gio
Well-Known Member
I don't have real mashing equipment or even a large enough pot to boil the quantities of water you get when doing AG (largest pot I have is 6 gallons), so I use brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) methods similar to ones described here on the beginner's forum.
It might seem odd, but I do a decoction mash most of the time now. Perhaps this is a bit overkill as the subtle advantages of a decoction mash might not be apparent when using such a crude mash technique like BIAB.
But to me, decoction mashes are actually a lot easier and I more often hit my mash temps when I use them. This is mainly because of the volumes of water necessary with the different techniques.
In order to use a three step mash (such as 122/153/170) I need to start with a very thick mash (0.75qt/lb or less) in order to have enough room for all the grain and water in my pot by the time I mash out. I found I can comfortably mash up to 10lb grain in my 6 gallon pot before I run out of room. But if there are more than three steps in the mash or more grain, it is pretty much impossible to do a step mash in a 6 gallon pot.
But with a decoction mash, I can start with 10lb and 2qt/lb water or 20qt in the pot and mash comfortably as no additional water needs to be added to reach the mash temps. Everything that is added has once been removed so there is no risk I'll need to add more water than my pot will hold. I've also found that the efficiency of my decoction mashes are 80-85% while the efficiencies of my single infusion and step mashes are only about 70-75%.
It might seem odd, but I do a decoction mash most of the time now. Perhaps this is a bit overkill as the subtle advantages of a decoction mash might not be apparent when using such a crude mash technique like BIAB.
But to me, decoction mashes are actually a lot easier and I more often hit my mash temps when I use them. This is mainly because of the volumes of water necessary with the different techniques.
In order to use a three step mash (such as 122/153/170) I need to start with a very thick mash (0.75qt/lb or less) in order to have enough room for all the grain and water in my pot by the time I mash out. I found I can comfortably mash up to 10lb grain in my 6 gallon pot before I run out of room. But if there are more than three steps in the mash or more grain, it is pretty much impossible to do a step mash in a 6 gallon pot.
But with a decoction mash, I can start with 10lb and 2qt/lb water or 20qt in the pot and mash comfortably as no additional water needs to be added to reach the mash temps. Everything that is added has once been removed so there is no risk I'll need to add more water than my pot will hold. I've also found that the efficiency of my decoction mashes are 80-85% while the efficiencies of my single infusion and step mashes are only about 70-75%.
