Mash Question

[Garmoni]

Are there any issues or concerns with mashing longer than a recipe calls for? Say a recipe calls for an hour but you step away for two hours for another task.

 

[soccerdad]

Not a problem .. in my experience.

 

[Sammy86]

No problem!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Your efficiency will go up.

Some people mash one day and lauter the next.

 

[seatazzz]

No problem at all. Like Silver is Money says, you might even get better efficiency. One concern I would have would be sparging - if your mash temp goes down more than expected, once you've drained your first runnings, you might want to let your sparge sit for about 10-15 minutes before draining it off.

 

[Kent88]

There shouldn't be any issue. That said, there isn't much, if any, benefit to a mash that long other than perhaps working it into your schedule.

The enzymes, alpha and beta, are not stable at mash temperatures. Beta enzyme is only stable at mash temps for about 40 minutes. Alpha enzyme has done a great majority of its work in the first 40 minutes as well, but you do still get some more starch conversion, up to probably around 90 minutes.

Do a search for The Brewing Network podcasts about mashing, there is a 2 parter that I think is particularly helpful.

As long as the mash temp doesn't dip low enough for souring bacteria to develop you should be ok with a 2-hour mash. I'd recommend you do a mash-out to warm it back up for sparging.

Edit: Brew Strong Podcasts Part One, Part Two.

 

[blkandrust]

No problem at all here.