Racer 5 Question

I found this recipe for Racer 5 and as a new All Grain brewer -- and one that had some troubles with his temps the first time around -- i'm curious about the wording on the mash instructions.

When they say to to mash in at 145 are they saying that is a rest or is it just to heat up the tun and then dough in at 152? Also, would they mean the strike water should be 145 or come down to 145.

I just want to be clear and any suggestions/clarification to an all-grain newbie would be super appreciated!

Thanks

Jim
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Bear Republic Racer 5
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11.25 lbs 2-row Pale Malt
1.66 lbs Wheat Malt
0.625 lbs Crystal Malt 15L
0.42 lbs Dextrose
0.21 lbs CaraPils Malt

6.1 AAU Chinook 90 min
8.7 AAU Cascade 60 min

0.3 oz Amarillo dry hop
0.3 oz Centennial dry hop
0.2 oz Cascade dry hop
0.2 Tomahawk dry hop

Wyeast 1272 American Ale II or
White Labs WLP051 California V

Mash in @ 145 then raise to 152 until conversion
Boil for 90 min

THe mash schedule is referring to those with direct-fired mash tuns and can easily adjust the temp (i.e., not us mashtun cooler folks). My guess with the ramp up is to start low to decrease the temperature stress on the enzymes (too high a temp can effect their function somehow) and bring it up to mash temp. I can't imagine (could be wrong, of course) that you couldn't get away with a direct infusion mash at 152. Racer 5 is a good beer IMO let us know how the recipe works out. For what its worth, I'd double each of the dry hop amounts. I dry hop in a carboy secondary with whole hops for about 7 or 8 days at about 70 and I don't get much from one ounce and typically will go 2 when dry hopping.

Did the recipe ever say raise temp to 152? or are you assuming that is the rest temp? 145 is a low sacc rest. If the recipe says to mash at 145 then 145 it is....you need to figure out the strike water to get your mash temp to 145.

Good luck getting all the hops for that. I have never even heard of Tomahawk. I will have to look up that one.

Tomahawk is also known as Columbus.

vtbeerman said:

Tomahawk is also known as Columbus.

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or Zeus...available at freshops.com

Obviously written by someone who can heat his mash tun. Most of us can't and there really isn't any reason to mash-in at 145F. It's too high for a protein rest and only increases the amount of time it takes for the starches to gelatinize.

I'd just mash-in at 152F.

(Tomahawk, Columbus and Zeus are not the same hops, although very similar. I'd throw Warrior into that group as well)

david_42 said:

(Tomahawk, Columbus and Zeus are not the same hops, although very similar. I'd throw Warrior into that group as well)

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I have read differently. In that they are the same rootstock and that the names are trademarked by the growers. However I will concede that given differing soils conditions and habits of care they will most definitely have different characteristics.

Akin to a Saaz grown abroad and a Saaz grown in my backyard. Same plant, different hop.

That mash schedule can be accomplished in a cooler by decoction or infusion of boiling water. Most brewing software has calculators that will estimate the decoction or infusion volume.

Thanks all!

Jim