50 replies to this topic

[3rd party JKor]

I think I did more pre-prep for this batch than anyone that I have yet. Everything is clean and sanitized. Everything is weighed out. The grains are crushed. The water is measured out and waiting to go. I think my fastest batch ever was 5-1/2 hours. I should be home by 5. Hopefully, I can be finished before 10:30. With the 90-minute mash, I think the absolute best case scenario is 5 hours, but beating 5:30 should be doable. My batches have gotten faster over time but I'm usually doing everything during the batch, including all the cleaning from the last batch, so all the steps tend to run long. Most batches run between 6-7 hours, though they've been getting faster lately. I've also been doing a lot of 90 minute mash and/or boils lately. I think on typical 60-min mash/60-min boil batch I could probably hit 4:30 if everything works perfectly. If I could get my water heating before I get home (timed relay?) I may even be able to hit 4:00.

[MyaCullen]

I think I did more pre-prep for this batch than anyone that I have yet. Everything is clean and sanitized. Everything is weighed out. The grains are crushed. The water is measured out and waiting to go. I think my fastest batch ever was 5-1/2 hours. I should be home by 5. Hopefully, I can be finished before 10:30. With the 90-minute mash, I think the absolute best case scenario is 5 hours, but beating 5:30 should be doable. My batches have gotten faster over time but I'm usually doing everything during the batch, including all the cleaning from the last batch, so all the steps tend to run long. Most batches run between 6-7 hours, though they've been getting faster lately. I've also been doing a lot of 90 minute mash and/or boils lately. I think on typical 60-min mash/60-min boil batch I could probably hit 4:30 if everything works perfectly. If I could get my water heating before I get home (timed relay?) I may even be able to hit 4:00.

sounds like a good plan, good luckwhy the long mash i must ask?

[3rd party JKor]

sounds like a good plan, good luckwhy the long mash i must ask?

Mashing at 148 for a dry stout. I want to make sure the wort is nice and fermentable. I did a 90 minute mash recently at 147 for a German Pils and it came out wonderfully dry.

[djinkc]

I'm planning 6 hours for tomorrow, including cleanup. Nothing prepped except yeast slurry. Don't really know what I'm brewing either but I'll figure that out while my strike water heats..... Still not bad for 10 gallons in the kegs.I got down to 4 a couple winters ago. Cold ground water really helps. My brew time has gone up recently. Diddling around and making sure that I'm controlling results the best I can. Plus lately an extra 20 minutes for pellets/break to settle in the kettle.Preheating and setting up the night before really makes for a short brew day. I can put a low amp timer between the SSR input and source that will let me come home to water that's within 2 df of what I want for strike temps. Have fun tomorrow.

[MyaCullen]

Mashing at 148 for a dry stout. I want to make sure the wort is nice and fermentable. I did a 90 minute mash recently at 147 for a German Pils and it came out wonderfully dry.

coolI did a 90 minute for Liquid stupid fro the same reason

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I think I did more pre-prep for this batch than anyone that I have yet. Everything is clean and sanitized. Everything is weighed out. The grains are crushed. The water is measured out and waiting to go.

I typically do all of this stuff ahead of time as well except crushing the grain. I do that while I'm heating up my strike water so no time lost there.

[3rd party JKor]

Preheating and setting up the night before really makes for a short brew day. I can put a low amp timer between the SSR input and source that will let me come home to water that's within 2 df of what I want for strike temps. Have fun tomorrow.

Good point on the timer between the Temp Controller and the low voltage side of the SSR. That shouldn't be difficult to integrate. What timer are you using?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Good point on the timer between the Temp Controller and the low voltage side of the SSR. That shouldn't be difficult to integrate. What timer are you using?

I should try this some time. My timer would be me telling the Mrs. to turn the propane burner on before I got home

[HVB]

Good point on the timer between the Temp Controller and the low voltage side of the SSR. That shouldn't be difficult to integrate. What timer are you using?

Also intrested in some timer info. I was thinking of using a spa timer. Right now my timer is calling my wife when I leave work to turnthe big red knob to ON. So far that has worked OK.

[3rd party JKor]

Also intrested in some timer info. I was thinking of using a spa timer. Right now my timer is calling my wife when I leave work to turnthe big red knob to ON. So far that has worked OK.

Hmmmm...I'm not sure I should try this. "Honey, could you please leave work early and go turn on my brew rig? kthxbai!"

[BlKtRe]

Mashing at 148 for a dry stout. I want to make sure the wort is nice and fermentable. I did a 90 minute mash recently at 147 for a German Pils and it came out wonderfully dry.

A 60 min mash is plenty of time to convert a lower mash temp. assuming you dont have a stiff mash. Probably less than that even. I think your waisting some time doing a 90 min mash myself. But once you find something that works for you, keep doing it. I like my Alts and IpA's to have some attenuation. Ive never mashed that long on purpose to get there. Just my 2cents.

