All-grain brewing?

[Allekornbrauer]

Hello I have a question are mashouts really that necessary? See I use a 10gal round igloo cooler for my Mash-tun an I also do fly sparging . so basically what I am asking is how would one do a mashout using a cooler?

 

[BobBailey]

If you wanted to do a mash out you'd add boiling water as needed to bring the temperature up to about 170F. In most cases, especially when batch sparging, there's really no advantage to a mash out. The reasoning behind a mash out is to raise the temperature enough to denature the enzymes.

Just another carry over from old brewing traditions. Unless you're using some archaic process that specifies a mash out, you're probably wasting your time.

 

[anotherbeerplease]

The mashout can help prevent a stuck sparge if you are brewing with a lot of rye or other sticky malts. Otherwise it's prob not necessary. Since you are fly sparging, just do that at 168ish degrees and you'll keep the sparge running smooth regardless.

 

[BobBailey]

Oops! Didn't read right. Thought you were batch sparging. In this case, raising the temperature will reduce the viscosity of the wort which helps if you use a large percentage of wheat, rye or sticky adjuncts..

 

[Ninoid]

I try Mash-Out once and no difference without Mash-Out.

 

[specharka]

Hello I have a question are mashouts really that necessary? See I use a 10gal round igloo cooler for my Mash-tun an I also do fly sparging . so basically what I am asking is how would one do a mashout using a cooler?

They’re not necessary, but they improve mash efficiency and “set” the fermentable quotient of the wort. You can use a mash calculator such as Brewer’s Friend to calculate strike water and mash out water infusions. You just have to account for thermal losses of the mash (2-3 F/hr), which most calculators don’t take into consideration.

 

[ccous]

You probably want your mash to get above 170 (after 45 minutes at most in my experience) unless you want every beer to finish below 1.010

 

[RM-MN]

Mash out is used to stop enzyme activity so it doesn't continue during the long fly sparge. To stop the enzymes completely you need to heat the mash to over 170F and keep it there until all the enzymes are destroyed which usually takes several minutes. This only works if there is still starch to be converted and there is still beta amylase functioning to break down the dextrines that the alpha amylase creates from the starches. Modern practices and modern grains make the conversion faster so often by the end of the mash period all the starches are broken down so a mash out only does one thing, it speeds up the alpha amylase so you get a little higher efficiency. You might try two identical batches, one with mash out and one without to see if you notice enough difference in the beer to justify the time and effort to do a mash out. Then you might also try two additional identical batches, one with fly sparge and the other with batch sparge and see if the time and effort for the fly sparge is worthwhile.

 

[mongoose33]

Answer: no. I've never done a mashout. As RM-MN says, it's to stop the enzymes from doing further work.

Since you're fly-sparging, might I suggest you try batch sparging? Faster and easier. I always heated my sparge water to about 168 degrees so it would give me a head start on the boil, but you could sparge with cold water.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Definitely not necessary. 100% Agree with monogosse33.

 

[Ninoid]

Maybe mash out is important with fly sparge all grain, but with BIAB without sparge mash out is definitely not necessary.

 

[mongoose33]

My response was to the question of sparging, but I limited it to that. I actually had switched to BIAB, with no sparging. Pretty simple, pretty easy.

BUT--I began to dabble in LODO brewing, and BIAB isn't optimal for that. So what I did was combine a normal mash-tun approach with the BIAB approach. I do a single-infusion, no sparge mash in my cooler mash tun, then lauter it off as if i were drawing first-runnings from a normal batch sparge. Well, it is first runnings I guess, except there are no second runnings.

The combined approach lets me use a mash cap on top of the mash, and I'll use gravity to lauter/drain into the boil kettle, and as soon as the level gets high enough in the BK, I'll put a lauter cap on the now-heating wort.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I always do a 10 minute mashout @ 168f just for good luck, even though I know it serves no purpose when mashing BIAB with full volume. By the end of the mash all the sugars are thoroughly rinsed out of the husks anyway from periodically stirring, and the thin mash improves efficiency. I guess it's kinda like hopping over the baseline on the way to the mound.