Mash times and temps

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shane0

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I will be brewing an American pale ale and a Irish red ale with a grainfather and not real sure on mash steps in regards as to what temperatures to set and for how long. Thanks in advance
 
The recipe should tell you?

Generally it's 66.6 degrees at 60min, heat to 75.6 for 10min for mash out
 
I'd go 65 to 66 for 1 hr pale ale,

Done a few Irish reds lately 68 is what I do them for 1 hr.
Use 1084 Irish yeast if you can get it, made big improvement to my reds and stout.

Mash out 78 for 15 mins.

This would be a guide for single batch in grain father.

I double batch in my mostly, so tend to mash for 1.25 hrs and mash out for 20 mins. Get a lot clearer wort due to the 9 kgs of grain.

Cheers
 
After reading a lot about different techniques before starting all grain I fell straight into using Beersmith when I started.
Take the pick from its mashing options etc. I usually mash in a single infusion between 62 - 65c. edit: for 90 minutes minimum.
 
Hi Shane,
There are two main sets of enzymes responsible for breaking longer length starch chains into shorter length sugars. One of these is optimised in the low to mid 60s, the other is optimised in higher 60s - very low 70s. All activity is rapidly stopped once you head towards 80.

Lower temp and longer mashes favour a more attenuative wort which is wort containing more shorter length sugars. These are mostly digestible by yeast resulting in lower body, drier finish and slightly higher alcohol.
Higher and shorter mashes favour a less attenuative wort with longer chains contributing to body and mouthfeel.

By selecting temperature and mash length, you can influence the result you prefer for the beer you're making. You can simply pick one temp or zone or you can move through different steps to target both.
 
manticle said:
Hi Shane,
There are two main sets of enzymes responsible for breaking longer length starch chains into shorter length sugars. One of these is optimised in the low to mid 60s, the other is optimised in higher 60s - very low 70s. All activity is rapidly stopped once you head towards 80.

Lower temp and longer mashes favour a more attenuative wort which is wort containing more shorter length sugars. These are mostly digestible by yeast resulting in lower body, drier finish and slightly higher alcohol.
Higher and shorter mashes favour a less attenuative wort with longer chains contributing to body and mouthfeel.

By selecting temperature and mash length, you can influence the result you prefer for the beer you're making. You can simply pick one temp or zone or you can move through different steps to target both.
I have to say I always appreciate how you explain stuff in a way it is easily understandable...thanks
 
Cheers.
Heaps of people did it for me when I first joined and the more you understand what is going on, the better decisions you can make.
 
mtb said:
The recipe should tell you?

Generally it's 66.6 degrees at 60min, heat to 75.6 for 10min for mash out
This is what I'd do for most British ales (maybe a 75 min mash for some). Never done an APA but I reckon that mash schedule would turn out just fine. Mash out for 20 mins (as per Coldspace) seems to help efficiency too.
 
I should vouch for the old style of concoction methods to raise mash temps too. Primitive but makes very nice beer.
Don't worry about boiling mashed grains, re adding them. It makes nice beer. Or nicer beer.
 
Manticle, that's finally an explanation I understand. Thanks
 
But wait a minute, what about lawn mowers and hedge trimmers and the role of the brother with the chainsaw and the cousin with the spatula and the nephew with the nail trimmers?
 
The nephew with the nail trimmers isn't really going to make much difference.
 
Second that, Braukaiser is a demi god and has taught me just about everything I know about lagers. And cost me many hundreds of dollars in equipment, ******* :p
 
I've been all grain brewing now for a bloody long time, long before the internet. I had to read books and experiment lots, and, I can honestly say that ALL my mashes now are either 66°C or 67°C. I use good German or English Malts all for single infusion mashes.
I'll relate a little story. I have a friend who wanted to learn how to brew. One day he was stirring the mash before screwing the lid on the mash tun. I asked him what was the final temperature of the mash and he told me it was 64°C. I suggested he add some boiling water to bring it up to 66°C. He said that was bullshit. I suggested that we keep this beer isolated from others (we normally do three mashes in one day and combine them all) so he could take the keg home when finished and tell me at a later date what he thought of his 64°C Mashed beer. Bloody hell I laughed, he said the beer tasted just fine, however, every night after he's had a few he wakes up in the middle of the night with his tongue just about stuck to the roof of his mouth. I don't have to question him anymore about mash temperatures. :)

Sorry, edited to add ALL my mash times are 90 minutes.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone, very much appreciated. It's good to know you can rely on such positive responses.
 

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