I’m Dumb and Forgot to Turn off the Burner

[BryanEBIAB]

I forgot to actually turn off the induction burner as I doughed in (is that how you’d say it?) and accidentally mashed at 170°F. It took 25 minutes to cool down to my actual target of 151. Is this brew dead on arrival? I’m tempted to just keep going and “have another home brew” just to learn about what happens. Pretty sure I’ll end up with a much more malty brew so thought I might double my regular hops to compensate.

Thoughts? Is it a waste of hops to continue?

Thanks in advance for always being so helpful, everyone. Happy Father’s Day!

 

[Sam_92]

Have you taken a refactometer reading? The biggest danger is that high temperature will denature the enzymes but that process takes a little time. If you got close to your pre-boil gravity then carry on!

 

[BryanEBIAB]

I hit 1.046 which is very close to previous brews on the same system. I figured I would probably end up with a much higher final gravity which is usually around 1.011 to 1.015. If my FG for this one end up at something like 1.035, is it even drinkable? I think I have to carry on either way, just to find out.

 

[Sam_92]

I don't think it will work like that. Amalayze enzymes are pretty hardy and since you got conversion the beer will ferment out like normal.

Cheers!

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Fantastic—letting it ride! What would I do without this forum? Probably make crappy beer. [goes to donate]

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I hit 1.046 which is very close to previous brews on the same system. I figured I would probably end up with a much higher final gravity which is usually around 1.011 to 1.015. If my FG for this one end up at something like 1.035, is it even drinkable? I think I have to carry on either way, just to find out.

Yeah, I would expect a much higher final gravity. I once mashed a Porter at around 162F due to a thermometer that was off. The beer ended up near 1.030 FG! The OG was on target (maybe 1.054?). It was not actually that bad of a beer. It drove home to me the "myth" of mash temps. That beer actually did not have enough sweetness to balance the roasted grains and the mouthfeel was fairly average.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Depending on how quickly your mash temperature increased, conversion may well have been complete before you hit higher temperatures.
My guess it is close to intended….

 

[BryanEBIAB]

I’ll pay extra close attention to how this one ferments. My worry was that bringing the mash to 170°-180° Is exactly what you’d do to *stop* enzyme activity but if that was your intention, you wouldn’t bring it back down to 150-ish. I hope someone finds my accidental experiment useful.

One thing I enjoy about this hobby is that it’s almost never worth it to dump it and start over.

 

[Bobby_M]

Hitting the exact final gravity you want is a what I'd consider a recipe tweak rather than mission critical. Of course if it's 1.025 you'll probably notice the difference in body vs. 1.010 but its effect on the beer flavor and enjoyment is a lot less than you'd think.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Post-boil OG was 1.052, only 3 points from the previous brew. It’s at 1.036 on day 3 so looking good so far.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Just poured the first beer. FG: 1.022. It’s not what I was going for but still drinkable. Glad to know what happens and it’s not worth dumping.