Poor Starch Conversion & Effects On Attenuation

[kymba]

heat it back up to 65 degrees, throw in a packet of dry enzymes, leave for fk knows - 20 mins?. kill the enzymes with heat or chemicals, cool wort then drain back onto the yeast cake with minimal amount of splashing

 

[stuchambers]

I have no scientific data to back this up but from what I have heard on the streets is.
The conversion of starches in a mash of mid 60's degrees only takes about 20min, the temp of mid 60's is the optimal temp for the converting enzymes (amylase). So far I dont think i have upset too many people.

Amylase is also present in the human body to perform the same job converting starch to simple sugars, last time I sat on my ******* wiltronics thermometer it told me my body temp was 37ish degrees. That part shouldn't have caused too many problems either.

Now if we put these two about ideas together. you have an enzyme working below its optimum temp range i would say it might still be working but maybe just slower. If working at optimum temp we really only need 20 min for full conversion but I will assume you mashed for 60 min maybe even 90min, therefore what you may have lost out of speed from higher temp you have made up for with the time of the mash.
My point is that you still may have had good conversion maybe it was you extraction that was your problem.

Cheers Stu

 

[Nick JD]

At 52C, you'd get about 50% efficiency if you mashed for about 3-4 hours. By the book I'm reading, in 60 minutes you'd get about 25-30%.

 

[stuchambers]

Which book is that?
I have the book "yeas"t and am finding it very interesting although i have only read a small amount.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

an iodine test will tell you whether you have any unconverted starch. do one and if its negative, then you have no unconverted starch and you either have a stuck ferment or very unfermentable wort.

stuck ferment you can tell by doing the aforementioned force ferment

if its just very unfermentable wort, then you either need to add the also aforementioned dry enzymes, blend the beer with another overly dry beer, or perhaps add the also aforementioned roselare/lambic blends, which will make your beer taste funky, but which are able to ferment out the more complex sugars. Mind you, they probably wont go so well given that its a very hoppy beer and the bugs in question dont like hops.

to be honest, blending it out is probably the only real answer - assuming its not just full of unconverted starch, in which case feed it to the lawn or drink it as it is.

 

[pk.sax]

an iodine test will tell you whether you have any unconverted starch. do one and if its negative, then you have no unconverted starch and you either have a stuck ferment or very unfermentable wort.

stuck ferment you can tell by doing the aforementioned force ferment

if its just very unfermentable wort, then you either need to add the also aforementioned dry enzymes, blend the beer with another overly dry beer, or perhaps add the also aforementioned roselare/lambic blends, which will make your beer taste funky, but which are able to ferment out the more complex sugars. Mind you, they probably wont go so well given that its a very hoppy beer and the bugs in question dont like hops.

to be honest, blending it out is probably the only real answer - assuming its not just full of unconverted starch, in which case feed it to the lawn or drink it as it is.

Call it half-a-dark-wit?!