Mashed in at 100F before raising to 152F -- What to expect?!

[BrewerofBeers]

Is anything different going to happen? I do BIAB and I noticed that mashing in seemed way easier yesterday. No dough balls whatsoever. Everything going great. But then I realized the temp was set wrong -- it was at 100F. It took another 15-20 minutes to raise to 152F. I read that doughing in would be harder, not easier, at a lower temp. Also, my OG was a little lower than usual, but only by a few points. Not terrible. So not sure about the step mash factor. The wort tastes just as nice as usual, if not better!

Is absolutely nothing different going to happen?

 

[dmtaylor]

It will turn out good. Many brewers start the mash out at 100 F and then step it up from there. That temperature is known as an acid rest and can actually be beneficial. You're fine. All in all, it will be pretty normal.

 

[odie]

nothing.

I always mash in at room temp and turn the element on. reaches 150 shortly. Plus no dough balls at all.

it then runs all day while I'm at work...like 10 hour mash.

 

[hotbeer]

Something different might happen. But it'll be beer. You should try doing the same recipe with that step and without several times and see if one seems to make a beer you like more. Or if it's not worth any effort or more time for you.

 

[Bobby_M]

I wouldn't say "nothing" happens. You did a step mash and ran it through a protein rest. You should have seen a slightly higher than usual extraction efficiency and the residual protein will be a little diminished. Depending on the grain bill and the total protein, the head retention can be slightly reduced. Will you notice? Maybe/probably not.

 

[odie]

I don't think a protein rest does much with today's malts?

 

[day_trippr]

Using a protein rest on fully modified malt will likely result in thinner body...

 

[VTMongoose]

I don't think a protein rest does much with today's malts?

Do one, then look in the bottom of your kettle at the end of your brew day and tell me it doesn't do anything.

Using a protein rest on fully modified malt will likely result in thinner body...

Citation needed. Fundamentally, what about having more amino acids dissolved in beer would result in a "thinner" body?

Protein rest resulted in a higher FG
Effect of mashing-in temperature on free amino nitrogen concentration and foam stability of beer - proteases increase soluble FAN

Obviously if you rest long enough at these temperatures, yes, the longer protein chains could break down and cause body/head retention issues - but most of us are doing very short (15 minutes or less) rests, or just ramping straight through to pick up some extra FAN on the way from a ferrulic acid rest to sacch.

I'm not saying everyone should do a protein rest. My last 5 brews have been single infusion @ 150°F plus or minus. But on my wheat beers there is a night and day difference in attenuation, head retention (better), and extract when I use a protein rest.

 

[day_trippr]

I'm not going to provide a crapton of citations for something most brewers take for granted...

https://beermaverick.com/understand..., performing a protein,a thin and watery beer.

 

[dmtaylor]

I'm not going to provide a crapton of citations for something most brewers take for granted...

https://beermaverick.com/understanding-protein-rests-in-mashing/#:~:text=In fact, performing a protein,a thin and watery beer.

My thoughts exactly. AND... I've experienced this myself early on when I started playing around with protein rests. Imagine a witbier that was well carbonated, BUT.... clear as crystal with zero head on it. Yep. And it happened not just once but several batches until I figured it out.

 

[MicroMickey]

To say that the protein rest has no value is ludicrous. It may have less value than it had with under-modified malts, but if nothing else, peptidase breaks down some simple and complex proteins into peptides and eventually into free amino nitrogen (FAN) which yeast needs to do its job later in the brewing process. Protease works to break up the larger proteins. This break up of high molecular weight proteins enhances head retention and reduces haze. In fully modified malts, both peptidase and protease enzymes have done most of their work during the malting process. In the mash, both work between 113o and 131o to finish the job.

 

[Bobby_M]

To say that the protein rest has no value is ludicrous.

I briefly scanned and I don't think anyone said this. There was a question of whether it would have a negative impact and I believe the OP wasn't even aware of what a protein rest was. Then someone suggested it probably would not do anything with modern malts (which I took to mean the more modified malts that are available today despite the fact that you can still source under modified malts if you really want them). I think everyone, or most, accepts that there is value in protein rests for some styles using certain malts.

 

[dmtaylor]

I think everyone, or most, accepts that there is value in protein rests for some styles using certain malts.

I don't. Or it's EXTREMELY RARELY beneficial with 21st century malts and techniques.

Anyway... getting back to the original post... 100 F isn't even a protein rest! As such, much of the discussion here is completely irrelevant and distracting from the topic.

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't. Or it's EXTREMELY RARELY beneficial with 21st century malts and techniques.

Anyway... getting back to the original post... 100 F isn't even a protein rest! As such, much of the discussion here is completely irrelevant and distracting from the topic.

Unless you buy something like Weyermann's Bohemian Floor Malted Pilsner or use a lot of unmalted wheat.. I was careful to say "some malts" as rare as they may be.

If you mash in at 100F, you have to pass through the protease zone on your way up so discussion of a protein rest is relevant to the thread.

 

[hotbeer]

It seem pointless to keep bringing in un-modified malts and grains into the argument.

Without the OP expressly saying that they used un-modified malts, the expectation is that they used modified malts. Whether they knew it or not, because that is what most malts are today. And in most recipes one might find on the web to make common beers.

If un-modified was used, the recipe will likely have the apt procedures in the instructions.

And the difference between modified and un-modified has been made plain enough that the OP should know to consider that. If by chance there was some un-modified malts in their recipe.

 

[Bobby_M]

Threads like this tend to go on the same trajectory as "who's on first" with people talking past each other, answering questions that have not been asked and rebutting claims that haven't been made. We're all just trying to help regardless.

 

[dmtaylor]

Perhaps we should all step back and shut up now since the OP hasn't posted or responded to anything for almost a month.

 

[wepeeler]

I'm lucky enough to be getting Pilsner malt from a 6th generation maltster in Germany from a local pro brewer, and he recommends a protein rest at 122F. He's making some of the best beer I've ever tasted. I would trust him over a website that looks like it's been generated by AI...

Sure, most 21st century malt we use is highly modified, but there are most definitely exceptions. Especially when you dive into making European beer with traditional malts. Czech malt is notoriously undermodified, mainly because of their brewing practices. Hence step mashing, decoctions etc...

 

[dmtaylor]

Like I said...

 

[Broothru]

Wow! I haven’t heard so much controversy and strongly held contradictory opinions since somebody screamed “LODO!!!”.