Mash too high then too low

alane1 said:

Yeah your fine, it takes 20 min or so to deactivate enzimes.It's happened to me a couple of times with no ill effects to the finished beer.

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SkinnyPete said:

Let me preface by saying, I am relaxed, I'm not worried, and I am having a home brew, but I am just curious...

I don't know how this happened, but somehow today I was way over my mash temperature and in an attempt to lower it quickly, I went under by 4 degrees. I've been using this equipment for about 10 batches and I'm not sure how/why this happened.

Anyway, trying to hit 159 for a malty, full body recipe that I've made before - I somehow ended up near 166 as I mixed. Couldn't get it down past 163 just by mixing so I used some cold water and overestimated. Quickly dropped to 155, so I immediately just shut the cooler and am currently mashing at 155.

I'm not overly concerned with the 155. It is what it is, and I'm sure it'll be fine, but are there any off flavor implications to mixing the grains in 163-166 water for 5-6 minutes, and then dropping it almost 10 degrees quickly? I think I'll be alright, I'm just curious for next time.

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Soviet said:

The temperature can take some time to stabilize (more than 5 minutes). The first thing I would do is calibrate my thermometer to make sure it is giving you an accurate reading. Get a second thermometer that you know is reliable (lab thermometer if you can find one) and measure boiling water with both. I brewed with a thermometer that was off by nearly 10 degrees F for a few months before i realized the problem.

The second thing i would do is make sure you give the mash a good stir for 5 minutes and then just leave it for another 5 before you measure the temps. It takes very little cold water to bring the mash temp down several degrees, so use only a bit at a time to adjust. Best of luck.

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