cold soak overnight

[kohalajohn]

I have looked but not found this point.

Are there downsides or upsides to doing a cold soak overnight and then heating up the mash in the morning?

I'm only interested in the convenience. I organize things the night before, and my mash tun can be set with an automated timer.

Would be handy to dough into cold water on the evening, and have the timer turn on the heat early in the morning.

 

[Agent]

I haven't done an overnight room temperature mash, but I have done 2hr non-enzymatic "mashes" for near-beers. In my experience, it leaves a debris film on everything that is prone to scorching during heating.

I would also anticipate that a long room-temperature mash would start to funk a little bit.

For saving time, many folks will set their strike water only to be pre-heated for a brewday.

 

[Kickass]

I’m not sure about an overnight cold soak.

I also prep the night before. I brew with an electric system that does not have a timer. I simply set my strike temp, mash in, then hold my mash temp overnight. In the morning I lauter and proceeded to the boil. Anecdotally, I haven’t noticed anything undesired or different with my finished beers.

 

[mac_1103]

Why not just mash overnight?

 

[kohalajohn]

Reducing electricity costs is the motivation.

We never had timing systems before, so we would mash overnight. Which was fine

But if a night in cold water is contraindicated, then the answer is to automate a pre heat of the water.

And I realize I should have put this in the automation forum. Sorry.

 

[Bassman2003]

Yes, heat the strike water only. I see only negatives to letting a mash soak at cold temps overnight.

 

[Bobby_M]

If your batch would benefit from a ramp mash through all the enzymatic zones, sure.

Holding a mash at temp overnight would cost probably an extra dollar, if that.

 

[RM-MN]

When you heat water then convection currents mix the water so the temperature becomes very stable. When you heat a mash, the currents are restricted and it is very easy to get the bottom of the mash too hot without heating the top. That destroys the enzymes you need for conversion. Unless you heat very slowly your conversion is likely to suffer. Constant mixing can mitigate this but...who has time to stand there stirring. Better to hear strike water and add the grains to it.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Are there downsides or upsides to doing a cold soak overnight and then heating up the mash in the morning?

FWIW, an overnight cold soak (then heating the mash the next morning) is meaningfully different from the various cold extraction (or cold mash) processes that have been discussed elsewhere. WRT the latter process, some home brewers find it useful, others don't.

 

[tracer bullet]

I certainly understand the convenience desire. I get my Anvil set up the night before, water, timer, all of it. I wake up to hot water. I mash in shortly after getting up, and then go make coffee, do family things, have some breakfast, etc. while it mashes. The 5 minutes or so it takes to add and stir the grains has not been a big deal. Maybe give this a try a time or two if you don't already. It might be good enough.

 

[Willy]

I tried something like this one time.
Before I went to bed - I heated up the strike water to 213°F and let it stay there for about 15 minutes, before turning off the heat and waiting 7 hours when I planned to put in the grains and brew early the next morning.

I figured I would benefit from having boiled the water, and having very warm strike water to begin with. Next morning, the water temp was about 110 and went quickly to my mash in temp.

Didn't see much benefit - just tried an experiment since I was curious how much heat would be retained.

 

[kohalajohn]

Yeah, Tracer is coming from the same motivation I am coming from. This is the first time I have had a timing system and I want to use it.

I'll just set the timer to heat up the strike water in the morning and proceed as does Tracer.

Eventually, when I know more about decoction mashes and Munich Helles, I'll want to use this to do step mashes during the night when I"m asleep. I'm excited about that.

 

[Bassman2003]

Good call. I do not think step mashing while you are asleep is in the cards. Especially not decoction! Mash length is best to be as long as you need, but not much longer. Extended mash times beyond getting your conversion just will end up doing nothing or damage.

Brewing while not brewing was tried with the product named "Brewie" and it did not turn out well in the end!

 

[kohalajohn]

This is helpful.

And the more I think about it, even doing an auto setup of the strike water is not necessary. My 240V will get my25 liters hot before my morning coffee is ready.

 

[tracer bullet]

My 240V will get my25 liters hot before my morning coffee is ready.

It will. I still like waking up to it and mashing in before coffee, but yeah you're on the right track.

 

[kohalajohn]

It's like the french cookbooks call "mise en place". Setting out all the ingredients, sharpening the knives etc. Before you start cooking. So all goes well.

The night before the brew day, doing a mise en place. That's a nice way of doing it.

 

[Bassman2003]

If you are looking for something to do the night before, try YOS (yeast oxygen scavenging) of your strike water as well as setting a timer to heat it up. It's easy and improves the starting point of the mash/beer by removing all of the oxygen from the strike water.