mash temp question

So my last all grain mash I hit 161 degrees rgiht off the get... i'm making a flying dog pale ale clone... it sat in there for 90 mins and then i batch sparged... since i passed up the 152 - 158 degree range did i still get starch conversion? orrrrrrrrrrrrrr did i just waste alot of grain and money? thanks again.

That is one place where you can get away with adding ice cubes to cool the mash. Guessing you will have a very full bodied beer.

Why didn't you adjust it? A quart or two of cold water would have helped to nail the temp. Then just subtract that amount from the sparge.


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ok... but i will still get the alcohol content that was intended correct?

J311gonzo said:

ok... but i will still get the alcohol content that was intended correct?

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Probably not. You created more unfermentables at that temp then you would have at 152ish meaning you will end up with a higher FG than expected. I am not saying it is ruined, it just won't have the same amount of alcohol and might appear to be sweet. At this point, just let it ride.

ok... i was plaining on it... it started around 161... when it came in so high i left the top off of the mash tun... hoping that it would cool down and it did... i ended up finishing the mash at 156. i've always been to worried that i don't get the mash temp high enough... so i heated it up more. then started reading more into it today and found that i don't need to worry about it being really high, i just need to keep it around 152 correct?

J311gonzo said:

ok... i was plaining on it... it started around 161... when it came in so high i left the top off of the mash tun... hoping that it would cool down and it did... i ended up finishing the mash at 156. i've always been to worried that i don't get the mash temp high enough... so i heated it up more. then started reading more into it today and found that i don't need to worry about it being really high, i just need to keep it around 152 correct?

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Depends on the style of beer. Keep reading about it. There are 2 types of enzymes at work here and they each have their optimum working temp ranges. They both work with the range you are talking about but the hotter in that range you get, one enzyme 'out performs' the other and vice versa at lower temps.

A DRY ale will be mashed in the low ranges, 148-152 and beers with more body to them on the higher end say 158. at 170, this enzyme activity stops. I think.

gotcha... i was just reading about those enzymes,,, considering this is the 3rd brew ive done i've been learning alot. the other problem i keep having is that when i'm draining the wort out, after about 5 mins the flow stops and i have to open the ball vale all the way up and slow it down to get it flowing again... which makes fly sparging a son of a *****!

Can't really help you there as I batch sparge. What do you use to filter the grains in your MLT?

This is why I think Beersmith is just awesome! When it comes to mash temps, conversion calculators, and just recipe construction-you can't beat the reliability of good brewing software. Honestly you'd be better off mashing a little lower, than trying to make it higher IMO. I'd rather it be a little dry, than be ridiculously sweet. I've never fly sparged, but I'm sure it adds a little complication to the whole mash process. Its all about getting accustomed to your equipment though. Good luck! You'll nail it down soon!

I'm using a false bottom... Question about batch sparging: after I mash, I vorlof and then drain. Question is do I have to drain slow or not? I have been draining slow.

Chapa: thanks for the beersmith push. It's going to be my next purchase.