[Big Monk]

I'm trying to muster up enough courage/enthusiasm/motivation/desire... to revert to doing a step mash of ~144 degrees followed by ~162 degrees in my cooler/tun.  I was doing step mashes in the early 90's, but got lazy at some juncture and switched to single infusion.  I recall that my beers from back then had better mouthfeel and more maltiness.  But perhaps a good part of that is due to being younger.  I've lost a lot of my sense of smell and taste over the years.

I've written myself a spreadsheet with "solver" assist so I can perform a two step mash in my cooler with any weight of grist at any input of two target "step" temperatures.  Now I need to see if I can develop a spreadsheet that will accomplish a three tier step mash with solver assist.

Stepping in a cooler is a real task. You need to know the current temp of the mash, then heat the infusion to the correct temp, then hope everything is at the right temp at the right time, etc.

Step mashing is so easy with a controllable direct heat system that it’s almost an afterthought. I don’t envy someone trying to do it in cooler with hot water infusions.

[denny]

I'm trying to muster up enough courage/enthusiasm/motivation/desire... to revert to doing a step mash of ~144 degrees followed by ~162 degrees in my cooler/tun.  I was doing step mashes in the early 90's, but got lazy at some juncture and switched to single infusion.  I recall that my beers from back then had better mouthfeel and more maltiness.  But perhaps a good part of that is due to being younger.  I've lost a lot of my sense of smell and taste over the years.

I've written myself a spreadsheet with "solver" assist so I can perform a two step mash in my cooler with any weight of grist at any input of two target "step" temperatures.  Now I need to see if I can develop a spreadsheet that will accomplish a three tier step mash with solver assist.

Stepping in a cooler is a real task. You need to know the current temp of the mash, then heat the infusion to the correct temp, then hope everything is at the right temp at the right time, etc.

Step mashing is so easy with a controllable direct heat system that it’s almost an afterthought. I don’t envy someone trying to do it in cooler with hot water infusions.

Not that tough.  Just stir in boiling water while you take the temp until you get to where you want to be.

[Big Monk]

I'm trying to muster up enough courage/enthusiasm/motivation/desire... to revert to doing a step mash of ~144 degrees followed by ~162 degrees in my cooler/tun.  I was doing step mashes in the early 90's, but got lazy at some juncture and switched to single infusion.  I recall that my beers from back then had better mouthfeel and more maltiness.  But perhaps a good part of that is due to being younger.  I've lost a lot of my sense of smell and taste over the years.

I've written myself a spreadsheet with "solver" assist so I can perform a two step mash in my cooler with any weight of grist at any input of two target "step" temperatures.  Now I need to see if I can develop a spreadsheet that will accomplish a three tier step mash with solver assist.

Stepping in a cooler is a real task. You need to know the current temp of the mash, then heat the infusion to the correct temp, then hope everything is at the right temp at the right time, etc.

Step mashing is so easy with a controllable direct heat system that it’s almost an afterthought. I don’t envy someone trying to do it in cooler with hot water infusions.

Not that tough.  Just stir in boiling water while you take the temp until you get to where you want to be.

I know what you are driving at and in the sense of temp you are correct but volumes can get wacky using that method.

[BrewBama]

+1. Boiling water infusions sounds easy enough but it rarely worked as advertised for me.


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[Big Monk]

+1. Boiling water infusions sounds easy enough but it rarely worked as advertised for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It's easy to control each variable (temp and volume) independently, but I, and others, always run into trouble trying to get them both in line at the same time.

[TXFlyGuy]

Here is the response I received from Weyermann, this morning...

Hello Bel Air Brewing ,


Thanks or your mail.

It´s great to hear you like our malt so much to brew all your beers with Weyermann® malt.
All our Weyermann® malt are well modified for protein and starch.

You can brew with all our basemalts in infusion way, no need for decoction.

We recommend decoction for pilsner kind of beers.

I added 2 nice recipes from our library to show how to use our malts in infusion way.


