[wvmtneer]

May be a dumb question but I have seen this referenced a few times how is this determined?

[tommymorris]

The amount of water in the mash divided by the amount of grain. Usually measured in quarts of water to pounds of grain.

PS. There are no dumb questions.

[denny]

May be a dumb question but I have seen this referenced a few times how is this determined?

If you mean what ratio to use, it's your choice.  I've found that a higher ration increased my efficiency.  These days I average about 1.65 qt./lb.

[Stevie]

If you are asking what the appropriate thickness is, the answer is what works for you. I'm about 1.7 qt/lb. I used to be 1.4 qt/lb, but find I get an easier runoff without having to thin thin the mash ahead of time after my sacc rest.

[HoosierBrew]

I'm using around 1.6 -1.8 qts/lb nowadays for most beers, if that's the question.

[evil_morty]

I'm usually around 2.4 qts/lb.  last brew was only 1.051 OG so I could pull off 2.8 qts/lb.  I like to mash as thin as I can for a few reasons.

1)  mash overnight so the temp holds better
2)  easy to stir and drain
3)  small batch sparge = minimal tannin extraction possible
4)  most of my water in the mash = I can push Ca, sulfate, and Cl up as high as I need to (my water is low in most things)

efficiency is still typically between 75% and 85% which is good enough for me.

[hopfenundmalz]

The amount of water in the mash divided by the amount of grain. Usually measured in quarts of water to pounds of grain.

PS. There are no dumb questions.

Or liters to kg if your into the whole metric thing.

[S. cerevisiae]

4)  most of my water in the mash = I can push Ca, sulfate, and Cl up as high as I need to (my water is low in most things)

The plot thickens...

Do you add Mg? 

[S. cerevisiae]

I mash at between 1.25 and 1.4 quarts per pound.  I continuous sparge.

[Al Hounos]

And us BIABers mash much, much thinner than traditional mashes with no ill effects. It really doesn't matter as long as you account for pH.

[evil_morty]

4)  most of my water in the mash = I can push Ca, sulfate, and Cl up as high as I need to (my water is low in most things)

The plot thickens...

Do you add Mg?

I do not.  I had always heard the malt provided that.

eta:  it's old info but my water report said I had 3 ppm of Mg.  Are you suggesting lack of Mg caused my slow ferm start?  Are the requirements different when pitching a smaller number of cells?  I have been using the "same" water for years now.

[TexasHumuluslupulushead]

4)  most of my water in the mash = I can push Ca, sulfate, and Cl up as high as I need to (my water is low in most things)

The plot thickens...

Do you add Mg?

I do not.  I had always heard the malt provided that.

eta:  it's old info but my water report said I had 3 ppm of Mg.  Are you suggesting lack of Mg caused my slow ferm start?  Are the requirements different when pitching a smaller number of cells?  I have been using the "same" water for years now.

I just add Wyeast nutrient and dont really worry about the Mg

[S. cerevisiae]

I do not.  I had always heard the malt provided that.

eta:  it's old info but my water report said I had 3 ppm of Mg.  Are you suggesting lack of Mg caused my slow ferm start?  Are the requirements different when pitching a smaller number of cells?  I have been using the "same" water for years now.

While I believe that culture itself was the reason for the slow start, adding Ca without adding Mg does not help when one is using soft water.  Mg and Zn are the key metal ions in brewing. Mg impacts the rate of yeast cell division, sugar consumption, and ethanol production (Ca improves flocculation, but suppresses ethanol production).  The problem with relying on malt as the sole source for Mg is that modern intensive farming practices have to led to crops with lower trace minerals (i.e., the amount of Mg found in malt does vary based on where and how it was grown).  My current water supply is low in Mg, and the beers to which I do not add Mg take longer to ferment and finish higher.  I add 1/4 tsp of Fermax per liter to my starter wort to make up for the lack of minerals in my water supply.  I usually try to bump my brewing liquor up to around 10ppm (higher for some styles).


Here's a link to a presentation that was made at NHC:  http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2009/Tobias-Fischborn-NHC2009-Yeast%20nutrition.pdf


While the entire presentation is very good, the slide entitled "Yeast nutrition potential problems for fermentation" provides a synopsis of nutritional problems.

[evil_morty]

I do not.  I had always heard the malt provided that.

eta:  it's old info but my water report said I had 3 ppm of Mg.  Are you suggesting lack of Mg caused my slow ferm start?  Are the requirements different when pitching a smaller number of cells?  I have been using the "same" water for years now.

While I believe that culture itself was the reason for the slow start, adding Ca without adding Mg does not help when one is using soft water.  Mg and Zn are the key metal ions in brewing. Mg impacts the rate of yeast cell division, sugar consumption, and ethanol production (Ca improves flocculation, but suppresses ethanol production).  The problem with relying on malt as the sole source for Mg is that modern intensive farming practices have to led to crops with lower trace minerals (i.e., the amount of Mg found in malt does vary based on where and how it was grown).  My current water supply is low in Mg, and the beers to which I do not add Mg take longer to ferment and finish higher.  I add 1/4 tsp of Fermax per liter to my starter wort to make up for the lack of minerals in my water supply.  I usually try to bump my brewing liquor up to around 10ppm (higher for some styles).


Here's a link to a presentation that was made at NHC:  http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2009/Tobias-Fischborn-NHC2009-Yeast%20nutrition.pdf


While the entire presentation is very good, the slide entitled "Yeast nutrition potential problems for fermentation" provides a synopsis of nutritional problems.

how are you adding Mg?

[dilluh98]

MgSO4, or more commonly referred to as epsom salt.