Length of Mash

[brewbama]

I have tried long mash times on the last couple beers where I mash in, then go run errands, then get back to the house and finish the brew process a few hours later. However, I believe I have less head formation and retention. Am I damaging head forming compounds by these long mash times? ...or after 70+ all grain batches do I have another problem all of a sudden?

 

[wilserbrewer]

Long mashes may tend to attenuate more, if I were doing longer mashes I believe mashing hotter would help to keep more body in the beer....

 

[schematix]

I do a 3+ hour step mash and get great efficiency, great attenuation, great body, and great head retention.

It’s more about different temperatures and time than just 1 temp for a long time.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I do a 3+ hour step mash and get great efficiency, great attenuation, great body, and great head retention.

It’s more about different temperatures and time than just 1 temp for a long time.

Curious....steps and temps?

 

[schematix]

144 for 20, 148 for 20, 153 for 20, 162 for 30, 170 for 10.

 

[Big Monk]

Curious....steps and temps?

Ideally you’ll want to tailor your first rest to the malt. Multiple beta rests will help with efficiency and your alpha rest is your body and foam rest. A prolonged mashout will also help foam.

Something like:

β1 - 62-64 C for 15-20 minutes (this temp depends on gelatinization temps of the malt)

β2 - 65 C for 10-15 minutes

β3 - 67 C for 5-10 minutes

α - 72 C for 30 minutes

MO - 77-78 C for 10 minutes

If you have a malt with a normal gelatinization temperature, you can extend the first beta and drop the third. If gelatinization temps are high, you may have to extend the second and third beta rest to get the efficiency you want. If you have Low gelatinization temps you can also drop the second and third beta rests and extend the initial beta to 30 minutes.

The alpha rest should always be 30 minutes at or around the temperature above. The mashout is useful for foam (glycoproteins).

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I mash in a cooler conversion. If limited to two mash temperature steps, what temperature should the first one be? I haven't done this procedure in a long time, but back when I did (only for Pilsner's), I held at 122 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then bumped to the 150-156 degrees F. range for 1 hour.

 

[h22lude]

144 for 20, 148 for 20, 153 for 20, 162 for 30, 170 for 10.

I love this schedule. I get damn near 100% mash efficiency.

 

[Big Monk]

I mash in a cooler conversion. If limited to two mash temperature steps, what temperature should the first one be? I haven't done this procedure in a long time, but back when I did (only for Pilsner's), I held at 122 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then bumped to the 150-156 degrees F. range for 1 hour.

144-149 for 30 min
162 for 30 min

 

[dmtaylor]

Am I damaging head forming compounds by these long mash times?

Yes. Yes you are. Stop mashing so long. Yes, I am as serious as a dead nun.

 

[u81doughboy]

In current issue of BYO (Dec 2017) there is a very good article on mashing, including some sample schedules. I just recently adopted a multi-step schedule like in the magazine that resulted in a significant efficiency improvement. Still waiting for the beer to finish before I can say there's a taste improvement though.

 

[brewbama]

The different techniques/processes are interesting.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Yes, a long single temperature rest, at normal mash temperatures, will give a more attenuative (thin bodied) beer. This is different to long, multi-temp mashes like schematix' regime (which is similar to what I use). Assuming you are mashing at a moderate temp (say, 152ish) you have beta amylase working for the three hours cutting the long-chain (body/head) sugars into smaller (fermentable) sugars. You could try mashing for three hours at 160 - that shouldn't have much beta-amylase activity.