Mash....did i mess up or am i good?

[aceman]

I got so excited that i figure out about brewing that i jumped in and made an uh-oh, or did i?

when doing the mash, instead of heating the water to 165+ and putting in my grain. i put the grain in with the water at 80 and heated to 165+...


did i just waste time or can something productive come of this? trial and error are not so fun sometimes, but possibly necessary.

 

[Wolfbayte]

It depends. There are a lot of variables. What you did after realizing and when you did it, would make a huge difference.

How long did it take to reach 165+? If it took a while, you may have converted starch to sugar before denaturing the enzymes necessary to do so. Might be a drier beer, but beer nonetheless if it was within the range for a while before hitting 165+.

How high is 165+? The higher the temp, the more likely you denatured the enzymes before conversion.

How long were you at 165+? If you were able to quickly get the temp down within the "Brewer's Window," i.e., the ideal temperature range, you may have spared the enzymes necessary for conversion.

Here's a chart: https://missionarybrewer.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/enzyme_activity_one_hour_mash.jpg

Also, what was the grain bill and equipment. I.e., if BIAB did you pull the bag out once you realized water was too hot?

Edit: let me add that even if you denatured the enzymes, you can add enzymes from LBHS or even Beano from 24 hour store to continue your mash at the proper temp.

Hope this helps.

 

[aceman]

started the mash (or pouring the grain into the 80F water at 9pm and it took til 12am to reach 165f) then turned it off where as i'm still trying to get it down to 95f at 3:20am....

i think it got as high as 170f,

Grain bill: flaked corn, wheat, brewers malt

 

[dmtaylor]

That's just a really long mash. It will probably turn out just fine, but might attenuate more, i.e., you might end up with a lower final gravity and thinner body and head than you intended. But you've still made beer.

 

[applescrap]

Haha, I started a thread here that turned into a pretty fierce discussion actually, I was curious about this exact same issue. But for me it was an idea to save time. Brewing quick is my thing. Marshall at brulosophy eventually tested this out. I can't remember what he found. I don't think it saved him any time. I'm sure the beer is fine.

 

[Lefou]

i think it got as high as 170f

Grain bill: flaked corn, wheat, brewers malt

"I think" isn't quite the same as "I'm sure".
An extended mash has to hit the right temps for the best conversion, so simply cooking the grain for an extended period might not give the best efficiency ... but hey, if it works, you might just end up with a good cream ale method.

 

[RM-MN]

I like to refer to something called "brewer's window" which shows that conversion starts at about 120F and continues upward until all the starch is converted or the enzymes are denatured. With the long period that it took for the water/mash to heat up you may have had full conversion but it will depend on the crush of the grain and just how long the mash was within the "brewer's window".

https://missionarybrewer.wordpress....ers-window-what-temperature-should-i-mash-at/

 

[dmtaylor]

I like to refer to something called "brewer's window" which shows that conversion starts at about 120F and continues upward until all the starch is converted or the enzymes are denatured. With the long period that it took for the water/mash to heat up you may have had full conversion but it will depend on the crush of the grain and just how long the mash was within the "brewer's window".

https://missionarybrewer.wordpress....ers-window-what-temperature-should-i-mash-at/

Yup, this is almost exactly what I was thinking. He'll still have beer for sure.