Step Mashing Electric Biab

[Xoxon]

Hi All I'm hoping someone has thought about this or has done an experiment;

If I step mash with my electric BIAB system, will I denature many enzymes in hot wort near the element?
I know that the rumble sound (like a kettle boiling) is water vapour bubbles collapsing, so I know that the wort near the element gets about 100C before it circulates and diffuses the heat out to the rest of the mash. It takes my 2200W element about 15 mins to raise the wort from a Proteolytic rest temp to a Sacc rest temp.

I'm wondering what proportion of the wort is exposed to such high temperatures that Diastatic enzymes are denatured, how fast they denature and how much excess diastatic power I would need in a mash to deal with this problem (for grain bills like all Munich lagers or Dark Wheat Malt Weizen Bocks which have low initial DP at the best of times).

Massively appreciative of all the work done Down Under on this method to date. Thanks. I'd have never gone AG otherwise and would barely even know what Good Beer is

 

[Bribie G]

What sort of system do you have and how do you prevent the bag of mash contacting the element?

In my case with an urn and a rack to keep the bag off the element, I constantly pump the mash up and down with a paint stirrer during the "ramps" which only take a few minutes, then switch the urn off and lag during each rest.

No problem with denaturing AFAIK.

edit: if you are trying to apply heat constantly during mashing via an element and hoping that the magic godmother of diffusion will spread throughout the mash, you are setting yourself up for a classic home goal. Not necessary at all, once you have stirred the mash to ensure the desired temperature, just lag with a doonah or sleeping bag etc and you will only lose a degree over a step.

 

[troopa]

Biggest issue that ive had with stepping the mash with an exposed element is that the higher starch in the lower temps >60 seems to be congealing onto the element and then burning causing the burnt taste to transfer to the wort

Bribies pumping with the paint stirrer will reduce this but a Rims system would be better but kinda negates having the exposed element in the pot
I stopped doing steps altogether which im missing because it makes a noticeable difference to me but mashing in at 70-74 (dropping back to 64-66) depending on grain bill and not having to turn the element on, untill after the wort starts to clear seems to be leaving me with a little white starch left on the element after the boil and no notice of burning which is easy to clean off

I am using the KegKing style element untill i can source(afford and stop being lazy to replace it)
With a decent element this issue maybe reduced a heap

Its not what you were after but its something thats worth looking at if your using an exposed element and particularly the KegKing element