Mash and Sparge Temp

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

elgee

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
353
Reaction score
45
Location
Stamford
How do I determine what the right mash and sparge temp would be for an all grain Belgian would be. This will be similar to a Blue Moon style? I typically just go with 155 for my AG mash temps, but wondering if there is a calculator or something that helps determine where the temp should be?
 
How do I determine what the right mash and sparge temp would be for an all grain Belgian would be. This will be similar to a Blue Moon style? I typically just go with 155 for my AG mash temps, but wondering if there is a calculator or something that helps determine where the temp should be?

A good rule of thumb is that lower mash temperatures favor a thinner, drier, beer that finishes with a lower FG while a warmer mash temp favors a fuller bodied beer that finishes with a higher FG.

A lower mash temp would be 147-150, while a higher mash temp would be 155-158. In the middle would be a medium bodied beer with an average FG.

Of course grainbill plays a huge part, as does the yeast strain.

But say you had a grainbill of 10 pounds base malt, and 1 pound of crystal. Using the same yeast strain, and everything else being the same, you could expect some differences.

For example, in my system, here's what I'd expect to happen.

At a mash temp of 147, I'd expect a thin bodied beer with a crisp finish and it to finish at 1.007-1.009.

At a mash temp of 150-152, I'd expect a medium bodied beer with a FG of 1.010-1.014.

At a mash temp of 155-158, I'd expect a fuller bodied beer with a FG of 1.016-1.020.

In other words, you can use the mash temperature to manipulate the body and amount of residual sugars in the mash. That means that you can make a Belgian finish light and crisp at under 1.010, by mashing under 150 degrees. That's pretty typical, and that's what I'd do.
 
I normally stick to around 153F and that tends to give a nice medium bodied brew. Any higher and it seems to sweet
 
Yooper gave you awesome info.

For a pale hoppy beer, things start to get sticky sweet if the FG is above 1.020

They're average sweetness at about 1.015 FG

They're quite dry at 1.010 FG (this is my preference give or take a few points)

Tip: If you're brewing partial mash, I like to use 5-7% wheat for added body & head retention, and mash very low -- 145-ish. The extract was probably mashed 8-10 F hotter than this by the maltster, which will make up for any lacking body.
 
A good rule of thumb is that lower mash temperatures favor a thinner, drier, beer that finishes with a lower FG while a warmer mash temp favors a fuller bodied beer that finishes with a higher FG.

A lower mash temp would be 147-150, while a higher mash temp would be 155-158. In the middle would be a medium bodied beer with an average FG.

Of course grainbill plays a huge part, as does the yeast strain.

But say you had a grainbill of 10 pounds base malt, and 1 pound of crystal. Using the same yeast strain, and everything else being the same, you could expect some differences.

For example, in my system, here's what I'd expect to happen.

At a mash temp of 147, I'd expect a thin bodied beer with a crisp finish and it to finish at 1.007-1.009.

At a mash temp of 150-152, I'd expect a medium bodied beer with a FG of 1.010-1.014.

At a mash temp of 155-158, I'd expect a fuller bodied beer with a FG of 1.016-1.020.

In other words, you can use the mash temperature to manipulate the body and amount of residual sugars in the mash. That means that you can make a Belgian finish light and crisp at under 1.010, by mashing under 150 degrees. That's pretty typical, and that's what I'd do.

Good to know ! That means an accurate thermometer is very important. Good post Yooper.
 
Back
Top