Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: mash rest  (Read 4228 times)

Offline denny

  • Administrator
  • Retired with too much time on my hands
  • *****
  • Posts: 27070
  • Noti OR [1991.4, 287.6deg] AR
    • Dennybrew
Re: mash rest
« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2014, 03:33:37 pm »
If it took me several years to preheat my tun, I would try to find a better way too.

 ;D
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: mash rest
« Reply #16 on: August 30, 2014, 06:18:41 pm »
Are you preheating your mash tun? How hot?  I don't worry about the end temp as much as getting my starting temp stabilized.  Conversion is usually done within 30 minutes and yes I let it sit for 60 minutes just in case.

I spent several years preheating the tun, then had a revelation...if I just tracked how far off I was without preheating for a few batches, I could come up with how much hotter I needed to make the water.  Works great and I haven't preheated in years.


Many do it that way. Easy, it is.

+1
Jon H.

Offline jtoots

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 326
Re: mash rest
« Reply #17 on: September 02, 2014, 08:35:17 am »
Thanks for all your input everyone!!

So this weekend's batch went well... I didn't see as much heat gain in the middle as I've seen in the past.  My rise time was right at 5 minutes.  I used the ball valve on my kettle to transfer the majority of strike water into the mash tun, then poured the remaining amount on top.  I think there is significant loss doing it this way instead of just dumping, because I came in about 1.5 degrees below my target temp.  So I think I need to go with about 13 degrees above target temp as opposed to the 11ish that BS tells me to strike with.  I fixed this one by adding about 1/2 gallon of 168 degree water to hit temp.  On the other hand, my mashout volume was smaller so I just dumped, rise time more like 2 minutes, and I came in over target so had to do some stirring.

My rest target was 148, which I ended up at.  The rest ended at 147.5 at the perimeter and 148.5 in the center.

About 5 AG batches in now, starting to find my comfort zone and loving it!!  Two of the 5ish have been contenders for my best batches of 50 so far...  Can't wait for an Apple Oatmeal Stout this weekend!!

Offline morticaixavier

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7781
  • Underhill VT
    • The Best Artist in the WORLD!!!!!
Re: mash rest
« Reply #18 on: September 02, 2014, 08:38:36 am »
you probably don't have to worry about overshooting your mashout temp. unless your alkalinity is too high and the mashout temp was above 170 it's not going to hurt anything to be too hot. you are trying to denature the enzymes at that point.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
-A Einstein

"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
- J Joyce

Offline denny

  • Administrator
  • Retired with too much time on my hands
  • *****
  • Posts: 27070
  • Noti OR [1991.4, 287.6deg] AR
    • Dennybrew
Re: mash rest
« Reply #19 on: September 02, 2014, 08:47:34 am »
you probably don't have to worry about overshooting your mashout temp. unless your alkalinity is too high and the mashout temp was above 170 it's not going to hurt anything to be too hot. you are trying to denature the enzymes at that point.

Actually, the mashout could be skipped entirely without any problems.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline morticaixavier

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7781
  • Underhill VT
    • The Best Artist in the WORLD!!!!!
Re: mash rest
« Reply #20 on: September 02, 2014, 08:59:06 am »
you probably don't have to worry about overshooting your mashout temp. unless your alkalinity is too high and the mashout temp was above 170 it's not going to hurt anything to be too hot. you are trying to denature the enzymes at that point.

Actually, the mashout could be skipped entirely without any problems.

also true. I only do one with no sparge and then because i'm adding water anyway, it might as well be 180* water.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
-A Einstein

"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
- J Joyce

Offline klickitat jim

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8604
Re: mash rest
« Reply #21 on: September 02, 2014, 09:56:38 am »
Ok, I just woke up so cut me some slack. If you mash arount 145 you get short chain, highly fermentable sugars, right? 155 you get long chain, less fermentable, right. (I know there's some overlap too) So, let's suppose you mash at 145 long enough to get near 100% conversion. Then raise the temp to 155. Its not going to put the short chains back together is it? At least in my mind it doesn't seem likely, so I quit worrying about mash out. The only time I would mash out is if I were trying to get a wort that was not very fermentable,  like for a lambic. Then the mash out might stop conversion,  if I was using a low DP malt that converts slowly enough to actually pull that off.

