higher temp strike water=more fermentables?

[Oligarchy]

i like my beers to have a high alch/gravity, my steeping grain batches have been getting 8-10% consistently. so i want to keep this trend for my upcoming partial or full grain.

so my question is, is the strike water temp the determining factor for the efficiency? the original mash water temp? or the boiling temp of the wort?

ive read a bunch of conflicting info or fuzzy info that hasn't really spelled it out.

the oligarchy does not approve of low alch beer

 

[McKBrew]

I'd recommend reading through some of the stickies at the top of the All Grain Section.

I'd also take a look at this. http://www.suebob.com/brew/Bobby_M all grain primer.pdf

 

[desertbronze]

Mash temperature is the most important factor in determining the fermentability of the wort, IMO. Mash at 148 and you will get a wort that is highly fermentable, but may seem thin. Mash at 158 and you will get a wort that is less fermentable, but will have a thick, chewy mouthfeel.

 

[Yooper]

i like my beers to have a high alch/gravity, my steeping grain batches have been getting 8-10% consistently. so i want to keep this trend for my upcoming partial or full grain.

so my question is, is the strike water temp the determining factor for the efficiency? the original mash water temp? or the boiling temp of the wort?

ive read a bunch of conflicting info or fuzzy info that hasn't really spelled it out.

the oligarchy does not approve of low alch beer

Generally speaking, the higher temperature of the mash, the more dextrinous (more unfermentable) wort you will have. Lower temperatures encourage a thinner, more fermentable wort. So, if you want to have a lower FG, you want to mash at a lower temperature, say 147-151 degrees. For a higher FG, you want to mash higher- optimally 155-158 degrees.

Mash thickness also plays a contributory role- thicker mash means "thicker" beer in the end, a thinner mash encourages a drier beer. Also, time. A longer mash means a more fermentable wort, a shorter mash (but still after conversion) means a less fermentable wort.

What all that means is make your mash profile fit the beer style. The short answer is if you want more ABV, you add more fermentables (grain). The higher the OG, the higher the ABV.