Home Brew Forums - Mash Temps

Quote:

Here’s a summary of the major enzyme groups found naturally in malted barley and their active range:
Phytase (86-126 F) – Lowers the pH of the mash. Lowering the mash pH has a number of benefits, though a Phytase rest is rarely used by modern brewers.
Debranching (95-112 F) – Helps to increase the solubility of starches resulting in increased extraction for certain malts.
Beta Glucanese (95-113F) – Breaks down the gummy heavy starches, which can help improve stability and extraction, particularly for mashes high in proteins and adjuncts such as wheat.
Pepidase (113-131F) – Produces free amino nitrogen, which can aid in fermentation.
Beta Amylase (131-150F) – Produces maltose, the main sugar fermented in beer.
Alpha Amylase (154-162F) – Produces a variety of sugars, including maltose and also some unfermentable sugars. Mashing at the higher end of this range produces more unfermentables and therefore more body in the finished beer.

For single or multi-step mashes, the main step is called the conversion or saccrification step. The bulk work of mashing is done by the alpha and beta amalyse enzymes, both of which are active to some degree in the normal 148-158F conversion step range.

Mashing at a lower temperature of 148-152F activated more beta amalyse, resulting in more maltose conversion. Maltose is the primary sugar preferred by yeast, so a lower mash temperature results in a larger percentage of sugars being fermented resulting in a clean beer finish with higher attenuation, slightly higher alcohol content and less body overall. It does generally take a bit longer for beta amalyse to do its work, so a longer conversion step at low temperature is needed.

Source: http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/07/16/mashing-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/

Which is why I called it "dry" you will get a stronger alcohol taste while very little maltiness. The warmer you go you will still have more sugars in the wort that will give you that sweet malty taste. Its why I like 152 for my IPAs. I find it to be still dry but enough to still offer a hint of malt.

Yeah, I know I'm not yooper but I thought I'd offer my 2 cents. Felt left out :(