67 replies to this topic

[Brauer]

I'm determined to quantify the difference between single infusion and 145-158 step mashes. Wednesday night I'm planning to run two small test mashes, one with 145x30/158x30 and one with 152x60. Follow that with a forced ferment test to gauge fermentability of the resulting worts.

I'd also be curious to hear your impression of perceived sweetness, because I always had problems with single infusion beers In the low 150s seeming sweeter than there step mashed cousins. I suppose that could be a peculiarity of the sugar profile produced by my system, though.

[positiveContact]

I'd also be curious to hear your impression of perceived sweetness, because I always had problems with single infusion beers In the low 150s seeming sweeter than there step mashed cousins. I suppose that could be a peculiarity of the sugar profile produced by my system, though.

 

you mash in a cooler?  recirculate?

Edited by Evil_Morty, 18 August 2015 - 09:21 AM.

[BlKtRe]

I'd also be curious to hear your impression of perceived sweetness, because I always had problems with single infusion beers In the low 150s seeming sweeter than there step mashed cousins. I suppose that could be a peculiarity of the sugar profile produced by my system, though.

Really? I'm guessing you checked other issues that could contribute like thermos, pitch rates etc?

[3rd party JKor]

I'd also be curious to hear your impression of perceived sweetness, because I always had problems with single infusion beers In the low 150s seeming sweeter than there step mashed cousins. I suppose that could be a peculiarity of the sugar profile produced by my system, though.

 

 

Well, the plan is to use dry bread yeast, so I'm not sure it will give the best flavor results but I'll certainly taste test them and report what I find.

[positiveContact]

Well, the plan is to use dry bread yeast, so I'm not sure it will give the best flavor results but I'll certainly taste test them and report what I find.

 

why not just using some US-05 or Nottingham or something?

[3rd party JKor]

Because I already have bread yeast and I don't have time to pick up dry ale yeast before then.

[Brauer]

you mash in a cooler?  recirculate?

 

Cooler. I stir at mash-in and when/if I add the water for the step. I don't recirculate other than a couple quarts to clear the wort and set the grain bed just before I runoff.

Really? I'm guessing you checked other issues that could contribute like thermos, pitch rates etc?

Thermometers are calibrated (I work in a lab, so they are calibrated to calibrated lab thermos) I pitch on the high side. I get good attenuation, and warmer mashes give me higher final gravity, but mashes at 152 always seem noticeably sweet, to me. Other than Lager yeast, I don't use many exhaustively fermenting yeasts, so it could be that the yeast I use are choking on the slightly complex sugar profiles produced at these mid range temperatures. I get good attenuation, though, up near 75-80+%.

 

I get a pretty linear increase in gravity with increasing mash temps, they just seem to get sweeter in this low 150s range.

 

I tend to favor drier tasting beers, don't make very bitter beers and work pretty hard to limit tannin extraction, though, so I'm probably more apt to be struck by a little extra sweetness than a lot of brewers. That's partly why I thought it might be interesting to hear what JKor thought about his force fermented, hopless beers.

Edited by Brauer, 18 August 2015 - 04:44 PM.

[denny]

I certainly haven't seen conversion in 20 minutes.  Maybe if you have really good control on your mash (pro guys *should*), you can get it to convert that fast.  High diastatic power malt should help as well.

 

Mashing for 20 minutes and sparging for 40 minutes while keeping the bed in the alpha rest range would seem like a good way to speed things up, too.

At Oakshire we only hold the rest for maybe 20 min., but we're in conversion range for at least a couple hours between mash in and sparge.  That's the fallacy that homebrewers don't think about.

[BlKtRe]

At Oakshire we only hold the rest for maybe 20 min., but we're in conversion range for at least a couple hours between mash in and sparge.  That's the fallacy that homebrewers don't think about.

 

I eluded to that earlier in the thread. 

[3rd party JKor]

I eluded to that earlier in the thread. 

 

 

Yeah, well go over to homebrewtalk and say that.  You'll get pounced on.  I'm pretty sure there was a long thread about some guy doing something like a 5 minute mash AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!!

[BlKtRe]

Yeah, well go over to homebrewtalk and say that.  You'll get pounced on.  I'm pretty sure there was a long thread about some guy doing something like a 5 minute mash AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!!

 

Lol, lets be realistic here!  

[denny]

I eluded to that earlier in the thread. 

 

Indeed you did

Yeah, well go over to homebrewtalk and say that.  You'll get pounced on.  I'm pretty sure there was a long thread about some guy doing something like a 5 minute mash AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!!

 

In the homebrewtalk world, anything can happen...or so someone will tell you!

[3rd party JKor]

Lol, lets be realistic here!  

 

 

I was wrong.  Full conversion in 3 minutes!!!

 

https://www.homebrew...ad.php?t=492255

[BlKtRe]

I was wrong.  Full conversion in 3 minutes!!!

 

https://www.homebrew...ad.php?t=492255

 

What ami doing wrong? 

[3rd party JKor]

What ami doing wrong?

Mashing. Just sparge, it'll covert by the time the water gets through the grain bed. Duh.

[BlKtRe]

Mashing. Just sparge, it'll covert by the time the water gets through the grain bed. Duh.

 

Good thing I dont have to wait long for my sparge water to heat!

[3rd party JKor]

Well, I brewed the Union Jack and Dry Stout recipes using this schedule and it looks like the Union Jack is down to 1.011 from 1.067 and the stout came down from 1.042 to 1.010.  Only four days in so there may be a little more drop, but overall it seems like good attenuation numbers.  These are based on converted refractometer readings (see broken hydrometer thread).

[neddles]

Well, I brewed the Union Jack and Dry Stout recipes using this schedule and it looks like the Union Jack is down to 1.011 from 1.067 and the stout came down from 1.042 to 1.010.  Only four days in so there may be a little more drop, but overall it seems like good attenuation numbers.  These are based on converted refractometer readings (see broken hydrometer thread).

The attenuation of the UJ is particularly good considering you used WLP002 but consistent with how this yeast performed in the links I gave you for the recipe. Imma make this one before too long. Anxious to see how yours turns out. Are you kegging it or bottling?

[3rd party JKor]

Well, I got a new hydrometer and the UJ measured 1.018.  I guess the estimates based on Brix aren't very accurate.  :-/

[neddles]

Well, I got a new hydrometer and the UJ measured 1.018.  I guess the estimates based on Brix aren't very accurate.  :-/

Doh!