Decoction mash with a nylon bag?

[scoundrel]

Hi All,

I'm going to do a decoction mash soon and I was wondering if anyone has boiled their mash in a nylon bag, elevated slightly off the bottom to avoid scorching the grain instead of stirring their arm off. It seems like it could work, so I figured I'd throw it out there.

 

[Denny]

How can you boil the grain if it doesn't touch the pot?

 

[st_brewer]

its in the pot, but it wont touch the bottom, the liquid will heat up. What I dont understand is how it replaces the stirring

 

[Yooper]

its in the pot, but it wont touch the bottom, the liquid will heat up. What I dont understand is how it replaces the stirring

But you use very little liquid in a decoction- that's critical. You pull a thick decoction, mostly grain, and boil it like oatmeal. If it's in a bag, and not in touch with the pot, it can't work.

 

[scoundrel]

its in the pot, but it wont touch the bottom, the liquid will heat up. What I dont understand is how it replaces the stirring

It just doesn't require standing over it the whole time. I figured it may be difficult due to the little bit of wort but I was thinking of it more like boil a bag rice than oatmeal. I just want to do more decocotions but with three small children it's a challenge.

 

[helibrewer]

For a single decoction I start with 2 vessels, my regular MLT with 60% of the grist and shoot for 125F strike temp.

I boil the other 40% for 10 minutes, add it to the MLT and let the entire batch sugar rest at 150F for the remaining 50min.

I find with a single decoction it's much easier to just start them seperate than try to scoop and measure and all that mess.

This was also the method we used in an advanced brewing class I took and it works nicely, especially if you mash in a cooler.

 

[Denny]

but you use very little liquid in a decoction- that's critical. You pull a thick decoction, mostly grain, and boil it like oatmeal. If it's in a bag, and not in touch with the pot, it can't work.

this^^^^^

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I never get scorching and I don't stir like crazy. Just turn the heat down.

 

[scoundrel]

For a single decoction I start with 2 vessels, my regular MLT with 60% of the grist and shoot for 125F strike temp.

I boil the other 40% for 10 minutes, add it to the MLT and let the entire batch sugar rest at 150F for the remaining 50min.

I find with a single decoction it's much easier to just start them seperate than try to scoop and measure and all that mess.

This was also the method we used in an advanced brewing class I took and it works nicely, especially if you mash in a cooler.

I like this approach. What about water. Do you break it out based on your normal x quarts per pound?

 

[scoundrel]

But you use very little liquid in a decoction- that's critical. You pull a thick decoction, mostly grain, and boil it like oatmeal. If it's in a bag, and not in touch with the pot, it can't work.

Now I wonder if a crock pot would work well, since the consistency is more like oatmeal.

 

[mux]

This is a great video on decoction mash.

 

[Yooper]

Now I wonder if a crock pot would work well, since the consistency is more like oatmeal.

My crockpot would never get something to a boil that fast! What I do when I do a decoction is pull the decoction, and bring to 150-158. Let it sit 20 minutes or so (I go do something else in the brewery while it sits), and then bring it up to a boil then add it back to the mash. It only takes a few minutes on my gas stove to do that.

 

[scoundrel]

My crockpot would never get something to a boil that fast! What I do when I do a decoction is pull the decoction, and bring to 150-158. Let it sit 20 minutes or so (I go do something else in the brewery while it sits), and then bring it up to a boil then add it back to the mash. It only takes a few minutes on my gas stove to do that.

Ya I was kinda tossing that one out there. I like your approach. I'll give it a try.

 

[scoundrel]

This is a great video on decoction mash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIQPQmELWPo

Ya, I've watched that video. It's great but he talks about boiling for up to 30 minutes which is what I've done in the past. Is there any real benefit to boiling that long? Yooper, it looks like you bring it to boil and stop. I suspect you've had good results with this approach?

 

[mux]

You can boil from 10 to 40 minutes longer for darker beers shorter for lighter beers. Double Decoction?

 

[Yooper]

You can boil from 10 to 40 minutes longer for darker beers shorter for lighter beers. Double Decoction?

That's what I do. Boil for a short while at the protein rest step (as I want to do a very short protein rest), and then boil longer later on in the second decoction to promote more maillard reactions. The last pull is to mash out temps, and I pull mostly liquid, bring it to a boil quickly and put it back into the mashtun to reach the mash out temp.

The first decoction is very short, the second can be longer (up to a 30 minute boil if I'm making a dark lager), and the last is very short.

 

[scoundrel]

That's what I do. Boil for a short while at the protein rest step (as I want to do a very short protein rest), and then boil longer later on in the second decoction to promote more maillard reactions. The last pull is to mash out temps, and I pull mostly liquid, bring it to a boil quickly and put it back into the mashtun to reach the mash out temp.

The first decoction is very short, the second can be longer (up to a 30 minute boil if I'm making a dark lager), and the last is very short.

Drat. That's exactly why I was looking for more of a hands off approach. I guess I'll have to do less decoctions until the kids are a little older.