[Kirk]

Kai, I really appreciate all your input.  It has helped me a great deal (as has everyone's).  

By the way, I've been experimenting with decoction mashing, and I've read your stuff.  In fact, your stuff is my primary source.  My first two attempts were cumbersome.  For instance, my first triple turned into a sextuple.  I was spinning my wheels.  I'd pull a decoction, the temp would drop, and the decoction return would get me back to where I started.  But I'm getting better.  Yesterday I tried a new technique that I wanted to run by you.  In short it is Infuse, Decoct, Decoct, Direct Heat.  Starting at the acid rest, infuse to the protein rest, decoct to the sacc rest, decoct again to the dextrin rest, and direct heat to mash out.  It worked well because the mash got thinner at each step.  I decocted mostly grain, and thinned it with HLT water (ph 6 of course).  By the time I got to the dextrin rest, the mash was at about 2.2 qt/lb.  That's why I thought it was safe to direct heat to mash out because it was so thin.  And along that same thought, while the decoctions were boiling, and the main mash thinned accordingly, just before returning the decoction I would carefully use low direct heat (and stirring) to return the main mash temp back up to where it was when I pulled.  It all seemed to work, and shortened the day quite a bit.