Grain/Water Ratio (Infusion v Temp Steps)

[cuseman24]

I am attempting my first multi-step mash, and I have a question regarding the grain/water mash ratio.

The recipe I am following indicates:

"Step mash, with rests at 113F and 153F. Dilution of 2 quarts per pound. Mash out at 170F."

My assumption is that the instructions are for a temperature step mash, where the dilution is 2 quarts per pound, and the temperature is increased from 113 to 153 via an external heat source.

I am performing an infusion step mash.

Should my dilution be 2 quarts per pound for both the 113F rest as well as the 153F rest (4 quarts per pound total)? Or should my dilution be 1 qt per lb for the 113 rest, and 1 qt per lb for the 153 rest (2 qt/lb total)? I am leaning towards the latter.

Bonus question. Is there a specific dilution I should use for the mash-out, or should I simply use enough almost-boiling water to bring the mash temperature up to 170F?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BigEd]

First let me ask what kind of beer this is and what is the grain bill? The use of a 113F acid rest followed by a jump to a 153F sugar rest seems suspect.

 

[cuseman24]

It is a Gose beer, from Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing book (Hold Your Nose Gose). Grain bill is as follows:

Yield: 5 gallons
Gravity: 1.036
Bitterness: 10 IBU
Color: Pale straw

(45 min boil)

1.5lb Pilsener malt (23%)
1.0lb Sour malt (15%)
3.5lb wheat malt (54%)
0.5 lb unmalted oats (8%)
1.0 lb rice hulls

1.0 oz Spalt hops (4% AA, added to mash)
0.5 oz Spalt hops (4% AA, 45 min)

Bavarian Weizen Yeast

.25 tps of salt, and 1 oz coriander added at flame-out

 

[BigEd]

OK, a Gose is an unusual beer. The 113F step is an acid rest but you already have 15% acid malt in the bill so unless you are doing a very long rest at the 113F to bring lacto bacillus into the picture it just seems superfluous to me. If you go with it I'd suggest mashing in for the acid rest with as little water as you can because you are going to need a lot more water to step from 113F to 153F. The addition for the mashout is less critical but, yes, you could just use a boiling water infusion to bring the mash to 170F.