Can this infusion method work?

Hi there. We just completed our second brewing session. We spent all day doing two 5 gallon batches - a blonde ale and an IPA.

I wanted to try a multi-step infusion in order to get a more attenuable wort for both batches. What we did (in both instances) is we heated our strike water to around 158 degrees for the intial infusion to be at 145 degrees. When it settled in it was at 145 degrees. We let that set for 45 minutes. Then we pulled out 1.5 gallons of wort and brought it up to 159 degrees and poured it back in. We did that several times until we achieved 155 degrees. We then let that sit for another 45 minutes. When the time was up we drew off the first runnings into the boil kettle and then sparged with 168 degree water which was then pulled off into the boil kettle.

Both of them resulted in (after boiling) an OG within one degree of what was predicted through calculations.

Both of them have been in the primary for about a week and a half. They bubbled vigorous at first and then they were steady and are now slowly tapering off.

Seems to me the extraction (mashing) process worked well.

It's a rough decoction process. Obviously it did work.

You can always start with a thicker mash and add boiling water to it to get it to the temperatures that you want.

You've done a decoction. Only, a typical decoction would have pulled more grain and less wort because the grain has a higher thermal mass than the wort.

Congratulations. You did a decoction mash.

I am terrified of tannins and that length of total mash time worries me. I am not, however, a mash expert, but rather just a dude. I didn't know how bad tannins could pucker my face untill I dabbed my finger in the dough of my first AG batch to taste the supersweet leftover grainy wort that had been sitting at the bottom of my tun during the boil.

After a bit more research, I found some sites that describe a more automated process called Recirculating Infusion Mash Systems (RIMS)and Heat Exchange Recirculation Mash Systems (HERMS).

What they do is circulate the wort by taking it out of the Mash Tun via pumps and pump it through either a direct heater (RIMS) or through a heat exchanger (HERMS). Then it is allowed to flow back into the Mash Tun.

It sounds like I did the same process only manually. Is that correct?

Sort of. You really did more of a psuedo decoction.

Whatever the process, you did do a step mash. However, you could have acheived the same result by just mashing at 150 for 60 minutes. I'm assuming you didn't use any unmalted adjunct grain in either of those beers so all that extra work was somewhat wasted. You might actually find that both of the beers ferment out way too dry.