flameout hops are mainly for aroma and flavouring while adding a small amount of bitterness. 

The mash is the replacement for any adjuncts you would use when doing a normal kits 'n' bits brew, like brew enhancers, DME, LME or any other sugar. The result is a fresher beer as half the ingredients are freshly made wort. 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

I do partials all the time for the old man. Sometimes for myself as keg fillers too. Mash 4kg grain. Boil for 30 mins with a late addition. Split the wort into two fermenters with a can each of coopers pale ale. He loves it but I must say. It doesn't eliminate the twang. I can still taste it though it is much less a full extract beer. Definitely a step up from k&k. 

[Kegory]

If you were going to do a stout partial mash would you still do it the same way, use the Pale Ale can and mash the dark grains and not worry about the PH and minerals? Or would you reverse it and use a stout can and mash the pale grains and not worry about the PH and minerals because that's taken care of in the stout can?

[Tone boy]

Best info on partial mashing here. Follow the link and share in Christina’s wisdom:

I do mainly partial mashes now because of the assistance and knowledge she shared.

 

[Tone boy]

4 minutes ago, Kegory said:

If you were going to do a stout partial mash would you still do it the same way, use the Pale Ale can and mash the dark grains and not worry about the PH and minerals? Or would you reverse it and use a stout can and mash the pale grains and not worry about the PH and minerals because that's taken care of in the stout can?

Pale can and mash the specialty malts with Pilsner grain.

Pilsner has lots of enzymes, so it’s got extra power to convert the sugar in the specialty malts, some of which are very low in enzyme.

Got a good partial recipe for an oatmeal stout if ur keen. It’s about 7.3% tho