Step vs Single Mash

I'm getting ready to do my first AG and have been researching recipes. I'd like to do a Pilsner but have been told it's too difficult....and not very forgiving. My second choice would be my all time favorite, a Hefe Weizen. I'm thinking about the recipe below, but I've seen that every AG receipe calls for a step mash. I don't have the equipment (or experience for that matter) to do a step mash.

What difference would there be in doing a single mash vs a step mash?

Thanks,
-K2

From Beertown Web Site -
Ingredients: MALTS*6 LBS WHEAT MALT*5 LBS 2-ROW BASE MALT*1 LB CARAPILS (Dextrin Malt)*HOPS*½ OZ PERLE (60 MIN.) BITTERING*½ OZ PERLE (30 MIN.) BITTERING/FLAVORING*1 OZ TETTNANGER (LAST 10 MIN.) AROMA*ADDITIVES*½ TSP GYPSUM *1 TSP IRISH MOSS (LAST 15 MIN.)*

Instructions: DIRECTIONS*HEAT 3 GAL. WATER TO 35/86 DEGREES C/F ADD MALTS*BRING WATER TO 50/122 DEGREES C/F HOLD FOR 15 MIN.*AT 62/144 DEGREES C/F HOLD FOR 30 MIN.*AT 72/164 DEGREES C/F HOLD FOR 30 MIN*SPARGE WITH 3 GAL. 74/170 DEGREE WATER*BRING TO BOIL*SSG: 1.067*ESG: 1.010*ABV: 7.5%*Very good beer but could have used more Tettnang Hops at the end. As an interesting aside, my brewing partner is a Braumeister for the Tucher Braueri in Nuremburg.

Here's a thread recently about step mashing.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24217

Long and short, you rarely need to do a step mash - except when using wheat, unfortunately You need to have a protein rest in there. You can do a step mash through a hot water infusion, you just need either to do some math or have some software tell you how much hot water to add to move from the protein rest temp to the sacrification (sp?) rest temp. If you're using a cooler mash tun, as long as it isn't maxed out (which I doubt it would be, wheats are usually of fairly modest gravity), you should be OK.

I'm using a cooler mash tun - 5 gallon version. But I only plan on doing 2.5 gallon batches. There just too many beers I want to try and brew.

I guess I'll have to see if I can figure out how to have ProMash do the math for me for the rests.

Either that or I blonde or amber ale.

Thx
-K2

Take a look at this page. It may be easier than Promash. Link >> http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

Blender said:

Take a look at this page. It may be easier than Promash. Link >> http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

Click to expand...

Great Site! Thanks for the heads up. That may be just enough for me to try a hefeweizen after all.....

-K2