G
Guest
Hold you horses. Not so fast, buster, and you, too, toots. I want to remind you of a few things.
Don’t for get that you are a homebrewer and that the reason you are one is that you enjoy good beer and somehow have grown to enjoy the process of making beer. Some will even profess that since you are now going to mash your own grains, it is time to get serious!
Give yourself a break, allow yourself to get concerned, but please, not serious. Being concerned will allow you to creatively work out the problems you may encounter. Being concerned will allow attention to quality. Being concerned will allow you to improve your skills with every batch of beer.
Becoming serious will muddle your mind and mislead you from the real reason you are a homebrewer or a home grower for that matter.
Introduction:
There are three mashing procedures worth mentioning, two of which are practical to the homebrewer. Briefly they are:
The Infusion Mash
Infusion mashing is often referred to as a “one step”, One temperature mash, in which the grist and water are maintained at one temperature for a period of time allowing complete conversion. The infusion-mashing procedure should only be used with fully modified malts. If undermodified malts are used in this system, complete conversion of starches to dextrins and sugars will result, but necessary yeast nutrients will not be developed.
The Temperature-controlled (step) Mash
Sometimes referred to as “step-infusion,” this mashing procedure involves maintaining the combination of grist and water at various temperatures for specific periods of time. This procedure is particularly suited for use with undermodified malted barley and adjuncts. It allows the degradation of proteins when held at temperatures lower than those that are necessary for starch conversion.
The Decoction Mash
This method of mashing achieves the same end as temperature-controlled mash. The distinction of this method is that portions of water and grist are brought to a boil and added to the mash in order to raise temperatures through steps similar to the temperature-controlled mashing system. This system seems to have been developed in the days pre-dating the thermometer, when there was no accurate means of measuring temperature. Brewmasters devised this system in order to achieve more consistency in their mashing process. This system still is widely used in Germany to get maximum extraction and perpetuate an age-old tradition. In the rest of the brewing world it is rarely used.
For those interested in learning more about the art and science of Decoction Mashing:
Gregory Noonan’s Brewing Lager Beer, published by brewer’s publications, PO Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306, USA. This is the most comprehensive resource on the subject written in the English language.
The infusion and temperature-controlled mashing procedures are the most practical to the homebrewer. The time involved in mashing with either is about the same. If you organize your brewing session, you can figure that from mashing to boiling to sparging to cleaning will involve 4-5 hours of your time. Remember that cleaning before and afterwards is an unavoidable part of the brewing process and will take a considerable amount of your brew time.
The Infusion Mash:
If the malt you are using is highly modified, then this mash is for you. It is the simpler of the two main mashing systems and requires less attention. Once you have primed yourself with the proceeding background information, you’ll be surprised at how simple this process can be.
The situation you want to achieve during the infusion mash is stabilizing the grist and water mash at a temperature between 150-158 degrees F (66-70 C) for 30-60 minutes. The higher temperatures will convert the starches more quickly but at the same time will be more dextrinous, resulting in a more full-bodied beer. The lower the temperatures will convert starches more slowly, resulting in a higher fermentable sugar content and less full-bodied beer. (Higher in Alcohol)
Desired temperatures are achieved by adding a measured amount of grain to water that is at a predetermined temperature.
The following information will help you determine changes in temperature that will occur when room-temperature grain is added to hot water.
Here are some facts that will help make Infusion mashing easy.
1) The amount of water needed for every pound of grain is 1 quart.
2) There will be a temperature drop of 16-18 degrees F ( -9 to –7 C) when a measured amount of water and grain are combined. For example: If 4 quarts of water at a temperature of 168 degrees F (76 C) is added to 4 pounds of grain the temperature of the mash will stabilize at 150-152 degrees F (66-67 C). If adjustments are necessary, then small amounts of hot water can be added to raise the temperature or a small amount of cold water can be added to lower the temperature.
3) One gallon of sparge water is (ideally) needed to sparge each 1 pound of grain. You will lose water along the way from mash to finished beer.
4) Each 1 pound of grain will retain approximately .1 (one tenth) of a gallon of water.
5) Boiling will evaporate approximately ½ -1 gallon of water in 60 minutes. This depends on the vigor of the boil.
6) Sediments will account for ¼ - ½ gallon of losses of volume.
The temperature-controlled Mash “Step-Mashing”
A temperature-controlled mash is the most desirable method of mashing when undermodified malted barley is used. A temperature-controlled mash allows the homebrewer to more closely control the temperature of the mash. It promotes the development of yeast nutrients, more poetically referred to as “Free Amino Nitrogens.” Also, the controlled temperatures can aid in giving beer more stability, less of a haze problem and a more controllable balance of dextrins and fermentable sugars with starch conversion.
