Mashing a Pale Ale high

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daksin

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Hi all-

So Sunday was a super spur-of-the-moment brew. The wife and I were heading up to my folks' house to have dinner and bake cookies/make fudge (for the girls) and watch football (for the guys). Anyway, I hadn't seen my brother in a while, so I called him up in LA and asked if he wanted to come down and learn how to brew and we met at the parents house and had a great brew day, made an all-cascade pale with 2-row and victory.

Anyway, I calculated my strike temperature incorrectly and ended up mashing in at 158ish- mashed that way for about half an hour. When I went outside to stir and check the temp, I realized my mistake and stirred it like a madman until it was 152 and let it mash for another hour.

Anyway, that's fermenting away happily right now and I'm not worried about it being beer (got good conversion, plenty of sugar) but I didn't have my hydrometer so it's a bit of a mystery beer. Projected OG should have been about 1.060 at 75% efficiency, which is about what I get using single batch sparge BIAB.

Do you guys know of any commercial pales like this mashed very high? I'm interested to see what this beer is going to be like when it's done. Have you ever done one like this before intentionally or by accident? I'd love to hear how you guys think this thing will turn out.
 
I think you'll like it. It will have more malt flavor & mouth-feel than usual. It will probably finish a little higher than normal as well.
 
Hi all-

So Sunday was a super spur-of-the-moment brew. The wife and I were heading up to my folks' house to have dinner and bake cookies/make fudge (for the girls) and watch football (for the guys). Anyway, I hadn't seen my brother in a while, so I called him up in LA and asked if he wanted to come down and learn how to brew and we met at the parents house and had a great brew day, made an all-cascade pale with 2-row and victory.

Anyway, I calculated my strike temperature incorrectly and ended up mashing in at 158ish- mashed that way for about half an hour. When I went outside to stir and check the temp, I realized my mistake and stirred it like a madman until it was 152 and let it mash for another hour.

Anyway, that's fermenting away happily right now and I'm not worried about it being beer (got good conversion, plenty of sugar) but I didn't have my hydrometer so it's a bit of a mystery beer. Projected OG should have been about 1.060 at 75% efficiency, which is about what I get using single batch sparge BIAB.

Do you guys know of any commercial pales like this mashed very high? I'm interested to see what this beer is going to be like when it's done. Have you ever done one like this before intentionally or by accident? I'd love to hear how you guys think this thing will turn out.

This happened to me last night when I brewed EdWort's Haus Pale Ale. Don't know where I went wrong, but somehow mashed in over 160F. Quickly stirred the heck out of it and added some cool water, then put the lid on the kettle (BIAB) to let the thermometer sit for a few minutes. Promptly forgot about the temperature issue and didn't check again for about 20 minutes, when I found it at 156F. Got it down to 152F and did another 40. Finished at 148F. Really messed up, but I'll bet it tastes great!

In case you're wondering, no, I don't normally lose that much in temperature in a mash, but I usually put it in the oven, which I warm to 150 and turn off. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the oven was otherwise occupied with chutney-drenched chicken breasts. They were great, incidentally.

Anyway, no doubt it'll be a bit maltier than expected (both your beer and mine), but that doesn't sound so bad this time of year anyway, does it?
 
Well, there isn't exactly snow on the ground here, but I've already got a batch of Yooper's house pale getting ready for dry hop, so the 2-row/victory high-mash pale should be an interesting contrast. Both are all-cascade. Plus, if I don't like it, half of it is going to my brother anyway. If it's amazing, maybe I'll do more pales that way in the future.
 
Yup, looking forward to trying it. At some point I'm going to head out and start looking for snow. I could use some time away from the house. Pack up a few kegs and head up to the mountains for a week- sounds like a good winter getaway.
 
Lagunitas mashes at like 160 even for their IPA's and they make some damn fine beers. You'll be fine. It will be a full bodied pale ale. And most importantly it won't be overly sweet from crystal malt, just how i like it.....actually i see your in san diego. You may just find me at your doorstep in a month and a half or so! :D
 
Lagunitas mashes at like 160 even for their IPA's and they make some damn fine beers. You'll be fine. It will be a full bodied pale ale. And most importantly it won't be overly sweet from crystal malt, just how i like it.....actually i see your in san diego. You may just find me at your doorstep in a month and a half or so! :D

Not so fast, there was 1/2 each of 20L and 60L in there, but I suspect it will be tasty still. I haven't had a Lagunitas in a very very long time. I think I'll pick some up on the way home tonight- all I've got at home right now to drink is dark belgians. Need a pale or an IPA around. Thanks for the reminder, good to know!

Whereabouts in San Diego?
 
I had a few too many Lagunitas pilsners tonight. :drunk: I do remember the IPA being very substantial as well -- hoppy but with a deliciously full body. If your beer turns out anything like that, let us know, because I'll be mashing my pales at those temps on purpose!
 
So the OP mashed at 158, then reduced to 152 for an hour. Would the subsequent lower mash for an hour negate the earlier high mash temp. I would think so, unless those specific enzymes are no longer available? Be tasty either way IMHO / IME.
 
Jwood said:
Clairemont, right off of Genesee and Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

Lot of us here in SD, I'm right down Genesee by Sharp.

Your beer will be great. I rest 156-8 for my pale ale. Ballast Point rests their Even Keel at 159.
 
Anwyay, @wilserbrewer, I doubt the extra 152 time did anything to negate the high mash temps. Most conversion occurs in the first 10-15 minutes, so dropping it after that may have netted me a few more fermentable sugars I wouldn't have had otherwise, but probably not enough to make any difference.

Never had the Even Keel, and I've spent some time at BP. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.


I'm in Mira Mesa- Live near Cam Ruiz and MM Blvd, work off of MM Blvd on Pac. Heights by the Qualcomm park. Any of you guys in any of the SD clubs? We should hook up for a brew exchange and some beers at the new Green Flash tasting room.
 
I always have 4-5 beers on tap and extra bottles of older stuff if you ever wanted to taste/exchange. I brew once a week too. I am not a member of any clubs but I am at Hamiltons or OBrians at least once a week and always at different breweries.
 
So the OP mashed at 158, then reduced to 152 for an hour. Would the subsequent lower mash for an hour negate the earlier high mash temp. I would think so, unless those specific enzymes are no longer available? Be tasty either way IMHO / IME.

As I understand it the specific enzymes are no longer available. I can never remember which is alpha and which is beta amylase, but basically the reason a low mash temp results in a fermentable wort is that the enzyme that makes the small sugars is active at that temperature. At a higher temperature those enzymes get destroyed very quickly, leaving the other enzyme - which tends to break the starch into bigger pieces - on its own to mash.
 
As I understand it the specific enzymes are no longer available. I can never remember which is alpha and which is beta amylase, but basically the reason a low mash temp results in a fermentable wort is that the enzyme that makes the small sugars is active at that temperature. At a higher temperature those enzymes get destroyed very quickly, leaving the other enzyme - which tends to break the starch into bigger pieces - on its own to mash.

Thanks, I wasn's sure if the "low temp" enzymes would be destroyed at 158, and then later get busy at 152, or it was game over above a certain temp??? I always blindly assumed that a mashout was done to destroy lower temp enzymes that could get busy and alter the brew??? I can not remember alpha vs beta either:mug:
 
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