Help in reading between the lines

[rickprice407]

While my son and I are still relative newbies (about 3 years) we have moved in to all electric brewing and all grain. I have noticed that a good many all grain recipes say nothing about the mash - no temps or times, etc, while others do - usually in some detail. We have done brews with both single and multi-step mashing but I'm at a loss here.

Is there a rule of thumb or default mashing that is used if one isn't listed in the recipe?

Got a few we want to try but these don't have the mashing timesand temps.

Rick near Atlanta

 

[TheHomebrewNerd]

The mash time and temperature will impact the fermentability of your wort, so it depends on what you are looking for in the finished beer. If you want a light body beer you should use lower mash temps and mash for longer times. If you are looking for a fuller bodied beer, use a higher temperature and a shorter mash.

I generally use a 60 minute mash at about 152F for a medium body as my default. For a lighter body, mash closer to 148-150F for 90 minutes, and for a fuller body beer, mash around 154-156F for 60 minutes. For most recipes you should be fine using a single step infusion mash.

The Homebrew Nerd
thehomebrewnerd.com

 

[tre9er]

Yep, real dry beers that don't use any sugar, 152 or below. Medium body 153-154, higher body, 155-156. Check on what the style calls for in terms of finish, but you probably already know how they should turn out. Bigger beers you usually want a bit more body so they don't taste like pure alcohol. Session beers, generally, if they're a PA, IPA, cream ale, etc. are dry beers...I like mine medium bodied-to-dry.

Any recipe calling for fermentable adjuncts such as sugar (in any form) you'll need to carefully consider how to approach. Most of the time I'd advocate mashing higher than normal on these as the sugar will ferment completely out and leave the beer VERY dry.

 

[Yooper]

The mash time and temperature will impact the fermentability of your wort, so it depends on what you are looking for in the finished beer. If you want a light body beer you should use lower mash temps and mash for longer times. If you are looking for a fuller bodied beer, use a higher temperature and a shorter mash.

I generally use a 60 minute mash at about 152F for a medium body as my default. For a lighter body, mash closer to 148-150F for 90 minutes, and for a fuller body beer, mash around 154-156F for 60 minutes. For most recipes you should be fine using a single step infusion mash.

Yes, me too. A 60 minute mash will convert most mashes, and so is usually the "default". Sometimes, with lots of adjuncts, you may go to 90 minutes to ensure complete conversion, especially at a lower temperature. But normally that's not the case. Sometimes people check conversion with iodine, and just stop the mash when conversion is reached. That may mean a 30 minute mash for them, but for most people going with 60 minutes would ensure conversion so that's the norm.

I make mostly IPAs/APAs/American ambers so I often mash at 152. For a big "chewy" oatmeal stout, I'll mash at 156-158. For a cream ale, I'll mash at 149. It really depends on the goals of that particular recipe. It's also knowing your system. For example, since I know my system so well, I know that if I mash an APA recipe at 152, an OG of 1.060 will give me a FG of 1.010. Your system may be a bit different, so you may find you may need to mash the same recipe at 154, or at 150, to get the results you want.

 

[inhousebrew]

Great advice so far and I would just like to second everything said thus far. If I had to pick a default I'd say 152 for 60 but depending on the style and your personal taste preference you should be able to determine what temp to mash at.

If you haven't read it How to Brew's chapters on mashing and conversion are really good for understanding the process. There is a free copy online or I think you should just buy it if you don't have a copy. It's good to have around.