Single infusion --a bunch of bull ?

**Gabe** · 03-27-2007, 04:36 AM

So I don't want to go barking up the wrong tree, as I beleive in SI just as much as anyone else. I ran into an old neighbor today who was a brewer for 35 years, and now makes world class brandy and wine. I respect him as a brewer as he brewed in Germany and Ireland for sum years. I brought up the fact that all of my beers have been done with single infusion mashing and he looked at me as though I was completely crazy. He practicly through the brew book at me and said that single infusion is cutting a huge corner in brewing a good beer. I tryed my best at explaining that todays malts are modified enough so one can do a single infusion and he just laughed in disbelief. He then explained that when he would brew he would do all decoction mashing. Double for his ales and sometimes triples. He said you cant have a good beer without body and mouth feel. He then proceeded to give me a triple decocted Barley wine that had been aging for 19 years! I have NEVER had a beer such as this.---- cant explain it

He told me that when the micro beer (HB) thing blew up, single infusion mashing was a poor mans way of getting beer, not good beer but just beer. I walked away with my mind running on overdrive. I am going to brew with him at a later date. Sorry about the rant but this guy is ? our beerhood! Talk to me!

**Lil' Sparky** · 03-27-2007, 05:12 AM

Give him one of your best beers and see what he thinks about it. If he says it's good beer, what else is there to say?

**Yuri_Rage** · 03-27-2007, 05:31 AM

So, you've found an opinion...and not one to take lightly, since it comes with so much experience and positive results. However, you've done your reading, and you know what other very experienced brewers have to say about single infusion mashes.

If you are satisfied with your results, there is no need to change what you're doing. If you're curious about decoction mashing, try it out! Find a good German or Belgian recipe where a decoction might be appropriate, brew one with a single infusion mash, then try it again with a decoction.

Personally, I'd like to try a decoction sometime, but I'm going to get a few more single infusion and step mashes under my belt, first.

**Dude** · 03-27-2007, 05:40 AM

I'd suggest NOT giving him your beer. This person has a pre-conceived notion that nothing will stack up to decoction mashed beers.

Phooey. Do single infusion and believe with the rest of us what you should be doing.

Let the old fart be stuck in his ways--you'll never change it.

**Gabe** · 03-27-2007, 05:42 AM

Yeah Yuri , I believe in trial an error as well. But does the extra effort of Decocting really change the final product as much as this oldtimer say's it does---? I 'll be one to try it though. I plan on taking a tried an true Pale Ale recipe of mine and do it to it. The conversation I had with him just made me wanna stop for a seconed and think--- maby I am missing the big picture here and takin a short cut through brewing with the single infusion. I think I going to write to BYO or Zymurgy on the subject.

**Gabe** · 03-27-2007, 05:44 AM

Here here Dude, LOL. Three cheers for us... I just don't know until I at least try to get it down. Any of you tried it B4 ?

**Dude** · 03-27-2007, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabe

Here here Dude, LOL. Three cheers for us... I just don't know until I at least try to get it down. Any of you tried it B4 ?

Oh man...I sense this thread is going to go downhill fast.....

This is my opinion....but I will put my beers up to ANY decocted beer of the same style. Decoction for beers but anything besides Dopplebocks, etc is a WASTE of time. If you want a maltier flavor, or more mouth feel or more red color...add adjunct malts to it.

Color? Melanoidin
Body/mouthfeel? Carapils
Malty? Victory

**Gabe** · 03-27-2007, 05:52 AM

Not to many decocters, thats what I thought.

**Orfy** · 03-27-2007, 06:18 AM

Saying single infusion brewing is a poor mans brewing method is like saying decoction is a fools way of brewing.

In years gone by it may of been necassary to use decotion methods to get the best from a malt or a beer using a single malt but today you can get all you need from a malt with a single infusion and tailor your beers flavour profile with specialty malts and adjuncts.

If you want to brew like a monk go wear a habit, shave your head and find some really under modified malt, use large open stone or wood vats then come talk to me about the need for decotion mashing.

delboy · 03-27-2007, 09:30 AM

Surely the decotion mash would add different levels of complexity to the beer? (I can't see how it wouldn't to be honest).

Im not saying for one second that im going to rush of and change from single infusion (im lazy and it makes good beer). But there is many things that used to be done in brewing history out of neseccity such as hoppping beer that in reality you don't need to do (could you imagine beer with no hops

) in the modern world because of improvements/understanding in sanitation.

Is it possible that while we know it isn't required that it may still add something to the final product!!! I think there probably is some truth in what the old timer is saying, breweries operate on LSD (pounds, shilling and pence) it probably isn't worth the effort for them, but for the enthuesatic craft/homebrewer perhaps it is, i for one wouldn't dismiss something out of hand without even having tried it at least ONCE, that seems very high handed and blinkered IMO!!