Decoction Mashing Question

[koaps]

Hi guys,

I was reading about the process in palmer's book and online.

I might have missed something, but I thought the process from palmers book was to pull out some liquid, boil it, and add it back to the mash, raising the temp to the next rest.

But I read somewhere else about scooping out some grains and adding liquid, boiling that, and adding it back in for the temp change.

Which is right?

The first seems like tannings wouldn't be an issue, but the second could extract them during the boil.

 

[Gremlyn]

The decoctions I've done have been taking the grain and liquid, about 50/50 mix. No problems with tannins, the pH isn't high enough.

 

[944play]

Boiling thin mash is turbid mashing.
Boiling thick mash is decoction mashing.
Kaiser has some fantastic information:
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Decoction_Mashing
(Make sure you see the videos at the bottom of the page)

 

[FromZwolle]

be sure to check out the decoction youtube video. very informative.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I have simulated a decoction on several PM's by sizzzling some wort and grain in a skillet and adding it back to the mash with some very nice effects.

 

[storunner13]

Kaiser has some fantastic information:
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Decoction_Mashing

Whoa. Definitely informative. Glad I stumbled on this one..

 

[koaps]

Thanks guys, I might have just misread what palmer had in his book.

I was thinking of using this technique to help make the first runnings higher OG and stronger in malt so I can use the second runnings for a different style beer.

 

[944play]

Unless your typical mash profile is "step infusion," decoction mashing will not appreciably increase the gravity of your first runnings.

The problem I had the one time I did a partigyle batch was that the bulk of the gravity points came out in the first runnings! I had to blend some to get a reasonable split.

 

[koaps]

How big a difference were the two you got?

I'm looking to get a split that's something like 1.080 - 1.100 for a stout and 1.050 - 1.055 for a lager.

 

[944play]

I had 20lbs of grain; preboil gravities for about 13 gallons of total runnings were 1.061 and 1.034 after blending. I think my first runnings were about 1.090.

If your mash vessel is big enough, you could effectively do the blending there by increasing mashout volume or using a higher liquor:grist, for example.