Multi-step mashing, electric brewery.

[lappe001]

Dear all,

could someone explain me how would you do a multi-step mash with the electric brewery? Per hand you have to take a part of the wort, heat it up and then but it back into the mash tun. With the electric brewery would you only increase the temperature 2 or 3 times as required? Please help!

Cheers!

F.

 

[iijakii]

You just hike up the HLT temp while recirculating through the HERMS coil. Did you mean a decoction instead of step? Just get a pot on your stove for that.

 

[lappe001]

Yes I meant decoction. Isn't it the same if I increase the temp in the HLT and hold each temperature step for as long as indicated? I mean not using an external pot on the stove....

 

[Bsquared]

No, With a Decoction you remove part of the mash, boil it and then return it to the mash to raise the temp. You can do step mashes on an HERMS, RIMS, or a direct fire mash, but it is not the same as a decoction. A decoction mash will develop melanoidin flavors from the boiling of the grains that you will not get from step mashing.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Well...in theory, you could take a portion of the mash, dump it into your electric boil kettle, heat it up until boiling, and then dump that back into your MLT. But nearly all electric boil kettles have heating elements in the bottom which must be submerged at all times in liquid while on. So the volume of the removed mash must be large enough to cover the heating element. That volume varies from rig to rig.

Not sure if the grains being in contact with the element would cause problems.

 

[kal]

You just hike up the HLT temp while recirculating through the HERMS coil.

+1. That's what I do. At the end of a step (when my timer goes off), I simply hit the "UP" button a few times on the PID to increase the temp to the next step. Simple.

Kal