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Author Topic: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use  (Read 5613 times)

Offline stellaandstout

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Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« on: August 23, 2011, 11:31:07 am »
I am going to make a belgian dubbel but can't figure out what water ratio to use for a step mash.
 The recipe has 11.75# of grain and it is a five step mash which I don't have room for. Here is what I came up with please give me your insight if this will work. Protein rest at 122 for 30 min sac rest at 148 for 120 min mash out at 168 for 15 min then sparge. I was plannning on using 2 1/2 gallons for my dough in then adding 1.25 gallons for my sac rest then 1.6 for my mash out . these are rough estimates but pretty close please let me know what you think.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2011, 11:38:07 am »
what's the recipe? I don't think you NEED a protein rest unless you are using lot's of wheat. You probably also don't really need a mash out. How big is your cooler? When I do a double I just do a single step mash at 148 and call it good. Maybe even add some sugar to bump the OG

but if you started at 1.25 qt/lb that's about 15 qt's at 122, then up to 1.60ish  adds about another 4 quarts then up to 2 adds another 4 quarts so a total of 25ish quarts. so yeah your estimates are at least close to my estimates. but as I said you could probably simplify a bit too.
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Offline nateo

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2011, 11:39:36 am »
What kind of malt are you using? Multi-stepped mashes should be based on your malt, not just on a recipe. For most malt, most of the time, protein rests won't be necessary. Excessive protein degradation can actually hurt body and head retention. Without know exactly what your recipe is, I can't comment more than just saying "it depends," but I probably would dough-in at the sacc. rest and add boiling water to mash out.
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Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2011, 11:58:58 am »
I am using
 5# belgian pilsner
 2.5# Maris otter
 1.5# caramunich
  1.5# caravienne
 .5# aromatic
 .5# belgian wheat malt
 .25 special b malt
 my coolers are seven gallons.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2011, 12:10:11 pm »
I am using
 5# belgian pilsner
 2.5# Maris otter
 1.5# caramunich
  1.5# caravienne
 .5# aromatic
 .5# belgian wheat malt
 .25 special b malt
 my coolers are seven gallons.

Okay so you don't need a step mash. You say coolerS do you have more than one? will you be splitting the mash? it also seems like kind of a complex grain bill. why the MO? is this a kitchen sink kind of thing?
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Offline hubie

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2011, 05:21:44 pm »
If you want to do all those steps, you can still pull it off with a decoction.

Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2011, 10:40:02 pm »
Sorry about the confusion I use one cooler for my mash tun and one for sparging I got the recipe out of the Zymurgy magazine.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2011, 11:35:59 pm »
Sorry about the confusion I use one cooler for my mash tun and one for sparging I got the recipe out of the Zymurgy magazine.

ahh. okay well I am sometimes over the top with my drive for simplicity. Give this recipe and try and see how you like it.

So you transfer from one cooler in which you have mashed to another in which you sparge/lauter? or is the second cooler jus ta hot liqour tank?
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
-A Einstein

"errors are [...] the portals of discovery"
- J Joyce

Offline tomsawyer

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2011, 06:20:10 am »
The water volumes look OK, a little under 1 qt/lb for protein rest, 1.3 for sach and still under 2 for the mash out.  The volumes add up to 5.3gal, only leaves you around 1.2gal of sparge water right?

I know you want to follow the recipe, but really you don't need a long protein rest, it could actually hurt head proteins.  I'd at least reduce it to 15min.  And for that matter a mashout is going to make the beer less dry which isn't necessarily what you want in a dubbel.  I'd skip the mashout and use that water for a sparge.  I'm not positive you could even get your mashout temp with 1.6gal of boiling water anyway.
Lennie
Hannibal, MO

Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2011, 09:31:09 am »
I just use it as a hlt and fly sparge

Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2011, 09:37:20 am »
Thanks Tom
 I think I will try what you suggested a 15 min protien rest then the sac rest then just sparge.


Offline tomsawyer

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2011, 09:39:55 am »
Somebody check my thinking on this, I don't want to be responsible for screwing up and I don't fly sparge so I have a hard time thinking in those terms.
Lennie
Hannibal, MO

Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #12 on: August 24, 2011, 09:40:17 am »
My calculations were 5.27 gal for all the steps and 3.5 gal for the sparge but I will use your suggestion Tom

Offline stellaandstout

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Re: Step Mashing in coolers what water ratio to use
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2011, 11:25:13 am »
Well I finally made this beer. I ended up doing a 15 min protein rest and a 120 min sac rest then sparged for an hour. I hit my targets so I am really pleased thanks for the advice everyone.