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Author Topic: Reiterated mash question  (Read 3444 times)

Offline Pi

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Reiterated mash question
« on: December 13, 2016, 07:51:40 am »
After reading Chris Colby's article in Nov/Dec Zymurgy,I think i'll give this a try brewing a RIS. Was wondering if I should do my first mash all base malt, then add specialty malts in the second mash. And should i add more (brewing salts) to the second mash?
Any other tips or comments are welcome. Or, if another thread has been started pls. redirect me, thanks.
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2016, 08:20:17 am »
After reading Chris Colby's article in Nov/Dec Zymurgy,I think i'll give this a try brewing a RIS. Was wondering if I should do my first mash all base malt, then add specialty malts in the second mash. And should i add more (brewing salts) to the second mash?
Any other tips or comments are welcome. Or, if another thread has been started pls. redirect me, thanks.
The only iterated mash I've done was 100% base malt (a 100% MO barleywine), so I have no experience with the specialty malt question. Whatever choice you make, just be sure that your initial mash pH will fall in an acceptable range with whatever malts you use in that iteration. In other words, if you're counting on your specialty grains to help lower your pH into your target range, then plan on including them in your initial mash.

As far as adding additional salts for the second mash, I don't think you will need to. I don't think adding more malt to a mash will be likely to increase the pH. If anything, it could potentially drop the pH a bit more.

Personally, I think I'd be inclined to add my specialty grains in the initial mash for simplicity's sake in estimating my initial pH.
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Offline JJeffers09

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2016, 08:28:49 am »
I would treat each mash as its own.  Ensure that the pH will be optimal for each mash.  I would assume you want a 5.2pH in the base malt mash, then a 5.6pH for the crystal/roast 2ndary mash for your imperial stout.  The issue would be when you go to sparge the 2nd mash.  I would guess you need to account for the grain absorption.  Then there is the question of the unsparged first mash.  You could partigyle that brew, I would.  There is essentially anything you could do with such a mash.
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2016, 08:45:07 am »
I would treat each mash as its own.  Ensure that the pH will be optimal for each mash.  I would assume you want a 5.2pH in the base malt mash, then a 5.6pH for the crystal/roast 2ndary mash for your imperial stout.  The issue would be when you go to sparge the 2nd mash.  I would guess you need to account for the grain absorption.  Then there is the question of the unsparged first mash.  You could partigyle that brew, I would.  There is essentially anything you could do with such a mash.
I believe that he's referring to a reiterated mash where you use the wort from the first mash as the liquor for the second mash. That's a bit different than having a separate mash altogether.

I suppose you could figure out how to sparge a mash like this, but I think no-sparge is a better way to go for these types of brews.
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Offline JJeffers09

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2016, 08:47:02 am »
It's the 1st r unnings into a secondary mash right.  So the first mash is not sparged, right?

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Offline erockrph

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2016, 08:50:44 am »
I haven't read Chris's Zymurgy article on this yet, but he has posted a bit about this on Beer and Wine Journal in the past, I think.

I posted a bit about this on my blog when I used this technique in the past. It works quite well. I managed to get an 1.142 OG barleywine down to 1.024 with a very flocculant English ale yeast using this technique.

http://hopwhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/03/giant-freaking-barley-wine.html

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Offline erockrph

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2016, 08:54:03 am »
It's the 1st r unnings into a secondary mash right.  So the first mash is not sparged, right?

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Right. And since you're typically using this technique to produce a very high gravity beer, you're probably best off not sparging the 2nd mash either.
Eric B.

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Offline kramerog

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Re: Reiterated mash question
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2016, 09:19:12 am »
I think you should aim for a pH of 5.5 in the final mash.  I see two ways this can be done.  The first way is to make the first mash have a ph of 5.5 and then to make the grain and salts bill for the second mash have an RA of 0.  That way the second mash will have approximately the same pH as the first mash.  Alternatively, you calculate your salt additions based on the entire grain bill and then make both mashes "identical" by making your grain bill and salt additions identical for each mash.  The first mash might be a little higher than 5.5, but that's OK.

What is your thinking in reserving speciaty grains to the second mash?

I would parti-gyle the grains of the first and second mash to make another brew.  These could also be reiterated.  The easiest way is to have two mash tuns.