The Science Behind Step Mashing

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mika

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Ok, so this is related to the article 'The science of step mashing' in the Jan-Feb 08 version of BYO Magazine.

I'll paraphrase the following a little (or maybe a lot);

The Protein Rest

44-59degs Celcius.
Two specific types of enzymes thought to be active in this range - proteinase and peptidase.
Proteinase works on longer chained proteins turning them into medium length chains. 55-58degs
Peptidase enzymes chop up the moderate to short chains and break them down to their component form. 45-53degs
High level of big proteins can lead to haze and instability.
However, Brewers do want medium length proteins as they are beneficial for a beers body and foam retention.
A 15-30minute hold in the proteinase range was thought to diminish haze, but not negatively impact foam or body.

Now that I've typed it out, it's starting to make a bit more sense. Still... I was under the impression that an acid rest was generally at 50degs which would seem to be at odds with what the article suggests.

To me the article didn't seem to discuss the pro's and con's of the different rests in enough depth, so I'm after some general discussion from those that have experimented with step mashing in these ranges and what they have experienced in regards to perhaps reduced body, head retention or whatever when using a rest in the Proteinase range, or the opposite.

Those who single infuse, or wish to point out that step mashing is defunct due to the highly modified malts now available, please feel free to jump to another thread.
 
I"ll give ya the hint mate,its not science,it;s just doing it the same
 
You reckon the breweries would let us live...........................................otherwise
:p
 
But don't well modified modern malts mean we don't need to do all the rests.. :lol: just kidding.
The funny thing is, some of the best beers in our club seem to be made by brewers who do rests, so when I attempt to follow their recipes I stick to their procedures. After all they brew great beer. Case in point, a member on this forum called Hargie came second in this year's nationals to the BOS by half a point, with his wheat beer. If I want to make a great wheat beer, and he uses lots of rests, so will I!
No science, just practical observations.
 
But don't well modified modern malts mean we don't need to do all the rests.. :lol: just kidding.
The funny thing is, some of the best beers in our club seem to be made by brewers who do rests, so when I attempt to follow their recipes I stick to their procedures. After all they brew great beer. Case in point, a member on this forum called Hargie came second in this year's nationals to the BOS by half a point, with his wheat beer. If I want to make a great wheat beer, and he uses lots of rests, so will I!
No science, just practical observations.


...Hey Matt , i step all my beers not just hefe's...did you follow the Mash schedule for The Bastarino....???

...when i started AG everybody told me i was wasting my time doing P/Rests and step mashes , but the resultant quality and repeatability of my beers, to me justify the effort....so do the competition results i guess....

...i have basically set my brewery up as a step mash system and it runs smoothest that way, and again my beers are better for it on my system...

...Mika...for me the 50c-52c P/Rest gives a clearer wort(particularly post boil) with less haze. I get clean, dry, but not thin beers, and believe that all starts here. The 70-72 rest impacts favourably on beer foam stability (as written about by the late Dr George Fix), and for me the results back it up.

...eg...i mash in to a 50-52c P/Rest(15min) @ 1.25l/kg then infuse up to 63-64(lagers) or 65-66(ales,wheats)(75min) then up to 71-72(15min) for a glycoprotein rest.This schedule works smoothly and predictably on my gear and plays it's part in making my beers very consistent and with strong and thorough ferments. I also boil hard & I'm a dedicated chiller. It's our job as brewers to produce the best quality wort we can so that our little yeasty mates can do their job properly. It's only one part of the puzzle but a crucial one as far as i'm concerned.

...as i read somewhere "everything you do affects the beer"....especially mashing in to Led Zep/Sabbath/Down/Pantera/C.O.C/Crowbar/EHG/AIC/AC-DC/Witchcraft/Soundgarden/Jimi/Spinal Tap/etc etc :super:

..cheers, Cougar..
 
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