lower mash temp vs drying out with sugar

[tomaso]

I'm gonna brew a wee heavy from a recipe that is slightly modified from Zainasheff's Wee from Brewing classical styles (recipe below; please comment).
I'm gonna use pacific ale yeast cause I have it at hand and seems a good yeast for the style but it attenuates little and would leave me with an FG of 1,029 from OG 1,085 which seems too sweet which is why I thought I'd add a bit of sugar to dry it out and get more attenuation.

But then I could also mash lower to get more attenuation and leave out the sugar...

What would the difference be?
Thanks!


Recipe:

11 liters (3 gallons);
OG 1,085 (with sugar 1,090)
est FG 1,029 (with sugar 1,027)
IBU 23
mash at 68C

85% Maris Otter
6% crystal 30
3% cara pils
1,5% special B/Crystal 120
1% chocolate
(4% table sugar)

Pacific ale yeast

 

[Jimbodaman]

You'll likely have plenty of body from the grain bill you could mash low and see where your at, then add sugar. I haven't used that yeast but I assume most yeast will take that gravity down to at least 1.020

 

[flatlanderHQ]

The main difference is that a low mash temp gives a more fermentable wort without adding additional simple sugars, which the yeast will eat first because they are the easiest sugar in the wort to metabolize. What you could do is mash low and add sugar during primary. Once fermentation is slowing down, add half a pound of sugar, or a it more, dissolved in boiling water. Let the solution cool and dump into your primary. Make sure to account for the amount of reserved sugar in your grain bill calculations. This technique works very well for high gravity beers that you want to attenuate well.

 

[dmtaylor]

Ditch the Carapils, and mash at 148 for 90 minutes. This will dry out the beer without diluting malt flavor, which is important for a wee heavy. Sugar would dilute the flavor slightly -- maybe you wouldn't notice, but, why take the chance.

 

[tomaso]

Thaks for your answers, guys. I'll brew today and have decided to do both, mash a bit lower and add a bit of sugar (which I don't think will be noticable).