What am I missing?

Beer Advocate:" Lower temperatures produce more dextrin and less sugar. While higher temperatures produce more sugars and less dextrin."
John Palmer's How to brew:"To generalize,warmer temperatures will produce a more dextrininous wort, lower temps make the wort more fermentable."
Who is correct or am I missing something?

John Palmer is correct. Lower temperature mashes (you are talking about mashing right) will produce a dryer, more alcoholic beer.

Merleti said:

Beer Advocate:" Lower temperatures produce more dextrin and less sugar. While higher temperatures produce more sugars and less dextrin."
John Palmer's How to brew:"To generalize,warmer temperatures will produce a more dextrininous wort, lower temps make the wort more fermentable."
Who is correct or am I missing something?

Click to expand...

I think the word sugar and dextrin are kinda being used in different ways. And interchangably in the brewing world sometimes.

A higher mash temp will help produce a greater quantity of unfermentable sugars. Thus more body/mouthfeel. A lower mash temp produces more fermentable sugars. Thus a dryer and more alcoholic result.

Yes I was looking at the word dextrin for mashing. As I was reading through off flavors, unfermentable sugars were called dextrins thus leading to a higher FG.
fletchsj: So what is beer advocate talking about then? Do we run into producing dextrins from temps other than mashing?

who knows what BA is talking about, they're hardly the authority on craft beer, much less brewing. what you read by Palmer is correct, i higher temp mash will produce more dexrtines, resulting in a higher FG and a 'sweeter' beer. lower temp mashes will produce more maltose and other fermentables, resulting in a lower FG and a dryer brew. the key is to find a balance that works for the beer you're making, one that produces enough fermentables without becoming overly dry after fermentation.

Think of Mashing as making a giant Bowl of Barley Soup; chocked full of Carbs. However, this bowl of soup has Enzymes from the malting process which "snip" the Carbs into sugars. At a higher temp, they are snipped into longer chain sugars which are harder for the yeast to digest. At lower temps, they are snipped into smaller chains of sugars which the yeast can comsume easier; thus leaving less sugars in the Beer and a Drier Beer.

Thank you all for your response. I understand the mashing principle , but I just don't want to be missing what BO is talking about. After all with the time and money I'm putting into this I wouldn't want to do it half@ss.

Merleti said:

Thank you all for your response. I understand the mashing principle , but I just don't want to be missing what BO is talking about. After all with the time and money I'm putting into this I wouldn't want to do it half@ss.

Click to expand...

You aren't missing anything. They are stating things half ass... You create dextrins from the starch conversion when you mash. Amylases do this along with heat within a certain temp range during your mash. (usually within 20 minutes with modern malts) the difference is the higher your mash temp, the more likelihood you create longer chained dextrins. These longer chain dextrins are harder for yeast to ferment/unfermentable. Thus giving you a sweeter beer as well as more body.

You create much more short chained dextrins with a cooler mash. Hence dryer and thinner beer. The trick is to get the right balance.

Palmer wasn't wrong. He just used a seperate word to try to make it more easily understood. Not sure who the editor is at BA but if that was indeed what was said. They were incorrect.

Thanks fletchsj. I just wanted to make sure.