Unmalted Wheat and a protein rest

I did a wit today, El Segundo grado wit, to be exact.

I had horrible effiency. Did everything the same as I always do to get 70%. My LHBS crushed for me, and as far as I know it looked the same as always.

I did not do a protein rest and just went with the single decoction at 154* for 50 minutes.

Did that contribute to my horrible effiency?

In other words, is a protein rest necessary to get good conversion from unmalted wheat?

Grain bill:
4 lbs unmalted wheat
2 lbs Belgian Pils
2 Lbs 6-row
1 lb Flaked Oats
1/2 lb corn sugar

I haven't figured out how low my eff was, but I had to add just over two lbs of Wheat DME to make up the difference.

With the grain bill that high in unmalted wheat, you needed that protien rest. Shoot for 122-125*F.

Ok, but could the lack of a protein rest cause the low effiency?

JacobInIndy said:

Ok, but could the lack of a protein rest cause the low effiency?

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Not directly, no. A lack of a protein rest may have caused your sparge to be a ***** though. Did you get a stuck sparge and have to mess with that forever which changed 20 variables which lead to a low eff?

Also you mentioned you did a single decoction at 154... you mean a single infusion? A decoction is a step mash so you should have 2 temperatures. Further 50mins may not have been enough to convert given the very high % of adjuncts and if you didn't do a decoction (pull some mash and boil it) the enzyems would have had an even harder time.

In my wit which is not very dissimilar to yours (all pils instead of 6-row) I do a double decoction. 122 30mins 20mindecoction -> 154 1hour 10min decoction-> 170 15min

I had the understanding (and it could be wrong) that part of the purpose of a protien rest on unmalted and/undermodified grain was to break down the longer chain protiens into shorter dextrines that the amylase enzymes can more easily convert.
Sorry for that huge run-on sentence.

Palmer on protein rest.

English Plus on run on sentences.

I employ a cereal mash for my wits, that way I can use raw oats as well. But if you are don't enjoy that process you could probably get the same results with a step mash.

Tonedef131 said:

I employ a cereal mash for my wits, that way I can use raw oats as well. But if you are don't enjoy that process you could probably get the same results with a step mash.

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Yep, I do!

Step mash is easy peasy.

Thanks everyone!

I read all I could find in Complete Joy Of Homebrewing. What I took from that was a protein rest helps with chill haze. Since this is a wit, obviously I don't care about haze.

And yes, z987k, I meant infusion, not decoction. Mixed up the terms.

I didn't have much of a problem with a stuck sparge. I batch sparge with the old Papazian bucket-in-a-bucket method, and I stir as it drains.

Bottom line--I think I didn't mash long enough.