Mash questions

[EricBrew]

So I've made a couple of AG beers, and none have been great. I feel as though they're low in flavour and I'm looking to adjust my mash.

I've read that some people don't mash their specialty malts, and that they simply steep them in the mash at the sparging stage. Is this what most people do?

If the specialty grains are simply steeped, do they still need to be milled?

 

[eastoak]

mash all of your grains, not doing so will not improve the flavor of your beer. i can't imagine you will get what you need out of the specialty malts by steeping during the sparge.

 

[Pie_Man]

I think you should mash and mill all your grains. I know some brewers will add dark malts to the end of the mash, or during the sparge to avoid astringency.

If your beer is low in flavor, than I think you have a different issue. In what way is the beer low in flavor? Can you post your last recipe that had this issue and some of your process (mash temp, ferm temp, salt additions, etc)?

This could be a number of issues from your recipe, your mash temperature, conditioning time, fermentation, etc.

 

[ciphin78]

My first question would be, are you hitting your OG with your all-grain recipes? Second, are your mash temps hitting what the recipe calls for? I would say, "Yes", mash all your grains together. I've never had a problem doing that.

 

[EricBrew]

The recipe I used is linked below:
http://www.tastybrew.com/newrcp/detail/490

I did hit the OG and FG, but the beer tastes a little thin. Also, it has a nice head when poured, but disappears almost immediately.

I use a perforated bucket inside another bucket as a mash tun, so the mash temperature isn't constant. It's been suggested to me that raising the mash temperature may add malt flavour to the beer.

 

[BigEd]

The recipe I used is linked below:
http://www.tastybrew.com/newrcp/detail/490

I did hit the OG and FG, but the beer tastes a little thin. Also, it has a nice head when poured, but disappears almost immediately.

I use a perforated bucket inside another bucket as a mash tun, so the mash temperature isn't constant. It's been suggested to me that raising the mash temperature may add malt flavour to the beer.

Keeping the mash temperature constant, or at least as stable as you can, is important. That old bucket in a bucket system works but you can make a much better mash tun without spending a ton of money. Picnic cooler conversions are easily within the realm of untalented DIYers like myself. Using a pipe/manifold, false bottom or SS mesh strainer in a cooler all work well and the built-in cooler insulation helps greatly with keeping the mash temperature on point. Your mash temp @ 153F is more than enough, IMO. Before you do anything make sure your thermometer is accurate and that you are stirring the mash-in very well. If your thermometer is off or the mash is not uniformly mixed parts or all of it could be at a much different temperature than you think it is.

Looking at the recipe it does not appear that in itself the beer would be thin. My .02, however, is that there is more dark malt than necessary (18%). I'd suggest cutting it back to at least 12% (eliminate the black patent and cut the chocolate to .75 lb) and add that removed amount to the base malt. The other thing to check into is your water. There is plenty of information in the Brew Science Section here at HBT, but in very simple terms if your water is deficient in important brewing ions, particularly Calcium, the working of the mash can be affected as well as the body & flavor profile of the beer.