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Author Topic: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.  (Read 61933 times)

Offline Kaiser

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #90 on: March 23, 2011, 10:43:45 am »
I find the iodine test to be just this side of useless.  It certainly won't tell you if you have complete conversion.

It's amazing how this fallacy has perpetuated itself through the years.  Between the high possibility of false readings and the lack of useful info, I tell new brewers to just forget the iodine test even exists.

While a negative iodine test doesn’t tell you that you are done mashing a positive test at the end of mashing shows that your mash didn’t go as planned.

Kai

Offline denny

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #91 on: March 23, 2011, 10:47:09 am »
I agree, Kai, but I've also seen so many false positives after people have mashed for hours that I just don't see the value of the test.
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Offline Will's Swill

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #92 on: March 24, 2011, 06:38:44 pm »
Yikes!  No wonder you responded the way you did to my post about the 6 hour mash.  What is iodine reacting with to cause a false positive if not unconverted starch? 

As a side note, I do little mini mashes on the kitchen stove for my yeast starters.  One time I was getting false positives from some starchy deposit on the plate I was using for the sample test.  That makes you slap your forehead.
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Offline oscarvan

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #93 on: March 25, 2011, 06:37:58 am »
Never done an Iodine test.....always meet my OG, or close.....
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Offline euge

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #94 on: March 25, 2011, 10:48:59 am »
Never done an Iodine test.....always meet my OG, or close.....

I did the very first AG batch. But it was about 30 minutes in, showed conversion. I left it at that- never did it again. If one's mash is not converting then there's a serious problem. What it would be I don't know, cause it's never happened to me.
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Offline malzig

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #95 on: March 26, 2011, 08:13:43 am »
I suppose the iodine test might be very meaningful to breweries like Budweiser, who are trying to convert a boatload of rice.

Offline oscarvan

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #96 on: March 26, 2011, 08:59:38 am »
I suppose the iodine test might be very meaningful to breweries like Budweiser, who are trying to convert a boatload of rice.

Yes, and every drop of sugar counts to them......

Me, heck at $0.65 a pound I am so far ahead of decent beer prices I don't really care about a point or two.
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Offline denny

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #97 on: March 26, 2011, 09:59:10 am »
Yikes!  No wonder you responded the way you did to my post about the 6 hour mash.  What is iodine reacting with to cause a false positive if not unconverted starch? 

It is reacting with small pieces of malt that have been gelatinized and converted.  I've seen it happen many times.  If you mashed for 6 hours, unless there was something REALLY screwed up, you converted about 4 hours earlier.
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Offline denny

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #98 on: March 26, 2011, 09:59:55 am »
I suppose the iodine test might be very meaningful to breweries like Budweiser, who are trying to convert a boatload of rice.

I'm sure they have far more scientific and accurate ways to test.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline Will's Swill

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Re: Water to grain ratio for mash tun.
« Reply #99 on: March 26, 2011, 05:09:49 pm »

It is reacting with small pieces of malt that have been gelatinized and converted.

If it's been converted, why would it react?
Is that a counter-pressure bottle filler in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?