[nateo]

I would think with modern malts, you could split the mash, hold one half at 160+ until it converts, then combine with the other half and hold at a low temp. It wouldn't matter that the beta is denatured at the higher temps because there'd be enough beta in the rest of the mash. I'm picturing a cereal mash doing something similar.

[Kaiser]

Nateo, you can do that or mash thin. Keep lots of the liquid to the side and convert the rest. then combine to a lower mash themp. Since most of the starches are converted you are not bound to the lower limit of 60 C for the rest.

But excessive protein degradation might be a problem at mash temps close to 50 C.

Martin, thanks.will be a long flight but lots of fun. I'll post the presentation once it's ok to do so.

[tschmidlin]

Don't they use 6-row for their mashes?  Lots of enzymes there, that could make a difference whether you are adding some back or not.

[nateo]

Don't they use 6-row for their mashes?  Lots of enzymes there, that could make a difference whether you are adding some back or not.

I don't think 6-row has that much more enzyme than NA 2-row. For instance, Briess 2-row has DP 140, 6-row is DP 180. It's more, but it's not tremendously more. 

Also, I think some of the big brewers are using some amount of 2-row because farmers out west grow descendants of Moravian barley for Coors, and probably for others as well.

[erockrph]

Just wanted to follow up on my original post. I bottled this beer last night. It didn't attenuate as far as I was expecting. 3 gallons of 1.047 with one pack of US-05 at 66F ended up at 1.018. I did use a fair amount of crystal, but I'm sure that mash temp had some effect.

I'll reserve judgement until it carbs up, but I'm actually kind of happy with the preliminary results, since it has a lot of body for a low gravity Porter.

[garc_mall]

I mashed my Mocha Mild for NHC at 162. It started at 1.036 and ended at 1.022. It wasn't cloying like I was worried with that low level of attenuation. However, it had great body. I intend on using this level of high mashing for a lot of my session beers from now on.

[nateo]

I mashed my Mocha Mild for NHC at 162. It started at 1.036 and ended at 1.022. It wasn't cloying like I was worried with that low level of attenuation. However, it had great body. I intend on using this level of high mashing for a lot of my session beers from now on.

Yeah, I basically only mash at 149 or 162. I can't for the life of me taste the difference between a 152 and a 156 beer, but I think 149 to 162 makes a more obvious difference.

[erockrph]

Gonna write this off as a happy accident then. Not quite "you got your chocolate in my peanut butter" level, but I will definitely be using this mash temp on my session beers in the future.

[ynotbrusum]

No science behind this, but I did a 2 hour mash that went from 152F to 140F and it produced a highly fermentable wort (dry beer obviously).  It finished below 1.008 IIRC.