So I brewed a Czech pilsner this weekend using the hochkurz mash schedule detailed by Kai on his wonderful website.
I mashed in at 1.5qt/lb and pulled my first decoction at as close to that consistency as possible. I gave it a quick stir before I started scooping. After about 20 minutes at 158 I got it up to a boil and let it go for another 20. I dumped it back into the mash and the temp went from the temp I was holding of 144 and only reached 150. I was hoping for 158. I changed the temp on the controller and got to 158 in a few quick minutes but still want to know what happened.
I used the same calculation for my next decoction to go from 158 to 168. I hit that temp exactly which was nice. The second decoction was just wort pulled from under the screen.
Any ideas why my first decoction didn't raise my temp enough? Maybe I should have been checking the temp of the first, thick boiling decoction instead of just visually seeing it bubble. That is really all i can think may have happened.
Thanks for the help
I mashed in at 1.5qt/lb and pulled my first decoction at as close to that consistency as possible. I gave it a quick stir before I started scooping. After about 20 minutes at 158 I got it up to a boil and let it go for another 20. I dumped it back into the mash and the temp went from the temp I was holding of 144 and only reached 150. I was hoping for 158. I changed the temp on the controller and got to 158 in a few quick minutes but still want to know what happened.
I used the same calculation for my next decoction to go from 158 to 168. I hit that temp exactly which was nice. The second decoction was just wort pulled from under the screen.
Any ideas why my first decoction didn't raise my temp enough? Maybe I should have been checking the temp of the first, thick boiling decoction instead of just visually seeing it bubble. That is really all i can think may have happened.
Thanks for the help