The practical method described here is easy to follow and also has the advantage of having a desirably thicker mash during the protein rest a 122 Degrees F (50 C) –a condition that proteolytic enzymes enjoy. The conversion of starch to dextrin and sugars occurs in a diluted mash, more appropriate for diastatic enzyme activity.
The temperature-controlled method of mashing will take the grist and water combination to a temperature of 122 Degrees F (50 C) and maintain it for 30 minutes, while stirring it at intervals of 5 minutes. The temperature is then raised to 150-158 degrees F (66-70 C) by adding a measured amount of boiling water. This temperature is held for 20-30 minutes. The temperature that is chosen for starch conversion will determine the dextrin-sugar balance of the wort.
Higher temperatures produce beers with higher body. Lower temperatures will produce beers with more alcohol and less body. A temperature rest at 150 Degrees F (66 C) for 10 minutes followed by a boost in temperature 158 Degrees F (70 C) held for a additional 10-15 minutes (or until conversion) will produce a more medium-bodied beer.
For every pound of grains and adjuncts used, 1 quart of water at a temperature of 130 Degrees F (54 C) is necessary to decrease and stabilize the temperature of the mash to 120-124 Degrees F (49-51 C). If adjuncts that you are mashing need to be cooked, the water that is used to cook them should be figured into the total volume of water. The cooked adjunct and water should be allowed to cool to 130 Degrees F (54 C) and then added to the grist with the water.
Stirring of the mash is helpful during each phase of the temperature-controlled procedure.
In order to initiate starch conversion, the temperature of the mash needs to be raised to at least 150 Degrees F (66 C). For every pound of grain (and adjuncts) that is in the mash ½ quart of water at 200 Degrees F (93 C) (water at higher elevations boil at lower temperatures) to raise the temperature of the mash 18 degrees F (10 C) For example: if the temperature of the mash at the end of the protein rest is raised to 132 degrees F (56 C), the 200 degree F (66 C). After the temperature is held at 150 degrees F (66 C) for 10-15 minutes a simple addition of heat (turn on the stove and stir) can raise the temperature to 158 degrees F (70 C) in a short time.
Most homebrewers will brew in 5 gallons increments. You will use between 6-10 pounds of grain (including adjuncts) for each 5 gallon batch of beer.
You may have thought that you missed something, but the essentials are here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just a few more things to know, then some Basic Recipes will follow.
Don’t for get that you are a homebrewer and that the reason you are one is that you enjoy good beer and somehow have grown to enjoy the process of making beer. Some will even profess that since you are now going to mash your own grains, it is time to get serious!
Give yourself a break, allow yourself to get concerned, but please, not serious. Being concerned will allow you to creatively work out the problems you may encounter. Being concerned will allow attention to quality. Being concerned will allow you to improve your skills with every batch of beer.
Becoming serious will muddle your mind and mislead you from the real reason you are a homebrewer or a home grower for that matter.
Introduction:
There are three mashing procedures worth mentioning, two of which are practical to the homebrewer. Briefly they are:
The Infusion Mash
Infusion mashing is often referred to as a “one step”, One temperature mash, in which the grist and water are maintained at one temperature for a period of time allowing complete conversion. The infusion-mashing procedure should only be used with fully modified malts. If undermodified malts are used in this system, complete conversion of starches to dextrins and sugars will result, but necessary yeast nutrients will not be developed.
The Temperature-controlled (step) Mash
Sometimes referred to as “step-infusion,” this mashing procedure involves maintaining the combination of grist and water at various temperatures for specific periods of time. This procedure is particularly suited for use with undermodified malted barley and adjuncts. It allows the degradation of proteins when held at temperatures lower than those that are necessary for starch conversion.
The Decoction Mash
This method of mashing achieves the same end as temperature-controlled mash. The distinction of this method is that portions of water and grist are brought to a boil and added to the mash in order to raise temperatures through steps similar to the temperature-controlled mashing system. This system seems to have been developed in the days pre-dating the thermometer, when there was no accurate means of measuring temperature. Brewmasters devised this system in order to achieve more consistency in their mashing process. This system still is widely used in Germany to get maximum extraction and perpetuate an age-old tradition. In the rest of the brewing world it is rarely used.
For those interested in learning more about the art and science of Decoction Mashing:
Gregory Noonan’s Brewing Lager Beer, published by brewer’s publications, PO Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306, USA. This is the most comprehensive resource on the subject written in the English language.
The infusion and temperature-controlled mashing procedures are the most practical to the homebrewer. The time involved in mashing with either is about the same. If you organize your brewing session, you can figure that from mashing to boiling to sparging to cleaning will involve 4-5 hours of your time. Remember that cleaning before and afterwards is an unavoidable part of the brewing process and will take a considerable amount of your brew time.
