Did my first decoction today

[Rucka203]

Title: Lemon APA
Author: Rucka203

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American Pale Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 2.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3.5 gallons
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 4.29%
IBU (tinseth): 63.92
SRM (morey): 2.67

FERMENTABLES:
3 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (77.3%)
0.68 lb - Cane Sugar (17.5%)
0.2 lb - Rolled Oats (5.2%)

HOPS:
0.3 oz - Chinook, Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: First Wort, IBU: 21.02
0.3 oz - Chinook , Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 17.22
0.3 oz - Chinook , Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Aroma for 0 min
0.1 oz - Chinook , Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Mash, IBU: 2.31
0.3 oz - Chinook , Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Whirlpool for 20 min at 212 °F, IBU: 23.37

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 130 F, Time: 30 min, Amount: 6 qt, Protein Rest
2) Decoction, Temp: 212 F, Time: 30 min, Amount: 2 qt
3) Infusion, Temp: 149 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 8 qt, Sach. Rest
4) Decoction, Temp: 212 F, Time: 30 min, Amount: 3 qt
5) Temperature, Temp: 170 F, Time: 10 min, Amount: 8 qt, Mash-Out
Starting Mash Thickness: 2.66 qt/lb

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.2 oz - Lemon Extract, Time: 5 min, Type: Flavor, Use: Boil

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 72%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 59 - 75 F
Fermentation Temp: 65 F
Pitch Rate: 1 packet

PRIMING:
Method: Cane Sugar
Amount: 2.2
CO2 Level: 2.75 Volumes

So, I had a bunch of leftover ingredients and decided to use them up. Didn't have any grain for color, so I decided to do a decoction mash. Funnily enough, after I had gotten everything ready and the water was almost at mash in (around 140 F to get to the 130F protein rest), I realized I didn't have any BIAB bags and didn't want to go out. Deciding "Yolo!", I just dumped the grain in the pot.

I grabbed two quarts of thick mash, put them in another pot, and then put my "mash tun" into a slightly warmed oven to maintain temperature (this is the best way I've found to keep temperature..usually doesn't even lose a degree). I slowly heated the thick mash to boiling, stirring the whole time, and let it boil for thirty minutes, while stirring. At 30 minutes, I added it back to my mash and hit a temperature of 149 F, so I let this be a dry beer. Like I said, this wasn't planned, just thrown together.

I put that back into the warmed oven, and let that rock for another 30 minutes, then I took it out, stirred like hell, and took 3 quarts out for a final decoction. Put it back into the oven, and then heated the decoction and stirred like before. By then end of this 30 minutes, the decoction was around an oatmeal with brown sugar color. Smelled awesome! I put it back into the mash after 30 minutes, stirred and did a 10 minute mash out around 170 F. This was my first time doing a mash out, but it was easy and definitely helped my efficiency. So, now I had to deal with how to drain the wort... I just used my spoon to stop grain from getting into the boil pot, it worked pretty well. I had a few grains in the boil, but whatever.

Boil went smooth, all my additions are listed above. The color was definitely darker than the brewing software calculated, it was a nice light brown. Smelled great! After the boil, I did a 20 minute whirlpool, just stirred the ever loving crap out of the wort as I staggered a .45 oz Chinook addition every few minutes. This was my first time doing a whirlpool, it was cool, I guess. Cooled the wort, grabbed an OG reading, and then pitched. OG was right on the money, I'm very proud, as it's a 5 percent increase from my last batch.

This'll be a good, light, refreshing beer for sure.

 

[Cyclman]

I love decoctions. I was drinking a Dunkel Doppelbock last night, it is absolutely fantastic. Smooth, strong, delicious.

Plan to do a Maibock in the spring.

 

[zeptrey]

I have a question on the decoctions. You pull both grain and wort or just the wort? If you pull a volume of grain and wort and bring it to a boil wouldn't you extract tannins from the husks of the malt?

 

[kombat]

For all decoctions except for the last one, you pull the thick part of the mash. For the final decoction (i.e., mash out), you pull more liquid than grains.

No, tannin extraction is not an issue. But scorching can be, so make sure you continuously stir your decoction. And don't forget the sacc. rest with the decoction; don't just heat it straight to boiling. Make sure you rest it at your conversion step temperature.

 

[funnycreature]

I have a question on the decoctions. You pull both grain and wort or just the wort? If you pull a volume of grain and wort and bring it to a boil wouldn't you extract tannins from the husks of the malt?

Tannin extraction is a result of too high pH. The reason why you use grains in the early decoctions is that you want the starch and leave behind the solubilized enzymes in the liquid. As Kombat stated, you can improve efficiency a little by allowing the complete conversion in those grains before boiling. The last decoction can be thinner because you won't need the enzymatic activity anymore. Decoct on!

 

[zeptrey]

So what kind of average efficiencies are you guys seeing with this method? Would the results be much different than step mashing?

 

[hbr2547]

So what kind of average efficiencies are you guys seeing with this method? Would the results be much different than step mashing?

I did my first enhanced double two weeks ago doran Oktoberfest - 91% - pic below

 

[zeptrey]

I did my first enhanced double two weeks ago doran Oktoberfest - 91% - pic below


View attachment 143726

Damn that looks good. I want to give this a shot with a dunkel or maibock. I am hearing that the enhanced double is the way to go. Seeing that pic makes me want to see women in some revealing dirndls, eat some pretzels and/or strudel, chicken dances, and most importantly drink copious amounts of malty beers. PROST!

 

[hbr2547]

Damn that looks good. I want to give this a shot with a dunkel or maibock. I am hearing that the enhanced double is the way to go. Seeing that pic makes me want to see women in some revealing dirndls, eat some pretzels and/or strudel, chicken dances, and most importantly drink copious amounts of malty beers. PROST!

It's definitely A much longer brew day - haven't tasted yet but was fun to brew!