Beer Forum

I think I'm going to try Jamil's Scottish Ale (80/-) recipe for my first partial mash. This is what I came up with for a recipe. I did my own conversion from all-grain to partial and I have a quick question. I built a mash tun for my eventual move to AG. It's a 52 qt. rectangular cooler with a copper manifold for lautering.

Is this MT too big for my partial mash grain bill? Is this enough two row for adequate conversion? Should I lauter and sparge, since I have the capability?

Thanks in advance!

Grain bill:
3.00 lb Pale Malt, 2 Row (58%)
1.00 lb Crystal Malt - 40L (19%)
0.50 lb Crystal Malt - 120L (10%)
0.30 lb Honey Malt (6%)
0.30 lb Munich Malt - 10L (6%)
0.10 lb Chocolate Malt (2%)
TOTAL 5.2 lb

I can't give you much advice re: the Mash tun, as I'm in the same spot you are- just built mine, have yet to use it, but I don't think you'd run into any problems using 5# in it. Just pre heat the thing with hot water first, so it holds that small thermal mass at temp a little better. Maybe someone else can help out here, but also, I'm not sure what you're asking about sparging? Why wouldn't you, if you could?

Re: your recipe.. You don't need the diastatic power of the 2 row here for anything really. The Munich & Honey are both self converting, and the crystal you don't *need* to mash, so you're fine there. I just re listened to Jamil's Scottish episode, and here is the recipe he gives for 6g of 80 Schilling-

.5 lb Munich
.5 lb Honey Malt
.5 lb C40
.5 lb C120
.125 lb Pale Chocolate
Enough two row/extract to get to ~1.054

Your recipe isn't that far off, so you should be fine, but if you want a copy of his, only PM, I'd just punch in the numbers above exactly and add your 3# of 2 row.

As an aside, why not just do this batch as an AG since you have the MT built? Is the boil stopping you?

So how's it going up in the land of the midnight sun? Ever brew that Scottish?