The Infusion Mash:
If the malt you are using is highly modified, then this mash is for you. It is the simpler of the two main mashing systems and requires less attention. Once you have primed yourself with the proceeding background information, you’ll be surprised at how simple this process can be.
The situation you want to achieve during the infusion mash is stabilizing the grist and water mash at a temperature between 150-158 degrees F (66-70 C) for 30-60 minutes. The higher temperatures will convert the starches more quickly but at the same time will be more dextrinous, resulting in a more full-bodied beer. The lower the temperatures will convert starches more slowly, resulting in a higher fermentable sugar content and less full-bodied beer. (Higher in Alcohol)
Desired temperatures are achieved by adding a measured amount of grain to water that is at a predetermined temperature.
The following information will help you determine changes in temperature that will occur when room-temperature grain is added to hot water.
Here are some facts that will help make Infusion mashing easy.
1) The amount of water needed for every pound of grain is 1 quart.
2) There will be a temperature drop of 16-18 degrees F ( -9 to –7 C) when a measured amount of water and grain are combined. For example: If 4 quarts of water at a temperature of 168 degrees F (76 C) is added to 4 pounds of grain the temperature of the mash will stabilize at 150-152 degrees F (66-67 C). If adjustments are necessary, then small amounts of hot water can be added to raise the temperature or a small amount of cold water can be added to lower the temperature.
3) One gallon of sparge water is (ideally) needed to sparge each 1 pound of grain. You will lose water along the way from mash to finished beer.
4) Each 1 pound of grain will retain approximately .1 (one tenth) of a gallon of water.
5) Boiling will evaporate approximately ½ -1 gallon of water in 60 minutes. This depends on the vigor of the boil.
6) Sediments will account for ¼ - ½ gallon of losses of volume.
The temperature-controlled Mash “Step-Mashing”
A temperature-controlled mash is the most desirable method of mashing when undermodified malted barley is used. A temperature-controlled mash allows the homebrewer to more closely control the temperature of the mash. It promotes the development of yeast nutrients, more poetically referred to as “Free Amino Nitrogens.” Also, the controlled temperatures can aid in giving beer more stability, less of a haze problem and a more controllable balance of dextrins and fermentable sugars with starch conversion.
The practical method described here is easy to follow and also has the advantage of having a desirably thicker mash during the protein rest a 122 Degrees F (50 C) –a condition that proteolytic enzymes enjoy. The conversion of starch to dextrin and sugars occurs in a diluted mash, more appropriate for diastatic enzyme activity.
The temperature-controlled method of mashing will take the grist and water combination to a temperature of 122 Degrees F (50 C) and maintain it for 30 minutes, while stirring it at intervals of 5 minutes. The temperature is then raised to 150-158 degrees F (66-70 C) by adding a measured amount of boiling water. This temperature is held for 20-30 minutes. The temperature that is chosen for starch conversion will determine the dextrin-sugar balance of the wort.
Higher temperatures produce beers with higher body. Lower temperatures will produce beers with more alcohol and less body. A temperature rest at 150 Degrees F (66 C) for 10 minutes followed by a boost in temperature 158 Degrees F (70 C) held for a additional 10-15 minutes (or until conversion) will produce a more medium-bodied beer.
For every pound of grains and adjuncts used, 1 quart of water at a temperature of 130 Degrees F (54 C) is necessary to decrease and stabilize the temperature of the mash to 120-124 Degrees F (49-51 C). If adjuncts that you are mashing need to be cooked, the water that is used to cook them should be figured into the total volume of water. The cooked adjunct and water should be allowed to cool to 130 Degrees F (54 C) and then added to the grist with the water.
Stirring of the mash is helpful during each phase of the temperature-controlled procedure.
In order to initiate starch conversion, the temperature of the mash needs to be raised to at least 150 Degrees F (66 C). For every pound of grain (and adjuncts) that is in the mash ½ quart of water at 200 Degrees F (93 C) (water at higher elevations boil at lower temperatures) to raise the temperature of the mash 18 degrees F (10 C) For example: if the temperature of the mash at the end of the protein rest is raised to 132 degrees F (56 C), the 200 degree F (66 C). After the temperature is held at 150 degrees F (66 C) for 10-15 minutes a simple addition of heat (turn on the stove and stir) can raise the temperature to 158 degrees F (70 C) in a short time.
Most homebrewers will brew in 5 gallons increments. You will use between 6-10 pounds of grain (including adjuncts) for each 5 gallon batch of beer.
You may have thought that you missed something, but the essentials are here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just a few more things to know, then some Basic Recipes will follow.