[3rd party JKor]

A 60 min mash is plenty of time to convert a lower mash temp. assuming you dont have a stiff mash. Probably less than that even. I think your wasting some time doing a 90 min mash myself. But once you find something that works for you, keep doing it. I like my Alts and IpA's to have some attenuation. Ive never mashed that long on purpose to get there. Just my 2cents.

True, "conversion" is done in less than an hour, but the enzymes continue working. The longer you're in the happy range for beta amylase, the more fermentable wort you are going to get. Even though your efficiency may be the same after 60 minutes as it would be for 90 minutes, the wort profile is different. Although, on the Pils I mashed for 90@147, I did end up with 93% mash efficiency, where I'm typically in the 85% range for a 60 min mash.I did an experiment recently on one of my batches. I took refractometer readings throughout the mash. I had originally planned to stop the mash at 45 minutes, but the gravity didn't level off until almost an hour. I'm not sure if that's 100% conversion related, but whether it is conversion, solubility or both, it took near an hour to get all the sugars into solution.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

A 60 min mash is plenty of time to convert a lower mash temp. assuming you dont have a stiff mash. Probably less than that even. I think your waisting some time doing a 90 min mash myself. But once you find something that works for you, keep doing it. I like my Alts and IpA's to have some attenuation. Ive never mashed that long on purpose to get there. Just my 2cents.

I agree. You could probably cut the mash time in half to 45. Especially if you fly sparge and don't mash out.

[gnef]

A 60 min mash is plenty of time to convert a lower mash temp. assuming you dont have a stiff mash. Probably less than that even. I think your waisting some time doing a 90 min mash myself. But once you find something that works for you, keep doing it. I like my Alts and IpA's to have some attenuation. Ive never mashed that long on purpose to get there. Just my 2cents.

Interesting. I've done a number of 90 minute mashes well. I will try to keep it to 60 minute mashes on beers that I mash low, and don't have a thick mash, though often those two coincide for me.The way I cut down on time is to heat up my strike water in both my HLT and my BK at the same time, then transfer the water from the BK to the HLT to equalize for the last few degrees. This really helps me get started with my mash sooner. I also clean as I go, as I hate to clean everything up at the end.My brew days in the summer are just longer for a reason stated above with ground water temps. It takes me forever to chill down far enough, and that is with ice water recirculating for the last half. I am only doing ales right now, because to get to lager fermentation temperatures would take way too much ice right now. In the winter, it is about a third of the time to chill because the ground water is so cold, and it is pretty easy to chill down to lager primary fermentation temperatures too.

[djinkc]

Good point on the timer between the Temp Controller and the low voltage side of the SSR. That shouldn't be difficult to integrate. What timer are you using?

Just a garden variety light timer I had laying around. Forgot to mention that there is a Ranco controller in the mix too so I can set the temperature.

[HVB]

Hmmmm...I'm not sure I should try this. "Honey, could you please leave work early and go turn on my brew rig? kthxbai!"

Nothing ventured, nothing gained ..LOL

[BlKtRe]

True, "conversion" is done in less than an hour, but the enzymes continue working. The longer you're in the happy range for beta amylase, the more fermentable wort you are going to get. Even though your efficiency may be the same after 60 minutes as it would be for 90 minutes, the wort profile is different. Although, on the Pils I mashed for 90@147, I did end up with 93% mash efficiency, where I'm typically in the 85% range for a 60 min mash.

As I said, once you find something that works, keep doing it. I'm pretty sure I will attenuate as much on a 60 min mash as you will on a 90 assuming quality grain, mash thickness, crush, etc. are close to the same. You need to explain further about longer mash and wort profile being different between 60-90 besides fermentablility. I think there is something to be said about over attenuation (style specific). This may be a area we will disagree on, which is no big deal.Have you had these eff. changes numerous times or was it a 1x deal? Lots of other factors can come into play besides mash time to reach a eff. number like that. Fwiw, i dont ever want to have that good of eff. Creates number issues in the kettle and it seems to me a less lively beer in the pint.

[djinkc]

Just for grins I'm on the clock today. Filled up the HLT at 10:05 CDST. Gonna be a steam beer. Time to figure out the grain/hop bill. 12 gal into the fermenter........ Gonna be boring, no kegging or fermenter prep today during the brew.

[BlKtRe]

I save time by using 100# propane tanks and large burners. No replacement for displacement!

[MakeMeHoppy]

I have the advantage that I can work from home a couple days a week. I crush the grains the night before and prep my mash tun and water. Then mid afternoon I heat the strike water and then dough in. That only takes about 10 minutes total out of my work day. Near the end of the day I start to heat the sparge water and at 5:00:00.1 I'm already starting to sparge. I can usually complete the boil, chill, pitch yeast and clean up by 8:00. It is the only way I'm able to get all of my brewing done.