Partial Mash Not Sacchrifying

[Edgecliff Brewer]

I have done a couple of partial mashes using the same bag of amber malt. I added a small amount of crystal malt to each, including some oats to the the second. On neither occasion could I taste any sacchrification occuring, despite holding at 65 C for an hour. Could it be that the amber malt has had its enzymes denatured? I added more water than usual to the mash, so it was fairly watery - maybe 4l per kg. Is this the problem? Nothing I have read would suggest this, but has anyone had the same problem out there. I wouldn't mind sorting this out before I go AG.

 

[Adamt]

Check your thermometer in boiling (100C) and an ice slurry (just melted crushed ice 0C) and make sure its working properly, could be miscalibrated.

Work out the expected SG of the mini-mash using beersmith or something, and check it with a hydrometer, maybe as it's quite thin you can't taste it.

Maybe try a little thicker? Not too sure what effect the thickness of the mash has but supposedly it works best around 2.5L/kg or something.

 

[Stuster]

You'll need to mash that amber malt with some base malt. Amber malt has low diastatic power and needs to be mashed with another grain such as pale/pilsner malt to convert. Linky.

 

[Ross]

Add a little galaxy pale malt to your mini mash,it should sort all your problems

cheers Ross

 

[DJR]

Just add some base malt with high DP to the mash, BB Galaxy, JW Pils or JW Wheat is perfect for that. Only need about 40% of the mash to be the base malt. Did you do an iodine test to check for starch?

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Would it be possible that my recent toubles may have been caused by a similar base malt problem?

Is all Munich likely to cause a similar issue?

PZ.

 

[Stuster]

Munich should have enough to convert itself, but wouldn't have enough DP to convert much else as well. What kind of trouble were you having FB?

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Just low efficiency

PZ.

 

[Stuster]

How's your crush?

 

[Voosher]

Would it be possible that my recent toubles may have been caused by a similar base malt problem?

Is all Munich likely to cause a similar issue?

PZ.

I've never had efficiency problems with Munich but I have had attenuation problems.
I make sure yeast health and fermentation conditions are optimum when brewing a heavy Munich grist.

Any idea of your mash ph?
Perhaps try a little acidulated malt.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Pretty fine crush thanks to a good HBS

 

[Edgecliff Brewer]

Thanks for the advice guys. I thought that it might have been a base malt problem, although amber malt is supposed to have at least some enzymes to perform conversion.