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Author Topic: Decoction  (Read 4507 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #15 on: March 13, 2015, 01:00:19 pm »
Is it worth the extra time and energy? Hell no.

 ^^^   I remember the first time I tried it, I was excited that I'd just made this incredible BoPils, except that I couldn't find much difference.  Probably wouldn't do it again. Never say never though.

I still do it once or twice a year to see if I've changed my opinion.

Has anything changed it at all, Denny ?  In honesty, I tried it twice. But the extra hours didn't seem to net me noticeably better beer. If I felt like it did, I'd do it regardless. I like to think my palate is pretty good.
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Offline denny

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2015, 01:56:03 pm »
Has anything changed it at all, Denny ?  In honesty, I tried it twice. But the extra hours didn't seem to net me noticeably better beer. If I felt like it did, I'd do it regardless. I like to think my palate is pretty good.

Nope.  Now admittedly I almost never do the blind triangle any more when I do decoctions.  I simply brew my standard German pils recipe and see if there's anything about the decocted version that I don't recall from the single infusion.  Probably not the best way to do things.  But I'm with you....the corollary to my "make the best beer possible with the least effort possible while having the most fun possible" is "do anything it takes to make better beer, but be sure what you;re doing actually makes better beer".  If I truly thought a decoction would make the beer better, I'd do it.
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Offline Tim Thomssen

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2015, 04:20:19 pm »
I like the melanoidins that are created in a decoction mash.  They are particularly welcome in Munich Helles, Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel & Bock Bier.  Now I'm a plenty lazy brewer, I skip the whole temperature step mash in favor of a single infusion rest for 60 minutes then pull a single decoction for mashout.  For me it's the most efficient way to achieve the desirable melanoidin flavors without too much extra work.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2015, 04:48:57 am »
On my German beers I don't do a decoction mash, but I tell every one I do. And everyone thinks they taste a lot better for it. :)

Offline homoeccentricus

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #19 on: March 14, 2015, 04:56:43 am »
I've been under the impression that decoction was a technique designed for mash temperature control in the days before the availability of accurate thermometers. Do you think it may add something to the beer beyond this? Or do you think it's just an interesting technique that's worth trying, but has been supplanted by Thermapens?

My experience is that flavor wise it doesn't add anything to the beer.
If decoction doesn't add anything, why is there one in the tafelbier recipe in your book? Blame Drew?
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Offline denny

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2015, 09:49:50 am »
I like the melanoidins that are created in a decoction mash.  They are particularly welcome in Munich Helles, Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel & Bock Bier.  Now I'm a plenty lazy brewer, I skip the whole temperature step mash in favor of a single infusion rest for 60 minutes then pull a single decoction for mashout.  For me it's the most efficient way to achieve the desirable melanoidin flavors without too much extra work.

FTR, melanoidins are a color, not a flavor.
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Offline denny

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #21 on: March 14, 2015, 09:50:22 am »
On my German beers I don't do a decoction mash, but I tell every one I do. And everyone thinks they taste a lot better for it. :)

 ;)

Including you, right?
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Offline denny

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #22 on: March 14, 2015, 09:51:08 am »
If decoction doesn't add anything, why is there one in the tafelbier recipe in your book? Blame Drew?

Yeah, the recipe came from him.  Although I know he doesn't do decoctions, either, so maybe he got it elsewhere.
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Offline chumley

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #23 on: March 14, 2015, 01:05:40 pm »
For weissbiers I like to mash-in at 105°, raise that to 135°F, then raise that to 155°F, then lauter/sparge.

90% of the time I will do that as a step mash, but once in a while I will do a double decoction. For a dunkelweizen with Munich, I would go ahead and go with decoctions.  I think they are more worthwhile for a wheat and munich malt beer, as opposed to a pilsner.

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2015, 01:17:39 pm »
I've been under the impression that decoction was a technique designed for mash temperature control in the days before the availability of accurate thermometers. Do you think it may add something to the beer beyond this? Or do you think it's just an interesting technique that's worth trying, but has been supplanted by Thermapens?

It was more for under modified malt with lower Diastatic Power, to get a lower pH with the acid rest, then take the wort up through the temperatures where the enzymes are most active several times to get conversion. The British were not doing decoctions at the same time with different malt.

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Offline majorvices

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #25 on: March 14, 2015, 02:14:54 pm »
On my German beers I don't do a decoction mash, but I tell every one I do. And everyone thinks they taste a lot better for it. :)

 ;)

Including you, right?

Of course!

Offline DENNIS GARRETT

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #26 on: March 14, 2015, 06:11:01 pm »
TRY A STEP MASH INSTEAD , TRY STEPING THE DARK GRAINS AND ADDING AT THE END OF THE BOIL, AND IF YOU WANT THE BANANA AND CLOVE FLAVORS AVOID A YEAST STARTER , AND FERMENT AT THE HIGHER RANGE OF THE WEIHENSTEPHAN YEAST.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #27 on: March 14, 2015, 08:21:49 pm »
TRY A STEP MASH INSTEAD , TRY STEPING THE DARK GRAINS AND ADDING AT THE END OF THE BOIL, AND IF YOU WANT THE BANANA AND CLOVE FLAVORS AVOID A YEAST STARTER , AND FERMENT AT THE HIGHER RANGE OF THE WEIHENSTEPHAN YEAST.

AND DON'T FORGET TO YELL AT YOUR YEAST!  ;)

Dennis, appreciate your participation on the forum! Please do not use all caps, it is misconstrued as YELLING!

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2015, 09:43:39 am »
TRY A STEP MASH INSTEAD , TRY STEPING THE DARK GRAINS AND ADDING AT THE END OF THE BOIL, AND IF YOU WANT THE BANANA AND CLOVE FLAVORS AVOID A YEAST STARTER , AND FERMENT AT THE HIGHER RANGE OF THE WEIHENSTEPHAN YEAST.

AND DON'T FORGET TO YELL AT YOUR YEAST!  ;)

Dennis, appreciate your participation on the forum! Please do not use all caps, it is misconstrued as YELLING!

Maybe he is just that passionate about hefeweizen yeast.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline majorvices

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Re: Decoction
« Reply #29 on: March 15, 2015, 10:03:32 am »
TRY A STEP MASH INSTEAD , TRY STEPING THE DARK GRAINS AND ADDING AT THE END OF THE BOIL, AND IF YOU WANT THE BANANA AND CLOVE FLAVORS AVOID A YEAST STARTER , AND FERMENT AT THE HIGHER RANGE OF THE WEIHENSTEPHAN YEAST.

AND DON'T FORGET TO YELL AT YOUR YEAST!  ;)

Dennis, appreciate your participation on the forum! Please do not use all caps, it is misconstrued as YELLING!

Maybe he is just that passionate about hefeweizen yeast.

That is understandable! ;D