My First All-Grain Brew Day (and a gravity question)

[mbude]

Hi all,

I brewed my first all-grain batch yesterday (a strong bitter hopped with Galaxy I'm calling King Wombat). I have been brewing extract for almost two years, and hubs (HWMBO?) surprised me with an all-grain setup (the 7 gallon Fermenter's Favorite from Northern Brewer) for my birthday this year. I made a few mistakes, but I think I'll still have beer in the end. I have a few questions, but my big one has to do with gravity readings.

I was using a bad thermometer and realized it too late (after pouring my strike water into the mash tun). After I grabbed my candy thermometer, I realized my mash temp was way too low. I scooped out some liquid and heated it on the stove and put it back,, but temp was still low. I took a reading with the refractometer at this time and thought it also seemed way low. My mash temp hovered over 140, so I mashed for almost 2 hours to try to make up for it. I'm not sure if this was the right thing to do or not.

My pre-boil gravity was 1.042 according to my refractometer. But after the boil and after I cooled it down preparing to pitch my yeast, a reading on my hydrometer showed my gravity was 1.052--right on the money. I was surprised, after the bad mash experience. I've never hit my gravity right on the nose like that with extract batches.

My question is this: what gravities are we looking for during the mash? Higher? Lower? I sat in on a homebrew club once and watched as they took gravity readings through the mash and the boil. What are we looking for? Any help?

Thanks,
Maggie

 

[brewbama]

A brew program like Beersmith and others will help you determine what OG you are looking for. Also most recipes give an estimated OG. A guestimate is 5 points per lb of fermentable grain. Other fermentables like sugar or honey add to the reading. If you are high your brew house is more efficient and if low less efficient. It's a measuring stick to see how you are doing. Once you brew a few recipes you'll get an idea of how your system works and what to expect and how to reach your intended OG.

As far as your low mash temp -- your beer may have a thinner mouth feel than you might expect. But you made yeast food and you'll get beer.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[tootal]

Using a refractometer is ok if it's set correctly with distilled water so I'm assuming you dialed it in before use.

A Hydrometer is used at 60 degrees for 68 depending on the hydrometer so check yours, it will be written on there where it is dialed in at. Cool your wort to that temp before taking a measurement. Hotter wort will read thinner or a lower number.

Mashing at 140 longer was the right thing to do but not the only thing. You took some liquid out and heated it so the enzymes in the liquid probably converted helping your cause as long as you didn't heat over 165. What you could do if this happened again is after roughly 20 minutes at 140, pull off about 1/4th of the malt, not the liquid, and put it in a pot and boil it for five minutes. There will still be some liquid in there but you must constantly stir to keep it from scalding. Dump this back in to raise your temps up where you need them. This is called decoction and will do magical things to your beer! Add enough to get to your temp. If there is any leftover just let it cool to the same temp and then add it back.

I never care what my gravities are during the mash. Once you learn your system you can make recipe changes to match your system efficiency. All these things you will learn as you brew and ask questions. For now, stick to a recipe the best you can. Simple is good right now. As you make changes in your process do things one at a time so you know what that does.
I've been brewing for over 12 years and I'm still perfecting the process so relax, have a home brew!

Congratulations on your first all grain beer. As long as your sanitation was good it will be too.

 

[acidrain]

What you could do if this happened again is after roughly 20 minutes at 140, pull off about 1/4th of the malt, not the liquid, and put it in a pot and boil it for five minutes.

This is bad advice... never heat the malt as it will denature the enzymes and may scorch leaving an undesirable burnt taste.

You did exactly right... pulling off some of the liquid and heating it to get your mash temp up.

This is done all the time and is called decoction mash. That is when several temperature steps are desired.

Mashing at a low temperature for a longer period of time seems to have worked for you. You will probably end up with a dryer beer than if you were to mashed higher, but you made beer and seems like you worked through a problem perfectly.
Congratulations!

 

[Gnomebrewer]

This is bad advice... never heat the malt as it will denature the enzymes and may scorch leaving an undesirable burnt taste.

You did exactly right... pulling off some of the liquid and heating it to get your mash temp up.

This is done all the time and is called decoction mash. That is when several temperature steps are desired.

Mashing at a low temperature for a longer period of time seems to have worked for you. You will probably end up with a dryer beer than if you were to mashed higher, but you made beer and seems like you worked through a problem perfectly.
Congratulations!

Ah, no. For a decoction, you should heat a thick portion of the mash (i.e. malt). If it is too thin, you risk extracting tannins. This is WAY past something to consider on a first brew though.

Congratulations on the first AG brew, Maggie! They all go a bit pear shaped, but always give great beer and are lots of fun.
140 is a very low mash temp, but will work (beer might lack body). You did well mashing for 2 hours....at lower temps the enzyme that is active takes longer than the enzyme at higher temps. Your gravity doesn't necessarily mean this has happened though - some of it could be starch!

I don't measure the gravity during the mash. I measure pre and post boil.
During the mash, it can help to measure pH (it's not necessary though) and do an iodine test (for starch conversion).

 

[tootal]

Boiling the Grist is how all beer was made before thermometors existed. Triple decoctions were the norm and the reason you boil the grist is because the enzymes are in the liquid. You boil the liquid and you shut down the enzymes.

 

[mbude]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I didn't realize Beersmith gave gravities other than pre-boil and final, but I found it. I'll let y'all know how it turns out!

Maggie