Can you mash too long?

[BierMuncher]

I have a kolsh steeping in my cooler as we speak. I started a bit high with the strike and the mash was 159-160.

Question, if you get detained...say work is calling you at home to see how your fever is ...and you end up letting the mash sit for 1 - 1 1/2 hours (temp goes down to 153), are you alright? Is there any disadvantage to a longer mash within the temp ranges you want?

 

[knewshound]

I think you are fine.

I routinely mash my uber-stout for 90 to 120 mins so you should be fine.

Thats being said, I would be more concerned with the 160 degree initial temp, that is close to badland. You can get nasty flavors at those temps.

RAHAHB.

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[david_42]

Short answer: No. [where no is less than a day] Since the original mash temperature was so high, the beta enzymes were completely de-natured and you'll have a malty, low-fermentability wort.

Hope that's what you wanted.

 

[Orfy]

Lots of body and slighty sweet, my kinda beer. Up the hops and that's gonna make hell of a brew. Best suited to an ABV of 5.5 to 6.5 :rockin:

Real beer.

 

[BierMuncher]

Short answer: No. [where no is less than a day] Since the original mash temperature was so high, the beta enzymes were completely de-natured and you'll have a malty, low-fermentability wort.

Hope that's what you wanted.

Well, it was 10 lbs of grain (5 gallon batch) so I hope the high temp and the high grain offset slightly. Either way...it's a homebrew and I never met a beer I didn't like.

 

[Orfy]

Well, it was 10 lbs of grain (5 gallon batch) so I hope the high temp and the high grain offset slightly. Either way...it's a homebrew and I never met a beer I didn't like.

You are really lucky!

 

[Kaiser]

Short answer: No. [where no is less than a day] Since the original mash temperature was so high, the beta enzymes were completely de-natured and you'll have a malty, low-fermentability wort.

I have to disagree with that. Alpha-A. enzymes are also able to create fermentables if they are given enough time since they break chains of glucose randomly, though they show a greater affinity to the longer chained ones. You may not see the difference between 60 min and 90 min, but 1 hrs vs. 3 hrs should show a difference in fermentability of the wort. I had that happen to me when I brewed my Weizenbock since I got called away and had a stuck sparge. It turned out more fermentable than I expected for the mash schedule that I intended to run.

Kai

 

[BierMuncher]

Well, thinking back to the initial strike, I mashed with water that was at 168 degrees and got a reading of 155. I then drew off some of the mix and heated up, remixed and that is where I got the 159-160. (If you can't tell...this is my first AG batch). Since then, it's been holding very steady at 158-159.

Are higher temps (160 +-) okay as long as they are not the intial temps? Do you want to work your way up even in an infusion mash?

 

[Orfy]

When you think about it the actual convertion takes place in the first 20-30 minutes. Those sugars aren't going to turn back to unfermentables.

 

[david_42]

Alpha-A. enzymes are also able to create fermentables

Entirely correct, but Alpha leaves more sugar in long-chain, less fermentable states. Malty, low fermentability is a relative term.