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Author Topic: Mash temp too low  (Read 9090 times)

Offline ccfoo242

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Mash temp too low
« on: March 04, 2012, 12:57:14 pm »
Hey all,
I ended up with a mash temp of 149 instead of 153 for the pale ale I'm brewing today. To make matters worse I didn't realize this until my tun was full to the top so I couldn't add water.

Just how much drier will this make the final beer? I'm willing to leave it as is, but is there anything that can be done post-mash to compensate for the temp mistake?

Do I just mash for a longer time? 
Intra cervisiam est deus.

Offline ckpash88

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Mash temp too low
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2012, 01:03:23 pm »
I wouldn't worry about it. I would just go with it. You could add maltodextrin to the boil to beef up they body.

I missed my temp by 4 degrees the last time didn't notice too much. Go with what you have and change it next time


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Offline tygo

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2012, 01:06:38 pm »
Yeah, I wouldn't be too concerned.  But you could pull off a decoction and just bring it to a boil to try to raise the temp. 

Clint
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Offline jamminbrew

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2012, 01:49:25 pm »
I would just go with it.
+1
Could wind up being the best beer you'll ever make... A few of my successes have been born from mistakes like this.
In caelo cerivisiae nil, hic igitur bibimus.

Offline ccfoo242

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2012, 01:58:30 pm »
OK...I'm not messing with it.  I'd have a home brew right now but I just bottled my first batch yesterday, sooo...SNPA in a can will have to do!  8)
Intra cervisiam est deus.

Offline nateo

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2012, 02:00:03 pm »
I think the importance of mash temp is overstated. The temp range is so narrow, and modern malt has so much enzymatic power, that a mash at 149* probably won't be any drier than a mash at 153*, all other things being equal. Strain selection and grain bill have a much bigger impact on dryness than mash temp.

Now, if you're mashing at say 145 instead of 160, that'd be a big difference.
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Offline boapiu

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2012, 02:12:40 pm »
OK...I'm not messing with it.  I'd have a home brew right now but I just bottled my first batch yesterday, sooo...SNPA in a can will have to do!  8)
cant wait for those cans to find their way down here for my next road trip.
Beer is an ancient beverage that has been consumed as part of a balanced diet for centuries - it contains the goodness of sprouted grain extracted into rich liquid and fermented to produce a nutritional 'liquid cereal' beverage.

Offline davidgzach

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2012, 02:51:38 pm »
The only other difference is the beer may lack a little body and mouthfeel.  BUT, you may really like it that way!
RDWAHAHB or a SNPA if none is available!   ;)

Dave
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Offline bbump22

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2012, 08:28:58 am »
Hey all,
I ended up with a mash temp of 149 instead of 153 for the pale ale I'm brewing today. To make matters worse I didn't realize this until my tun was full to the top so I couldn't add water.

Just how much drier will this make the final beer? I'm willing to leave it as is, but is there anything that can be done post-mash to compensate for the temp mistake?

Do I just mash for a longer time?

Has your Thermometer been calibrated lately?  Maybe its off and you were closer to your mash temp then you thought.  Either way, you'll still get good conversion and a great beer.
mmmm....beer

Offline ccfoo242

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Re: Mash temp too low
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2012, 08:57:17 am »
Yeah, after checking it with boiling water then an ice bath I bought a lab thermometer that is supposed to be accurate to within 1 degree F and it's dead on with that at mash temps (which I had to laugh at because I only paid $5 for the one I'm using).

I realized yesterday why I was off: I had my grain in the fridge up until about 10 minutes before I mashed in, so the grain wasn't 72 degrees like I had it in Beersmith. Had I taken the grain temp before mashing I would have seen this and adjusted accordingly. Oh well, live and learn. I samples some yesterday and it tastes great.
Intra cervisiam est deus.