Decoction Mash Video

[Mustangj]

Today's brew. This is how I do a decoction. First I find a friend who is willing to stir the decoction...........hehe........nice vids kai.

Nice setup!!!

 

[Kaiser]

Today's brew. This is how I do a decoction. First I find a friend who is willing to stir the decoction...........hehe........nice vids kai.

Nice set-up indeed. Note that there should not be much stirring of the decoction necessary once it is converted. I keep the flame small enough to keep it from scorching. But I stir when I heat up to the comversion rest as the mash is thicker and I don't want to kill the enzymes that are on the bottom while the ones on the top are not even in their optimal temp range.

Kai

 

[nathan]

I've been running a double decoction schedule as so:

mash-in to reach 148F, hold for 60
--at 30-40 minutes in, pull decoction and apply heat to boil until first 60 is up
return decoction until reaching 158F or just under (I don't sweat up to 4 degrees shy)
start a 30 minute timer at the 158F rest
--at about 10 minutes in, or sometimes right away, pull a second decoction (also using whatever was left, if any, from 1st decoction), bring to boil till 30 minute second rest is done
return to reach 168 for mash-out. If any left, let cool and return.

This has been producing some fantastic flavor, and my efficiency hit 88% in a cooler mash-tun, which is ridiculous.

My only trouble so far is getting it to sit at 158 in the decoction pot for a rest of 10 minutes before going up to boiling. I'm using a glass cooktop installed in a work counter in my garage, and it seems to stay hot under the decoction, increasing the heat when I get to 158 and turn it off. I haven't gotten good enough yet to anticipate the extra rise. BUT - I'm almost done with my single tier. WIth that I will have my old turkey frier as a decoction vessel, so I can kill the flame completely for the 10 minute rest at 158, which will make things easier. Also the larger batch size and larger decoction should make it easier.

My new rig will eventually end up with a coil in the HLT to recirculate to control mash temps, so when that happens I won't worry as much about the decoction return coming up shy of the target. Right now that is often the case, but I can't really pull larger decoctions with the glass cooktop setup yet. Ahhh how this hobby pulls you in deeper and deeper!

 

[Kaiser]

This has been producing some fantastic flavor, and my efficiency hit 88% in a cooler mash-tun, which is ridiculous.

glad to hear that it works for you.

My only trouble so far is getting it to sit at 158 in the decoction pot for a rest of 10 minutes before going up to boiling. I'm using a glass cooktop installed in a work counter in my garage, and it seems to stay hot under the decoction, increasing the heat when I get to 158 and turn it off.

can you just move if off the burner?

Kai

 

[menschmaschine]

can you just move if off the burner?

I use a glass cooktop for decoctions and that's exactly what I do.:cross:

 

[nathan]

damn.
Sometimes I am an absolute RETARD.
That's just so simple, and doesn't require me to weld, grind, plumb, or wire anything. That's probably why I couldn't think of it myself!

I'll do that Saturday. I usually have my first round of batch-sparge water in a pot on one burner, but that leaves enough room still to slide it over I think. If not, I can just put a wood block on the countertop there and set the pot on that like a cheap hot-pad.

 

[nathan]

with a blushing face, I must admit that sliding the pot sideways off the hot burner worked fine. I'm still trying to figure out how to get beersmith to tell me how to decoct the proper amount, since I usually just pull more than called for, but this one little tip helped a lot.

 

[Kaiser]

I'm still trying to figure out how to get beersmith to tell me how to decoct the proper amount

It can't tell you that b/c it doesn't know how much water your are going to boil off during the decoction, how much the main mash dropped in temp and/or what the water/grist ratio in the decoction is.

Simply pull a little more than calculated and if a lot is left over after reaching the temp adjust for it the next time you brew this recipe.

Kai

 

[mpersinger]

Thanks Kaiser.

 

[Beer Bomb]

great video post. Thanks

 

[Otis The Drunk]

Why isn't this thread stickied????

 

[jimba009]

did you ever post these in mp4 or a podcast?

 

[Kaiser]

did you ever post these in mp4 or a podcast?

No I didn't.

Kai

 

[jimba009]

Thanks for the videos Kai! After watching these videos I am not as intimidated by the process. One noob question, do you pull as much grain as possible for the decoction?

 

[Kaiser]

No, I only pull as much as what fits in the desired decoction volume with a thickness of about 1.25 qt/lb.

Kai

 

[wscott823]

Kai, thank you so much for putting together this excellent video series. I've been reading through decoction methods in Noonan's Brewing Lager Beer, but even after reading through it a couple times it still was a little unclear how to perform decoctions with minimal equipment . It's so helpful to see the process in action.

Thanks much

 

[Kaiser]

You're welcome

Kai

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

Really great video, decoctions are a lot of fun, time consuming but fun. Gotta love a good German brew following the exact decoction. I think this should be a sticky for AG brewing because I am sure there are a lot of people that want to try a decoction but just dont know where to start.

I would have loved to watch this video before my first one, I actually tried to pour from my mash tun into a brew kettle... that turned into a very sticky mess, but hey it worked... kinda.

 

[dutch101st]

Great videos...I have a better understanding of the whole process!!

 

[petep1980]

I'll be trying my third decoction within a week or so. Kaiser you could not have spelled it out more easily. Before I had an idea what I was doing, now I am beginning to understand the processes and everything.

 

[Kaiser]

Thanks.

Kai

 

[karbinator]

kai........where did the video go? I just see empty squares....did you remove it?

 

[Kaiser]

They are still there, at least for me. Search YouTube or Google for Decoction Mash video if you still don't see them.

Kai

 

[Andri]

Thanks for the video, really interesting to watch. I'll have to watch it two times to get it through my thick skull. I'm new to all grain.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Prost! All of Kaiser's contributions have really helped me in my brewing. I feel like I have a very good handle on almost all aspects of my brew day now. His brew log and efficiency spread sheet are now a staple of my brewing.

Decoction is a fun way to add some depth to simple grain bills and has a cool factor that can't be touched.

Thanks again!

 

[martinworswick]

i read somewhere that you shouldn't allow grain into your boil kettle for reasons i can't remember at the moment, how does this differ? is it the length of time the grain is actually boiling for?

cheers
martin

 

[martinworswick]

forget that question,
a little bit of searching revealed the answer.

martin

 

[eggbeater59]

kaiser- thanks for the info and work. good videos

 

[Beezer94]

Thanks for the great video.

Man I thought I finally was having faster brew days, now I find a way to that will make them longer than ever! :cross:

 

[paint_it_black]

Really awesome! Simple enough to understand easily, detailed enough to be very informative and useful. Thanks!