Mashing out

[calobes]

Hey guys,

This is probably a silly question, just trying to get my head around it.

New to BIAB, and I understand what mashing out does but..

Why do we do it when we raise the wort to boiling temp anyway for hop additions? Wouldn't bringing the water to boil have the same results as a mash out?

For example - Recipe calls for a mash of 66 and a mash out of 78. We would hit 78 bringing it to the boil anyway??

 

[Adr_0]

It would thin the wort around the grains in the bag to allow it to drain easier, and if you do a sparge you would need this water to be around mash out temp too (actually about 10 degrees or more hotter).

EDIT: while you are correct, the effect of doing the above is maybe 15%? increase in efficiency.

 

[Smokomark]

Raising to mashout temps before removing the bag will result in better extraction of the sugars and freer draining.

 

[calobes]

Ah righto, so it's all about bringing the temp up while the grains are still in the wort. I mean you could just bring the wort to boil and pull out the grains at the desired temp yeah??

I read somewhere that the only reason we do it is to stop enzymes breaking down any more sugar.

 

[Dan Pratt]

^ yes that is correct, it stops the enzyme activity as the higher temp denatures. You should get a better effeciency from doing a mash out and trhis will also help to drain the malt from the bag as the wort becomes more fluid.

 

[danestead]

Ah righto, so it's all about bringing the temp up while the grains are still in the wort. I mean you could just bring the wort to boil and pull out the grains at the desired temp yeah??

I read somewhere that the only reason we do it is to stop enzymes breaking down any more sugar.

Yep but make sure you pull the grains out before it gets above about 80 degrees because temperatures above that will start to extract tannins from the grain.

 

[calobes]

Cool. Thanks for clearing that up for me dudes

 

[citizensnips]

^ yes that is correct, it stops the enzyme activity as the higher temp denatures.

Im guessing this is irrelevant to biab though where the grains can be removed instantly? Isnt it more for 3v where the grains remain in the wort to get sparged and sit there for a period of time?

 

[Kingy]

I would think with biab if you mash out the sugars would flow more freely and not stick to the kernels making efficiency higher especially if you like to squeeze your bag. (No pun)

 

[Elixir]

'recipe

 

[Flash_DG]

Im guessing this is irrelevant to biab though where the grains can be removed instantly? Isnt it more for 3v where the grains remain in the wort to get sparged and sit there for a period of time?

Relevant to all styles of grain brewing

 

[Flash_DG]

When I used to BIAB, I would lift the bag up off the bottom (didn't have a trivet) but not out of the wort then heat to 78ish and turn off heat drop grains back in give it a good stir let sit for about 5 mins and them remove and let drip in to another bucket.
I used to get 80 to 85% efficiency,

 

[thylacine]

When my BIAB processes started including "full volume" mashing, my sparging results dramatically dropped. i.e.. gravity reading of the sparge
That is one of the attractions of full volume BIAB, no/or little benefit from sparging. In my experience anyway...

The site BIABrewer.com may interest you.

Cheers

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Repeatability is the main reason to mash out, look at it from a brewery point of view, they need to reproduce a recipe as close as possible to the previous batch.
By using the same mash temps and times and stopping enzymes at the same time this makes repeatability much easier.
Nev

 

[Kingy]

What about high gravity beers, I havnt done any high gravity full volume mashing beers when biab'ing as i think efficiency would be fairly low. I've known to be wrong tho.
Also my biab efficiency is 72. Even with a mash out. Not sure how others get into the 80's.

 

[QldKev]

Im guessing this is irrelevant to biab though where the grains can be removed instantly? Isnt it more for 3v where the grains remain in the wort to get sparged and sit there for a period of time?

Nope, the enzymes and residual starches and sugars are mainly in the wort at that stage