First go at step mashing. Not everything went to plan...

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GrumpyPaul

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After lots of reading about step mashing I figured it was time to give it a go.

The plan was start with 13.5p @ 50 deg, dough in.
After 15 minds add 6.5 p boiling water
Which should have given me 20 p at 67 deg.

What happened..

Started with 15p @ 55deg figured close enough and doughed in.
15 minds the urn is boiling but temp its 93 set...figured close enough
Added 6l but this bought the temp up to 71...a bit b higher than the 67 I was aiming for.
So I added 2l of cold water. Which dropped the temp down to 61.
So I ended up turn the element and tired to save scorching the grain or the bag...eventually got it up to 67 to start the mash.

At mash out I now had more water than planned. So I only added s much boiling wateras the urn would take....still not hot enough. So on comes the heat and stirring again.

I got there and mashed out at 72 for 15 mins.

Well despite the hiccups I am pleased to say at the end of the brew, after adding a few litres to the end of the boil to get the intended vol, I was pretty much spot on the planned figures.

I should have had 18 litres at 1.045

I end up with 17 at 1.047...perhaps I should have just added another litre.

Pretty pleased with myself for aiming for and getting some accuracy. Usually I am hit and miss "she'll be right" brewer.
 
Once you do a few you'll know how much each water addition changes the temp. Turned out ok in the end.
 
I think most of us who have started with infusion mashing have had days like this, even after the first brew day. When making adjustments, always add a little water at a time, taking new temperature readings as you go, this way you will prevent overshooting and minimise the amount of sparge water lost to adjustments during mash. Also if your urn struggles to reach boiling in the timeframe allowed for between infusions, adjust your brew software to calculate the infusion based on a more achievable temperature (90c) and regulate the urn to that temperature instead.
 
Sounds good BNB.

72 is a high dextrinous/alpha amylase and glycoprotein rest which should encourage head retention and fuller bodied beer. Mash out where most of the enzymes are denatured is closer to 78.

I use both rests for most beers. The 61, depending on time will help balance the high rest so your full bodied beer should still attenuate well.
 
Manticle, it was your judging comments on my stout at Beerfest and then some help on here that has got my trying the steps.

If it ask works out I will bring to a Melbourne Brewers meet for you to taste.

Cheers BnB
 
BoroniaNewBrewer said:
Pretty pleased with myself for aiming for and getting some accuracy. Usually I am hit and miss "she'll be right" brewer.
I took the 'she'll be right' course in brewing also.
I'm beginning to think modern malts make it nigh on impossible to **** a mash up based on the roller coaster of temps I've subjected my grain to when trying a new technique.
Just learn to lie about protein haze by passing it off as yeast sediment .

'Yeah mate, it's like that Coopers beer, you know?'
 
It's meant to be "L" apparently.

Why? NFI!
 

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