So I had a wheat beer win 2nd place in Malt Madness and the judges described it as dry. which I guess it is. But I do a multi step infusion with a protien rest on the wheat at 120 degrees for 20 minutes. Then a beta rest for at 145 for 20 and an alpha at 155 for 20. By buddy thinks that the conversion is happening too quickly and thast by the time I get to the Alpha their isn't much left and this is why I'm getting a dry beer. He says that todays malt will mostly convert in less than 1/2 hour. Can this be true?
conversion speed, multi rests, and dry beer
- Thread starter HBCBrewmaster
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Quite possibly. The way I do it is to take the decoctions straight to 160 °F. The resulting beer has plenty of sweetness to balance the tartness of the wheat. I'm sure I got this program from Eric Warner's monograph.
Not sure what you mean. I do hot water infusions. When you say "decoctions" do you mean you have a flame on the pot and bring the mash temp straight to 160 and thereby pass through the various resting temps? I ask because I understand decoction to mean physically removing part of the mash to another pot, bringing it to a boil for a time, and then returning the boiled mash to the main mash raising the temp of the main mash to the desired next resting temp. I never do this because it seems like a pain in the rear end and I don't want the tannin from the boiled husk.
I mean I do a traditional wheat beer double decoction mash. Yes, it does involve removing a portion of the mash, resting at near 160, boiling and returning and yes, it is a big PITA but no, you don't get husk tannin extraction because, in the first place, wheat malt doesn't have husks (though, of course, the barley portion of the grist does) and in the second pH is low (if you manage the mash right). Plus it makes a damn nice beer.
remilard
Well-Known Member
Ayinger still decocts everything and their beer is not tannic. In either case you can do as ayinger's competitors do and use melanoiden and/or cara malt.
You didn't mention if the wheat portion was malted or raw/flaked. If it's malted, it has ridiculous diastatic power so I'd agree that you're probably drying it out with the 145F step. I'd go straight to 153F for 45 minutes.
Good stuff.
I use malted wheat. 50/50 with the barley
I've wanted to try a decoction but now I think i will on a smaller test batch. any suggestions as to...
how much I'll need to remove?
how long do I hold it?
how long do I boil it?
What if I just kept the wheat separate from the barley. Gave it the protein rest then decoct only the wheat portion and then combine the whole mess for the last rest at 160
Does that sound dumb?
I use malted wheat. 50/50 with the barley
I've wanted to try a decoction but now I think i will on a smaller test batch. any suggestions as to...
how much I'll need to remove?
how long do I hold it?
how long do I boil it?
What if I just kept the wheat separate from the barley. Gave it the protein rest then decoct only the wheat portion and then combine the whole mess for the last rest at 160
Does that sound dumb?
I used Carapils once before and I hated it. made the beer taste like it had soap in it. maybe I used too much. Never heard of melanoiden..that the kind of thing I can get at the local home brew shop?
I strongly suggest you get a copy of Greg Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer for general information on decoction mashing and Eric Warner's German Wheat Beer for the particular application to Weizen.
The answers to all your questions depend on your equipment, technique and the size of the temperature step you wish to achieve. Generally 30 -50% is removed and taken through whatever steps you deem appropriate for the beer. In my case, as noted in the earlier post, I go to 160 °F for wheat beer and hold there for 10 - 15 minutes. Then it's to the boil for 15 - 20 minutes. The targets for the returns are 148 for the first decoction and 168 for the second.
I've never heard of anyone doing it that way but I suppose you could do it that way if you wanted to. If this is for fear of extracting tannins, don't worry about that. pH will protect you.
Pivovar_Koucky
Well-Known Member
I've done several decoction beers now. Never had any noticable tannins. It is a lot of work, but tannin extraction is not a concern. If you are interested, just take an hour or two, go on google and read everything you can on decoction mashing. I think that there is a sticky at the top of the all-grain/PM forum on decoction mashing, if I'm not mistaken.
