BeerBorg

I have split many batches, usually a 5 into 2.5s, or 7.5 into 5+2.5. I often use different yeasts, though I have made a Belgian Pale and a Dubbel from one wort by adding Dark Candi Syrup. Last Christmas I received a new SS 15 gallon pot. Today I brewed two five gallon batches in it, with a few tricks. The wort is my recent successful experiment with Rye Crystal, simply 10%, the rest base malt, bittering hops only. Today's batch will be split between WLP530 (Westmalle) and Nottingham, which I used in the first batch. I made a partial mash, partly to avoid grinding 22# of grain in my Corona mill. The mash occurs while the boil is starting with the hop additions. A short mash (30 minutes) lets me add that wort back to the main boil. To avoid lifting too much weight, I filled the big pot on the burner with a smaller pot, and drained it into the fermenters from the valve. As tapwater is 75* now, I only cooled it to the high 80s. The Belgian is "cooling" in the kitchen to the mid 70s, the ESB chilling in the ferm fridge to 65. I'll pitch the yeast tomorrow., the starter from 530 slurry (8 months old) is also in the kitchen. It was a near thing trying to boil 12+ gallons in a 15+ gallon pot without boiling over. But I don't think I have anything for the mistake thread, and hopefully two kegs of good beer in a month or so.

Wow, I think that sounds a lot more complicated reading it than it was for you actually doing it. I hope they both turn out well for you, John.

My eyes crossed trying to follow along, but I think I got it on the second read through. You must have read the freakin' genuis! thread.
I tell everyone that is thinking about getting into home brewing that they can make it as simple or complicated as they want and work their set up for what works best for them. In the end you will have beer.

Let us know what you think of the WLP530 I've only used WLP500 myself.

It really is simple. Mash while boiling the extract, use the runnings as a late addition. Reverse the usual partial mash procedure to save time.
But it became a little more complex. The craigslist fridge ferm chamber crapped out. The wort cooled only 5 degrees in 24 hours. So I switched to US05 yeast, because Notty is nasty over 70. That fermenter went into the basement and is now 72 also. The Belgian half is bubbling away merrily. I hope to keep the US05 part cool with ice packs.

The mash while boiling is a cool idea which I'd try if I was doing a long boil PM.

Since I do so many short boils these days though it wouldn't work so well for those. That's why I've been sticking with and doing a bunch of the "mash a lot of stuff, freeze half of it for the future" PMs.

"a lot of stuff" to mash and boil for me though is 3 gallons, which I can turn into 5 or 6 gallon split batch if I use all of the mash in a PM and top it up.

Your 10 gallons is crazy talk with my stove and pot.

But I think if I do a long boil PM 3 gallon batch, I might try the 60 minute boil with a 30 minute PM tossed in halfway through like your doing. It sounds like it should work fine to me.

Ink, I love 530 (also Wy 3787). It is my go-to Belgian, useful fermenting from the 60s to the 80s.
Mash, I use about a 40 minute boil and 30 minute mash. I heat the full volume while grinding my grain, (12# in this case) it takes about the same amount of time to get to strike temp. I am flexible about that temp, as I can add enough water to reach mash temps, about which I am also flexible. The mash is in a bag in a ten gallon cooler. While that 30 minutes is running, the rest of the water takes a few minutes for adding extract, coming to a boil, and passing hot break. The first hop addition goes in about 15 minutes into the mash. When I mash out, I add that wort gradually as it drains, turning up the flame to to get back to boiling quickly. I am sure that bittering continues, because the temp doesn't drop much. By the time the last of the mash is squeezed out, the boil can go a few more minutes. I am sure I save over an hour by this method.

WLP 530 / 3787 (Westmalle) is also my go to Belgian liquid yeast, with Abbaye being my go to Belgian dry yeast.

I don't really like WLP 500 anywhere near as much as either.

The 530/3787 gives you a lot of flavor profile flexibility across the 60-80 temperature range, and regardless it will always make good beer. It can make apples, pears, and other fruit, which WLP 500 just doesn't do. Abbaye also has that temperature flexibility. You will especially notice all the various light fruit esters in a lower gravity pale beer, IE 530 / 3787 makes great singles/patersbiers not just big beers.

But WLP 500 gets into dirt bomb territory if you ferment too cool, and banana flavored nail polish bomb territory if you ferment too warm. I only like 500 in big beers and with much more careful temperature management.

RE flexible about stuff, I'm also flexible about mash water amounts when I do PMs for batches > 3 gallons, because I top up those batches, so it really doesn't matter. So what your doing would work for me.