Ive been wondering about the whole high-versus-low temperature mash thing. Specifically, if a low-temperature mash gives more fermentables, then why not save grain (and money) by doing a high-temperature mash with less grain and adding sugar for fermentables?
Lets work with some numbers, which I will pull out of my a$$. First, lets assume you get 30 points per pound per gallon (PPG) from your grain. Lets also say that you pay $1 per pound for grain. Ive read that sugar gives 46 PPG. Lets say that you pay 30 cents per pound for sugar at your local supermarket.
Say you want to make a 10-gallon batch of 60-gravity (i.e., 1.060) beer. This means that we need 60 * 10 = 600 total gallon-points (GPs).
Scenario 1: We use 20 pounds of grain (20 pounds * 30 PPG = 600 GPs) and mash at 149 degrees. Total fermentable cost: $20.
Scenario 2: We use 16 pounds of grain (16 pounds * 30 PPG = 480 GPs) and mash at 158 degrees, then add 2.6 pounds of sugar (2.6 pounds * 46 PPG = 120 GPs, which will bring our total to 600 GPs) to the boil. Total fermentable cost: $16.78.
Obviously there are some questions such as how much fermentability difference is there between a 158-degree mash and a 149-degree mash? How can we know the proper grain/sugar ratio? But you see my point: why use expensive grain to produce fermentables that can be gotten from cheap sugar?
Then theres the issue of what kind of fermentables we get from grain versus sugar. Table sugar is sucrose, while the fermentable sugar we get from malt is mainly maltose. Do these fermentables produce different flavors in our beer? Is maltose 100% fermentable, the way sucrose is?
Cheers, and happy brewing!
Lets work with some numbers, which I will pull out of my a$$. First, lets assume you get 30 points per pound per gallon (PPG) from your grain. Lets also say that you pay $1 per pound for grain. Ive read that sugar gives 46 PPG. Lets say that you pay 30 cents per pound for sugar at your local supermarket.
Say you want to make a 10-gallon batch of 60-gravity (i.e., 1.060) beer. This means that we need 60 * 10 = 600 total gallon-points (GPs).
Scenario 1: We use 20 pounds of grain (20 pounds * 30 PPG = 600 GPs) and mash at 149 degrees. Total fermentable cost: $20.
Scenario 2: We use 16 pounds of grain (16 pounds * 30 PPG = 480 GPs) and mash at 158 degrees, then add 2.6 pounds of sugar (2.6 pounds * 46 PPG = 120 GPs, which will bring our total to 600 GPs) to the boil. Total fermentable cost: $16.78.
Obviously there are some questions such as how much fermentability difference is there between a 158-degree mash and a 149-degree mash? How can we know the proper grain/sugar ratio? But you see my point: why use expensive grain to produce fermentables that can be gotten from cheap sugar?
Then theres the issue of what kind of fermentables we get from grain versus sugar. Table sugar is sucrose, while the fermentable sugar we get from malt is mainly maltose. Do these fermentables produce different flavors in our beer? Is maltose 100% fermentable, the way sucrose is?
Cheers, and happy brewing!