Happy brewing with Weyermann® malts
 

Constantin Förtner

[denny]

I'm trying to muster up enough courage/enthusiasm/motivation/desire... to revert to doing a step mash of ~144 degrees followed by ~162 degrees in my cooler/tun.  I was doing step mashes in the early 90's, but got lazy at some juncture and switched to single infusion.  I recall that my beers from back then had better mouthfeel and more maltiness.  But perhaps a good part of that is due to being younger.  I've lost a lot of my sense of smell and taste over the years.

I've written myself a spreadsheet with "solver" assist so I can perform a two step mash in my cooler with any weight of grist at any input of two target "step" temperatures.  Now I need to see if I can develop a spreadsheet that will accomplish a three tier step mash with solver assist.

Stepping in a cooler is a real task. You need to know the current temp of the mash, then heat the infusion to the correct temp, then hope everything is at the right temp at the right time, etc.

Step mashing is so easy with a controllable direct heat system that it’s almost an afterthought. I don’t envy someone trying to do it in cooler with hot water infusions.

Not that tough.  Just stir in boiling water while you take the temp until you get to where you want to be.

I know what you are driving at and in the sense of temp you are correct but volumes can get wacky using that method.

I really haven't found that to be a problem.

[Silver_Is_Money]

+1. Boiling water infusions sounds easy enough but it rarely worked as advertised for me.


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It's easy to control each variable (temp and volume) independently, but I, and others, always run into trouble trying to get them both in line at the same time.

I'm currently testing my 3 step mash spreadsheet using "solver".  It resolves the mash thickness and boiling water volumes for each added step such that the precise final volume of water that I calculate for a single infusion mash is also the summed 'overall' water volume result for this 3 step mash spreadsheet.

[TXFlyGuy]

Direct from the source - Weyermann.
This should help answer your questions:

Mash (Infusion):
Mash in at 62°C (145°F), hold this temperature, 63°C (145°F) and rest for 30 min, hold another break at 68°C (154°F) for 10 minutes, rise up the temperature to 72°C (162°F) and rest for 15 min. Mash out by 78°C (172°F)

[hopfenundmalz]

On the acrospire, on a tour of Motor City Malt, the owner showed the acrospire in a kernel of steeped barley. He held on his index finger and split it open with his two thumbnails. Called it "the blade of grass" as that is what it would become in the field.

On a kilned malt you would need a knife.

In Denny's case, remember he has his mill set as tight as it goes, so they are probably ground up.

[hopfenundmalz]

On the acrospire, on a tour of Motor City Malt, the owner showed the acrospire in a kernel of steeped barley. He held on his index finger and split it open with his two thumbnails. Called it "the blade of grass" as that is what it would become in the field.

On a kilned malt you would need a knife.

In Denny's case, remember he has his mill set as tight as it goes, so they are probably ground up.

[Die Beerery]

The acrospire is retained in finished barley malt, but the rootlets are removed and so, in a sense, are 'lost'.

So I stand corrected.  I have confused the acrospire with the rootlet.

Which doesn't change the fact that I have almost never seen an acrospire in any malt I've gotten.

The arcospire is in every piece of grain ever grown. I only ask you be careful with broad brushes.
See #2



You indeed have seen it, however probably in its powder form. This is also the part of the malt that starts staling the second it sees oxygen from being crushed.

[rx1970]

Thanks for that explanation on modification Denny. You saved me a lot of time trying to figure it out.
Nick

[Bel Air Brewing]

So...is anyone still debating the potential benefits of a multi-step mash vs. single step vs. decoction?
As Weyermann gave advice on the multi-step (see post #83), we will continue with that when using Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pils.
Does it add time to the brew day? Yes. Is it painful? No.

[denny]

So...is anyone still debating the potential benefits of a multi-step mash vs. single step vs. decoction?
As Weyermann gave advice on the multi-step (see post #83), we will continue with that when using Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pils.
Does it add time to the brew day? Yes. Is it painful? No.

Because it's easy to do with my system, I have done many comparisons between step mashing and single infusion.  I can't tell you I found a difference. I decided many years ago that decoction made so little difference (none, basically) that it wasn't worth the effort. I still occasionally do one to see if I missed something. So far, no.