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Decoction disaster

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Patirck

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I tried doing a triple decoction mash for a weizenbock today. What a disaster! It was too cold for both the protein rest and the sach rest. I added some boiling water to bring the temp up during the protein rest but I was out of room in my MLT at the sach rest. I pulled some liquit out and put it on the stove in a seperate pot to bring it up to 170 or so then added it back in.



Then to finish it off, I lost the SS braid in my MLT. I ended up scooping out the mash and straining it through a bag. I ended up with about 45% efficiency - very disapointing.
 
I had already combind the decoction that I pulled out and boiled with the rest of the mash. This is my first time doing a decoction but I think the idea is to do a step mash using the pulled out decoction to increase the temperature. Since I had already poured it back in, it was too late. I thought the boiling water would at least get me in the range I needed for the protein rest - it did barely. According to my reading, the protien rest should be between 122 and 133 F. I was able to get it to 124 with the addition of a liter or so of boiling water.

Again from what I've read, the temp range should be on the low side for unmodified grains and on the high side for modern stuff - I am using all modern stuff so I really should be at least 130 or so.
 
If you're running out of room in your mash tun, it's no crime to pull another decoction to get it up to temp.
 
When you do decoction mashes you have to bring the decoctions to a boil before you add them back into the main mash. That's why you didn't raise the temperatures high enough when you added the decoction back.
 
Not just raise to a boil but the pulled decoctions other than mash out should go through a saccharification rest. Light beers should be boiled 10 minutes after hot break and dark beer as long as 30 minutes. This boil time is where the flavor changes. With out it you might as well just use infusions.

Kia has the best write up on it here
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Decoction_Mashing

I did a no sparge triple decoction Weizenbock yesterday. I did 20 minute decoctions, rest at 113, 140, 150 and 168. No protein rest at all.
 
So you pulled a decoction, brought it to boiling, returned it, and the temperature was lower than you had calculated? It's either the result of heat loss in the mash tun, or you didn't take out enough for the decoction to reach the right temperature.
 
So you pulled a decoction, brought it to boiling, returned it, and the temperature was lower than you had calculated? It's either the result of heat loss in the mash tun, or you didn't take out enough for the decoction to reach the right temperature.

I agree with this, the problem is most likely not pulling enough volume for your decoction otherwise it would raise the temp to where you want. It's like adding a cup of near boiling water to get to mash out when you needed a gallon and wondering why you came up short of your temp goal. I had the exact same problem the first decoct I did. Hope you took good notes and it will be easier next time.
 
I think it was a combination of not pulling enought out and some thermal loss in my cooler mlt.

I read up on this and pulled out mostly grains with very little liquid for the decoction. My first I boiled for 45 minutes (I am going after a darker color).

I may give this another try but only do a single or maybe a double decotion. The process seems like it should make for a maltier flavor - that's what I'm really after. I did a leffe blond clone with a regular batch sparge that came out great but when I taste tested it with the real thing -it was not nearly as malty. Maybe a decotion mash could help.

My weizenbock is fermenting now and after cooling the wort the gravity came out to 1.071 - about 62% efficency - not horrible but I was certainly expecting more. I am thinking that the low mash temps are to blame for the low efficiency.
 
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