Mash temperature for low alcohol beer

[ocwo92]

I'm thinking about a recipe leading to beer with a very low alcohol content using the following strategy:

1. Low amounts of malts compared with "normal" beer.
2. High mashing temperature.
3. Yeast with low attenuation.

How high can I go as far as mashing temperature is concerned? 71 degrees Celsius / 160 degrees Fahrenheit seems usable but what is the sensible limit for beer?

 

[madscientist451]

How high can I go as far as mashing temperature is concerned?

I've also been exploring low alcohol beers lately.
I've brewed two "session" IPAs recently,both below 5% ABV, not sure if I'll rebrew either one.
Check out this link with 14 low ABV beer recipes.
One has a mash temp of 165, but most are 150-152.
I'm going to brew Drew's Oat Mild, but can't get Oat Malt at my LHBS.

http://www.experimentalbrew.com/content/session-beer-day-recipe-bonanza-14-recipes-you-brew

 

[bobo31]

I have done a couple session ipas and I mashed at 156 to 158 I don't think you would have to mash any higher than that.. I added oats to the recipe to increase body. They all turned out very nice. I stopped brewing them because I drank them too fast.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Most beers I brew at between 3.8% and 4.4% so lot of experience with this. As mentioned already 154f-158f are the reasonable limits on mash temp.

Body malts help as well. Oats were mentioned but Mild Malt and Carapils also can work. In the case of Mild Malt (if you can get it), replace half your base malt with and you will have a beer hard to discern from a "normal" alcohol beer.

 

[dmtaylor]

158 F mash temp is fine but more importantly, also limit the mash TIME to about 30 to 35 minutes, as that will help guarantee less breakdown of complex dextrinous sugars. Yeast selection is also crucial.

 

[ocwo92]

limit the mash TIME to about 30 to 35 minutes, as that will help guarantee less breakdown of complex dextrinous sugars.

That makes a lot of sense. But, won't a much shorter mash time correspond to either just using less malt--or maybe perhaps risking to not extract the full taste potential from the malts used?

(The suggestions on malt compositions made by others are fine, but I kind of had that part covered.)

 

[dmtaylor]

That makes a lot of sense. But, won't a much shorter mash time correspond to either just using less malt--or maybe perhaps risking to not extract the full taste potential from the malts used?

Those concerns are not valid in my experience. I'm the guy who has been mashing for just 40 minutes for the past 10 years with no detrimental effects. Shorter mash time will not reduce efficiency or flavor in my experience but will reduce fermentability/attenuation and will increase final gravity. I have experimented enough with short mash times to know what it does.