You could have mixed the cloudy one with the other, after it cooled down a bit, I mean only the liquid. The enzymes in the clear one would still be intact and chop the starches in the cloudy one into sugars within 20 minutes or so. However, the final og would be a bit unpredictable.
Since we have a dodgy thermometer at play and two worts mashed at uncertain temps, I figure it would be a bit of a crapshoot to rely on viable enzymes in the "good" batch. I'm not arguing with the basic science you proposed. It's just a bit experimental. But a good thing to explain nonetheless.
Thanks for all the advice. Checked on this today and it's 0.006 so around 5%. It's a bit plain for my taste, but I think my friend will like it. I may try throwing a couple oz of citra in there to liven it up.
I'm in the middle of another grain mash right now. Trying for neipa. struggling to keep the mash temp high enough, but a lot more confident and less messy this time around.
