Full body vs Medium Body vs Light Body mashing

**msa8967** · 02-21-2010, 12:50 AM

Can anyone give me a good description of the differences between these types of mash processes as given in Beer Smith?

Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge vs Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge vs Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge

Will the taste and alcohol content vary with each of these? I am wanting to make a summer wheat beer/ale. Which type of process will be the best and what might I use the other types to create

**coryforsenate** · 02-21-2010, 12:52 AM

I'm not familiar with beersmith, but the temperatures and times of your mash schedule will determine the body.

A long protein rest (roughly 120-130) and a long beta-amylase rest (roughly 146-152) will result in a lighter bodied beer than say a mash-in with a temp at 156 (amylase rest) which won't allow much beta-amylase or protease activity.

**ChshreCat** · 02-21-2010, 12:56 AM

The differences between those three are temperature of the mash. Higher temps give you more fermentables and a lighter bodied beer (think of your standard american style lager). Lower temps leave more unfermentables in the wort so you'll have a thicker, heavier bodied beer (think of a stout). Medium would be somewhere in between.

You can use those settings to adjust how you want the body of your beer to come out depending on what style you're brewing and what ingredients you're using.

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 02-21-2010, 12:59 AM

Chshre...isn't that backwards? Lower temps give you more ferementable, lighter bodied beers. Higher temps have less fermentables and heavier bodied beers.

**msa8967** · 02-21-2010, 01:08 AM

OK...Since this is my first try at making my own recipe via BeerSmith I will give medium body a shot. The full body option on Beer Smith says to mash at 158 F for 45 min. The medium body option says to mash at 154 for 60 min and the light body option says to mash at 150 F for 75 min.

Thus, if I understand this the lighter body option will yield a crisper beer with a higher alcohol content and the full body option will yield a heavier fuller tasting beer with a lower alcohol content. The medium body option is a balance of these two.

Please let me know if I have this backwards or turned around because the temps described by the beer smith software seem opposite of what your reply stated and thus I am not sure if I am putting the correct options into beer smith. These are all to be one step infusion with batch sparging.

**coryforsenate** · 02-21-2010, 01:16 AM

You have things basically right.

The full body rest essentially kills the beta-amylase, which would produce fermentables that the alpha-amylase can't. By killing it with the higher temperature, you leave more unfermentables in the wort which is what a fuller body basically is.

Do you know how to do the starch iodine test?

Netflyer · 02-21-2010, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilted Brewer

Chshre...isn't that backwards? Lower temps give you more ferementable, lighter bodied beers. Higher temps have less fermentables and heavier bodied beers.

Yeah, he has it backwards, higher mash temp, more unfermentables, lower temps more fermentables, drier beer. Mash times matter also, as does mash density as far as finished product.

I almost always use the medium body mash in beersmith, then I tweek the temp. and mash density from 154 down or up as desired...

**Edcculus** · 02-21-2010, 01:22 AM

Look at the details on each of the options. They all have different temperatures. Everyone else has given a good explaination, so I'll spare the details. I end up changing it. I pick the basic profile I want, then change the temp in the details.

**ChshreCat** · 02-21-2010, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilted Brewer

Chshre...isn't that backwards? Lower temps give you more ferementable, lighter bodied beers. Higher temps have less fermentables and heavier bodied beers.

And I haven't even started drinking tonight!

As my dad once told me "Do as I mean, not as I say!"

Netflyer · 02-21-2010, 03:34 AM

Yer cool cat, what you said was well meant, it just wasn't what you meant