And I was worried LOL . . . .should I be worried??

I did a mini mash where the temp was at 170 for most of the first 20 minutes by accident.

The OG was 1.050 and right on but I was expecting the FG to be high - it came in at 1.014 instead of 1.012.

SO . . . . . what's up with that...LUCK??? Missing flavor??

comments??

Depending on the size of the mash, you may not have gotten any fermentables (or much in the way of fermentables) from the mash. Most of the fermentables would come from the DME or LME. At 170, you would have denatured the enzymes.

Maybe your thermometer was wrong, or maybe not.

You did not mention if the grains were dark or light but you should still get good flavor from it although you most likely killed off most of the enzomatic action and did not get much sugar from the grains. Always move the pot off the heat before you get to the temperature desired because even though you cut off the heat the burner still radiates heat into the pot. If you had some clean tasting ice cubes or near freezing water you could have quickly lowered the mini mash to the desired temperature. Remember that it takes a half hour or more for enzymes to work and you do have some time to adjust if you work quickly to adjust the temperature. I did not type fast enough and Yooperbrew said the same thing anyway.

I understand the concept and you say

you may not have gotten any fermentables

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but what would make the OG and Fg be almost right on then.

Am I missing something where the gravity decreased but it was not because the sugar was being converted??? something else was?? this is why I'm confused.

If my understanding is correct and gravity measures the amount of sugar being converted alcohol (or CO2?) then perhaps the WATER was 170 but most of the grain it it's little grain bubble was cooler???

Extra Pale LME 5lb

2-row 2.5 lb
Crystal 90L 0.5lb
Victory Malt 0.25lb
Munich 6oz
Biscuit Malt 3oz

Usually when I add my mash water it's around 168 and cools off to the 150 - 155 range after putting in the grain into the cooler. So if that temp of 170 was the water before adding to the grains then it mashed just fine.

EvilTOJ said:

Usually when I add my mash water it's around 168 and cools off to the 150 - 155 range after putting in the grain into the cooler. So if that temp of 170 was the water before adding to the grains then it mashed just fine.

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I don't think that's what he's saying.

I had the water at 160 and turned off the burner, watched it for a while and the temp did not move. Watched football for 10 minutes, came back and 170.

The question is not the process but the OG and FG are fine. Meaning ALL IS WELL??(that is the big question).

And either my thermo is off OR the grain bubble is actually cooler then the surrounding water where my temp is being read.

I'd say all is well. Most of your fermentables came form the LME, anyway. You'll still get flavor from the other grains.

First off, calibrate your thermometer- 32 in ice water, 212 @ boiling. Until you know that your thermometer is accurate, all the rest is conjecture.

Secondly, make sure you are actually measuring the temperature of the grain bed itself, because this is where all the enzymes will be working.

make sure you are actually measuring the temperature of the grain bed itself

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THAT is what I was wondering. would you suggest I stick the thermometer into the center of the grain?? I'm thinking I was taking the temp of the water. The water continued to heat but most of the grain bubble was in it's own environment (like the penguins in a storm in March of the Penguins).

The surrounding water was 170 but the inside of the grain was 155-160.

Grinder12000 said:

THAT is what I was wondering. would you suggest I stick the thermometer into the center of the grain?? I'm thinking I was taking the temp of the water. The water continued to heat but most of the grain bubble was in it's own environment (like the penguins in a storm in March of the Penguins).

The surrounding water was 170 but the inside of the grain was 155-160.

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oh, the temperature of the water doesn't matter at all. It's the temperature of the mash that you monitor. I thought that is what we were talking about.

What do you mean by grain bubble? The grain should be absolutely thoroughly soaked through. If in a grain bag, it should be very loose in the bag, not packed at all, so the water can move through it.

It does not sound like you stirred the mash well? Grain bubble???