bugger forgot to mash out

[stuartf]

Ok I was running up a pacific ale type brew today and forgot to raise up to mash out temp before I sparged. Will this have a big impact on the final beer? I was mashing at 66 for 60. I'm guessing this is why my post boil reading was a bit low 10.1 instead of 12.2 on the refractometer. Are there any other implications other than slightly lower efficiency?

 

[manticle]

Don't worry

 

[RdeVjun]

Won't be a biggie IMO either, so OG might be slightly lower, sun's still coming up tomorrow.

 

[stuartf]

Good to know, I'll have another beer to help calm my nerves
Cheers

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Ok I was running up a pacific ale type brew today and forgot to raise up to mash out temp before I sparged. Will this have a big impact on the final beer? I was mashing at 66 for 60. I'm guessing this is why my post boil reading was a bit low 10.1 instead of 12.2 on the refractometer. Are there any other implications other than slightly lower efficiency?

And then Aliens came and decided to start a war and destroy the place in order to turn earth into an Alien breading site. Along with that CHUCK NORRIS retired and then Metallica released another boring album. Kermit decided to become a monk because he finally figured out Miss Piggy was a female porn star.

All of things are more important than a mash out

 

[bevan]

Did the same my first AG brew, tastes fantastic even if the OG was bit low. Just means I've got a mid-strength beer

 

[ken_gilchrist]

If there is one thing that I have learned it is " relax, don't worry, have a home brew" (Charlie Papazian)

I am personally not really convinced that it is necessary. Being that you will raise the temp up to a boil anyway so that will halt any enzyme activity anyway. But I am certainly no expert by any means.

 

[klangers]

The higher temperature of the mash out is intended to decrease the wort viscosity which in turn is intended to improve the run-off rate of your lauter. This aspect of the mashout isn't as relevant on a home brew scale as we can easily intervene.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

The higher temperature of the mash out is intended to decrease the wort viscosity which in turn is intended to improve the run-off rate of your lauter. This aspect of the mashout isn't as relevant on a home brew scale as we can easily intervene.

The best thing to do to decrease wort viscosity is to add a few litres of boiling water to the mash. This is sort of a mashout as it will increase the temp ( by a little bit ) and makes sparging easier. Plus adding more water and recirculating will rinse more of da sugaz out

 

[TimL]

I recall Jamil zainasheff at the first home brewers conference in Melbourne in 08 saying he thought the mash out was unnecessary.

 

[Brendan_W]

So have we decided if a mash out improves efficiency?

I've just started brewing using modified BIAB (i.e. including a sparge) and my efficiency was terrible, around 55%. I'm investigating ways to improve this and have noticed some people suggesting that mashing out will help. However it seems like the main reason to mash out is to halt enzyme activity and decrease wort viscosity for lautering (but as I'm BIABing this isn't a problem). From reading this thread it seems like there's little point in me completing a mash out but happy to be told otherwise.

 

[earle]

So have we decided if a mash out improves efficiency?

I've just started brewing using modified BIAB (i.e. including a sparge) and my efficiency was terrible, around 55%. I'm investigating ways to improve this and have noticed some people suggesting that mashing out will help. However it seems like the main reason to mash out is to halt enzyme activity and decrease wort viscosity for lautering (but as I'm BIABing this isn't a problem). From reading this thread it seems like there's little point in me completing a mash out but happy to be told otherwise.

Check out this thread for some of the latest musings on BIAB and mashing out http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/90284-using-a-40l-electric-urn-for-biab-a-guide/#entry1360282

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I recall Jamil zainasheff at the first home brewers conference in Melbourne in 08 saying he thought the mash out was unnecessary.

I thought brewers would be rioting in the streets over that comment....

 

[manticle]

No riots - just robust discussion, mostly on the internet.
Many spectacles were adjusted.

I mash out every brew for a number of reasons but if I forgot, I would just remember next time.

Unnecessary for most single infusion mashes I reckon; I do it because I hochkurz most/every beer.

 

[stuartf]

For what its worth my understanding would suggest the main reason to mash out is to improve extraction of the remaining sugars from the grain bed before and during sparge (or squeezing the bag or whatever you do with biab). Enzyme activity should be minimal once bulk of grains are removed from the wort and then denatured during the boil (depending how fast your temps ramp up). So yeah probably not essential assuming all of your mash schedule is working to plan but will help to get those last few % efficiency gains out of your mash. Just my guess based on a limits understanding of the whole process though.

 

[Bribie G]

I forgot to mash out recently and just hoisted bag, efficiency and OG were spot on. I no longer mash out, but do take the mash up into the low 70s to complete any starch conversion.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I forgot to mash out

Your beer will be shit

 

[welly2]

I mash out for the same reasons as manctile - forget why but now it's just habit, and pretty easy to do on my GF.

 

[buckerooni]

I like these type of threads, a 63 to 78c mash out on my 40L urn with a 6.5kg grain bill (and no overside element to help out) adds another 25 mins to mashing on a 'schoolnight brew'. gonna drop this step and see how I goes...struggling to get the schoolnight brew under 3 hrs but this may help!

Sparging with another hot water source at 78c with the double bucket technique may be a dodgey/half-assed workaround?

 

[indica86]

I stopped mash out - 15% rye causes a charred element cover that causes my urn to drop out, have not noticed any drop in gravity but I do a bucket drain sparge thing though.