[klickitat jim]

Just out of sheer curiosity, generally speaking...

How long do you mash?

Why?

How long do you think one could mash before experiencing undesirable effects?

[fmader]

60 minutes

Because I like round numbers... No, just what I was taught to do and I don't lose any heat over the course of an hour.

Mashing any longer gives me more time to drink. Which is not good because I'm still lifting hot water at this point 

[reverseapachemaster]

Usually 60 minutes. I've done a few 75 minute mashes. Not sure the extra time added anything.

I've done a turbid mash. That was like four hours of mashing.

[dmtaylor]

I mash all my beers for 40-45 minutes.  I ran a ton of experiments years ago, and determined that while conversion of starch to sugar typically occurs very quickly (15 minutes?), the attenuability, or simplification of those sugars to fermentable ones, takes a while longer.  Mashing for 30-35 minutes was long enough about 50% of the time, but the other 50% of the time resulted in a very low attenuating beer (i.e., thick and sweet).  40 minutes is the minimum time I found on my system to get great attenuation every time without wasting time.  If I want to, I can knock out an all-grain batch in 3.5-4 hours.  This helps greatly to fitting brewing into my sometimes busy schedule.  60 minutes?  Ack.  What a waste of 20 minutes that you could be sleeping or whatever else.  The only time I might mash for a full 60 minutes or longer is for the really huge beers >1.080 or where Munich is the base malt since it's got less enzymes.  But for anything else that is "normal", 40 minutes is fine.  Try it and see.  Or if you're worried, go with 45.  Still saves 15 minutes.  And with that you could be saving $150 or more on car insurance, or whatever.

[brewmasternpb]

I mash for an hour... because I was told to.  I am curious about the viability of mashing for less time.

[morticaixavier]

I've mashed for 45 minutes to good effect but also for 2+ hours to good effect. The longer mash made for a more fermentable wort but it was at a lower temp as well. I've read of folks mashing over night to no ill effect. I suppose there is some biological activity going on by that point but likely it's not enough to really make anything sour. mash for a couple days and you've got a nice weisse beer... or a vomit smelling mash tun.

[erockrph]

I typically mash for 75 minutes. I was doing 60 minutes, but I mash really thin (I do a no-sparge, full volume mash. Sort of like BIAB, but using a separate mash tun to hold temps better). My low gravity beers were giving me relatively low efficiency. I was getting 85% efficiency on barleywines and 70% on my brown ale. I saw my efficiency numbers start to come back up to a consistent range once I started mashing longer.

[dbarber]

I typically mash for 90 minutes.  I mash in, make coffee and have breakfast, by the time I'm done it's time to sparge. 

[Wheat_Brewer]

I mash for 60 minutes because that's what everybody else does 

I've never done Iodine tests or conversion tests...that may be the next project after I get my head around water quality.

[kramerog]

60 minutes is normal for me in part b/c I get a break to do other stuff when nothing is happening, not even a burner running.  I do tend to start the vorlauf before the 60 minutes are up and generally skip mash out.

[Iliff Ave]

I have been interested in this of late myself. I mash for 60 minutes.

In a recent Beersmith newsletter Brad Smith recommends mashing 75 minutes for lower temperature mashes and 45 minutes for higher temperature mashes.

"Complete conversion of your malt for a low temperature, light bodied profile takes longer than a high temperature, full bodied mash profile"

[denny]

I mash for at least 60 min.  90 min. or more for lower temps or when I want a very fermentable wort.  My test results differ from Dave's ion that I have seen better conversion efficiency and a more fermentable wort from longer mash times.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

generally 75 minutes is my process, followed by an immediate 185F batch sparge and then right to boil.

[ynotbrusum]

Pilsner malt is a 90 minute mash time (I know, SMM/DMS myth, etc...); 2 row or MO - 60 min; All Munich or Vienna, then back to 90.  Probably lost money on my car insurance, but conversion happens every time!

YMMV and I could be talked into 75 for Pilsners, followed by a hard boil and quick chill.  SMM and DMS should be avoided with that.

[morticaixavier]

Pilsner malt is a 90 minute mash time (I know, SMM/DMS myth, etc...); 2 row or MO - 60 min; All Munich or Vienna, then back to 90.  Probably lost money on my car insurance, but conversion happens every time!

YMMV and I could be talked into 75 for Pilsners, followed by a hard boil and quick chill.  SMM and DMS should be avoided with that.

I have never heard that the mash had anything to do with DMS just the boil. I have always been under the impression that the mash time had to do with enzymatic activity and the relative speed at which that happens.