Step Mashes - Fast vs Slow

I'm brewing a hefeweizen this morning and went with a step mash, starting at 122' (another thread to follow).

While I was raising the temp after the protein rest it got me wondering about the differences (any pros and cons) of raising the temp slowly vs a fast water infustion.

I'm using a direct-fire MLT with recirculation, and a lot of people use HERMS/RIMS. These methods raise the temperature rather slowly, 1-2 degrees/min for me. Surely there's a lot going on in the mash during that 20-30 mins from protein to sacc rest.

Is it good, bad, doesn't really matter? Help me understand.

Cheers

A very good question. I use the steam injection method, and I get a little better than 3 degrees per minute. According to Palmer the Beta enzymes function best between 130 and 150, so I guess some saccharification (sp?) is occuring as soon as we pass 130.

Palmer:

The temperature most often quoted for mashing is about 153°F. This is a compromise between the two temperatures that the two enzymes favor. Alpha works best at 154-162°F, while beta is denatured (the molecule falls apart) at that temperature, working best between 131-150°F.

Thanks for the response. That might explain why it seemed like I had full conversion so fast today.

I could raise the temps faster, but I'm trying not to overheat the grains/wort. To be honest, I don't know how fast would be safe. I'm just being conservative with it.