Offline morticaixavier

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7781
  • Underhill VT
    • The Best Artist in the WORLD!!!!!
Re: mash rest
« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2014, 12:03:49 pm »
Ok, I just woke up so cut me some slack. If you mash arount 145 you get short chain, highly fermentable sugars, right? 155 you get long chain, less fermentable, right. (I know there's some overlap too) So, let's suppose you mash at 145 long enough to get near 100% conversion. Then raise the temp to 155. Its not going to put the short chains back together is it? At least in my mind it doesn't seem likely, so I quit worrying about mash out. The only time I would mash out is if I were trying to get a wort that was not very fermentable,  like for a lambic. Then the mash out might stop conversion,  if I was using a low DP malt that converts slowly enough to actually pull that off.

the missing piece of the puzzle is that the beta amylase only works on one particular linkage on the sugar. when the alpha amylase goes to work it breaks the chain in a different place that actually makes more linkages available to the beta amylase. so a long 145 rest will allow the beta amylase to cleave everything it can BUT moving to a solid alpha rest will actually make even more sugars available to the beta to cleave.

at least that is my understanding.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
-A Einstein

"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
- J Joyce

Offline klickitat jim

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8604
Re: mash rest
« Reply #23 on: September 02, 2014, 01:53:52 pm »
I figured it couldn't be easy

Offline erockrph

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7786
  • Chepachet, RI
    • The Hop WHisperer
Re: mash rest
« Reply #24 on: September 02, 2014, 08:57:09 pm »
Ok, I just woke up so cut me some slack. If you mash arount 145 you get short chain, highly fermentable sugars, right? 155 you get long chain, less fermentable, right. (I know there's some overlap too) So, let's suppose you mash at 145 long enough to get near 100% conversion. Then raise the temp to 155. Its not going to put the short chains back together is it? At least in my mind it doesn't seem likely, so I quit worrying about mash out. The only time I would mash out is if I were trying to get a wort that was not very fermentable,  like for a lambic. Then the mash out might stop conversion,  if I was using a low DP malt that converts slowly enough to actually pull that off.

the missing piece of the puzzle is that the beta amylase only works on one particular linkage on the sugar. when the alpha amylase goes to work it breaks the chain in a different place that actually makes more linkages available to the beta amylase. so a long 145 rest will allow the beta amylase to cleave everything it can BUT moving to a solid alpha rest will actually make even more sugars available to the beta to cleave.

at least that is my understanding.
Right, but I'd add that there is a point of diminishing returns. As you increase the temperature up towards peak Alpha activity you begin to denature the Beta amylase rather quickly. That's why I think a long, low Beta rest works just as well (if not better) than a step mash. Alpha amylase is active at those lower temps, but at a much slower rate. By giving enough time, then alpha slowly gets to chip away and feed more pieces to the beta amylase. Also, at really low beta rests you may get some limit dextrinase activity as well, which can even start to chew some of the dextrins that neither alpha nor beta amylase can digest.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline ynotbrusum

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4874
Re: mash rest
« Reply #25 on: September 03, 2014, 05:18:14 am »
Agreed as to the reactions, but at the homebrew level, you can end up with a really dry beer using that longer beta rest (over 90 minutes).  At least that has been my experience.
Hodge Garage Brewing: "Brew with a glad heart!"

Offline morticaixavier

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7781
  • Underhill VT
    • The Best Artist in the WORLD!!!!!
Re: mash rest
« Reply #26 on: September 03, 2014, 08:37:01 am »
one of these days I want to try the overnight mash, start at say 150 and just leave it till morning. see if I can get a big 1.090 saison down below 1.000 with no sugar.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
-A Einstein

"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
- J Joyce

Offline erockrph

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 7786
  • Chepachet, RI
    • The Hop WHisperer
Re: mash rest
« Reply #27 on: September 03, 2014, 09:59:56 am »
one of these days I want to try the overnight mash, start at say 150 and just leave it till morning. see if I can get a big 1.090 saison down below 1.000 with no sugar.
I was pretty happy with the results doing a true step-down mash for my last barleywine. I started with half the grist in a BIAB bag and did a 30 minute rest at 156 to let alpha amylase do its thing. Then I pulled the grain bag and added the remaining grains. I rested at 145 for 2 hours after that. Went from 1.142 to 1.024 with Yorkshire Square yeast at 58F. I can only imagine what you could get out of a solid Saison fermentation using that mash schedule.

Regardless, I'd recommend going closer to 145 or even lower, rather than 150. Limit dextrinase starts to denature around 140F, IIRC. I do think that it plays a small role in super low temp mashes.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer