In Beersmith, mash time isn't affecting OG

[ScrewyBrewer]

They are somewhat not. But..

Let's say you're making a beer you've done lots of time before, then you usually just want to take an OG reading just to confirm that you landed your OG.

But, If I'm making a beer with a new grist, I like to take a gravity reading just to see if my calculations of OG were at least somewhere in the ballpark. As you do or do not know, more malt gives you lower efficiencies, so grists with different amount of malt will give you a different efficiency. So taking a gravity reading preboil will give you an answer to if you'd want to adjust with either DME, LME, or a tweaked boil-time, or with a water-dillution, to hit your targeted OG.

Using BIAB my mash thickness is typically in the 2.5qt/lb range or higher, that may be why my efficiencies are easier to predict?

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Beta amylase is sensitive and benefits from a thicker mash. Alpha amylase can work on ungelatinized amylopectin, however the resulting amylose segments must be gelatinized for Beta Amylase to work.

Not to mention the impact of wort pH on alpha and beta amylase on fermentability.

 

[Smellyglove]

Using BIAB my mash thickness is typically in the 2.5qt/lb range or higher, that may be why my efficiencies are easier to predict?

Your efficiencies will drop pretty much linear if you use the same water/grist ratio.

Efficiency will go up if you're up for some extended boil time though, if you sparge with more water, to hit the targeted volume.

 

[ba-brewer]

I measure SG, not conversion.

Like I said. I don't do Iodine tests to check for conversion, I measure SG to see if I'm right where I should be. My point was that there's no need to check for complete conversion of the available starches, it only tells you that much.. conversion has happened. If I do an SG reading maybe 20 minutes in, and I'm right where I should be, I also know that conversion has taken place.. You don't get sugars without conversion..

But, the wort profile is completely different after one hour of mashing comparing to twenty minutes. That's why time matters..

If you measure gravity you are measuring conversion. Yes time matters, but time alone can be a poor determining factor when to stop your mash.

Everyone system will behave slightly different, what is your setup and parameters?


I use a 3 vessel system with a water to grain ratio in the 1.6 to 2 qt/lb range, at 20min my gravity is normally 70-80% of the way to my calculated estimate with temp in 145-154 range. I have only recently started using the higher water to grain ratio because it was taking too long to get to my calculated gravity and it has helped to speed things up. The wetter mash did not really effect the 20min point, but did help to get the last 20% done faster. I do condition my grain to preserve the husks so my .030 gap may actually be equivalent to a larger gap of dry milled grain.

 

[Smellyglove]

If you measure gravity you are measuring conversion. Yes time matters, but time alone can be a poor determining factor when to stop your mash.

Everyone system will behave slightly different, what is your setup and parameters?


I use a 3 vessel system with a water to grain ratio in the 1.6 to 2 qt/lb range, at 20min my gravity is normally 70-80% of the way to my calculated estimate with temp in 145-154 range. I have only recently started using the higher water to grain ratio because it was taking too long to get to my calculated gravity and it has helped to speed things up. The wetter mash did not really effect the 20min point, but did help to get the last 20% done faster. I do condition my grain to preserve the husks so my .030 gap may actually be equivalent to a larger gap of dry milled grain.

Yea I'm measuring conversion with the gravity reading, but I don't measure gravity for the sake of measuring conversion. By taking gravity readings I only know the gravity, and that something has converted. If this would be on an unknown setup I would not know if the malt had been fully converted, so in that case I would't call it that I was "measuring conversion.."

I use a two vessel no-sparge setup. Best system I've ever had.