Pilsner Malt Protein Rest

[wobdee]

I've been researching this subject and was wondering what peoples thought were on this when using a majority of pilsner malt?

I know today's malts are more modified than the past and many people use that as a reason for not doing a protein rest but then I hear that a short rest in the 130 range actually helps body and head retention.

I was doing a short rest at 122 for my lagers and my head retention wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. Recently I move that rest up to 130 to see if there's a difference but I might just drop the protein rest all together.

Oh, and another thing that was mentioned is the SNR number or Kolbach. If its in a certain range you may need a protein rest but when I go to Best Malz web site it says that number is 36-43 so that's quite the range.

 

[stpug]

Generally unneeded (even detrimental depending on specifics) for well/highly modified malts. A short rest in the 131-136F rest on highly modified malts should not affect body/head, and may actually help with those things plus less hazy beers, but the rest should be short (10-20 minute range).

As for the Kolbach index, it is said that within a specific range you should perform a protein rest and if not within that range that it is unneeded (particularly the lower-end protein rest; 120s).

 

[rwing7486]

I've been researching this subject and was wondering what peoples thought were on this when using a majority of pilsner malt?

I know today's malts are more modified than the past and many people use that as a reason for not doing a protein rest but then I hear that a short rest in the 130 range actually helps body and head retention.

I was doing a short rest at 122 for my lagers and my head retention wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. Recently I move that rest up to 130 to see if there's a difference but I might just drop the protein rest all together.

Oh, and another thing that was mentioned is the SNR number or Kolbach. If its in a certain range you may need a protein rest but when I go to Best Malz web site it says that number is 36-43 so that's quite the range.

Not needed. Just boil for 90 minutes to reduce DMS.

 

[dfhar]

I do 10 minutes at 131 F and get great foam and clarity:

 

[motobrewer]

I Did A Protein Rest And All I Got Was This Lousy Over-Attenuated Mess.

 

[wobdee]

I do 10 minutes at 131 F and get great foam and clarity:

Great looking beer, looks like a short rest doesn't hurt.

 

[motobrewer]

I do 10 minutes at 131 F and get great foam and clarity:

What malt are you using?

 

[dfhar]

This one was 80% pilsner, 10% light munich, and 10% vienna, all from best malz. OG was 1.055.

Water was distilled plus 0.1 gram/liter of each CaCl2 and CaSO4, plus enough lactic acid to adjust the mash pH to 5.4.

Mashed at 2 qt/lb, 131 F for 10 min then directly heated to 145 F, rested 15 min. Decoction consisting of entire grist plus 1/3 liquid pulled and converted at 160 for 10 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Added back to main mash to hit 160 F, rested 1 hour.

I don't remember the hops off the top of my head but for 5 gal it would approximately be 1oz czech saaz at each 60, 30, 15, and 5.

90 seconds pure O2 through a .5 micron stone, pitched decanted starter of WLP833 (~25 million cells per ml of wort) at 45 F then fermented at 50 F for a week. Raised to 68 F for another week, then down to 32 F for another 4 weeks. FG ended up being 1.014.

The decoction mash definitely does add some color, but that 0.5 liter stein is quite wide and the beer looks a little darker in it than it does in a pint glass. I don't think this beer fits all that well into any of the BJCP style categories, but it's really tasty

 

[wobdee]

This one was 80% pilsner, 10% light munich, and 10% vienna, all from best malz. OG was 1.055.

Water was distilled plus 0.1 gram/liter of each CaCl2 and CaSO4, plus enough lactic acid to adjust the mash pH to 5.4.

Mashed at 2 qt/lb, 131 F for 10 min then directly heated to 145 F, rested 15 min. Decoction consisting of entire grist plus 1/3 liquid pulled and converted at 160 for 10 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Added back to main mash to hit 160 F, rested 1 hour.

I don't remember the hops off the top of my head but for 5 gal it would approximately be 1oz czech saaz at each 60, 30, 15, and 5.

90 seconds pure O2 through a .5 micron stone, pitched decanted starter of WLP833 (~25 million cells per ml of wort) at 45 F then fermented at 50 F for a week. Raised to 68 F for another week, then down to 32 F for another 4 weeks. FG ended up being 1.014.

The decoction mash definitely does add some color, but that 0.5 liter stein is quite wide and the beer looks a little darker in it than it does in a pint glass. I don't think this beer fits all that well into any of the BJCP style categories, but it's really tasty

Looks like a nice recipe i need to try. I do a similar decoction schedule and it does darken things a bit and I also think it helps bring out more malt character.

 

[texasbrewer73]

This one was 80% pilsner, 10% light munich, and 10% vienna, all from best malz. OG was 1.055.

Water was distilled plus 0.1 gram/liter of each CaCl2 and CaSO4, plus enough lactic acid to adjust the mash pH to 5.4.

Mashed at 2 qt/lb, 131 F for 10 min then directly heated to 145 F, rested 15 min. Decoction consisting of entire grist plus 1/3 liquid pulled and converted at 160 for 10 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Added back to main mash to hit 160 F, rested 1 hour.

I don't remember the hops off the top of my head but for 5 gal it would approximately be 1oz czech saaz at each 60, 30, 15, and 5.

90 seconds pure O2 through a .5 micron stone, pitched decanted starter of WLP833 (~25 million cells per ml of wort) at 45 F then fermented at 50 F for a week. Raised to 68 F for another week, then down to 32 F for another 4 weeks. FG ended up being 1.014.

The decoction mash definitely does add some color, but that 0.5 liter stein is quite wide and the beer looks a little darker in it than it does in a pint glass. I don't think this beer fits all that well into any of the BJCP style categories, but it's really tasty

That's like some kinda cool Vienna Lager/Czech Pils hybrid. Might have to bump this up in the brewing schedule.

 

[motobrewer]

This one was 80% pilsner, 10% light munich, and 10% vienna, all from best malz. OG was 1.055.

Water was distilled plus 0.1 gram/liter of each CaCl2 and CaSO4, plus enough lactic acid to adjust the mash pH to 5.4.

Mashed at 2 qt/lb, 131 F for 10 min then directly heated to 145 F, rested 15 min. Decoction consisting of entire grist plus 1/3 liquid pulled and converted at 160 for 10 minutes, then boiled for 30 minutes. Added back to main mash to hit 160 F, rested 1 hour.

I don't remember the hops off the top of my head but for 5 gal it would approximately be 1oz czech saaz at each 60, 30, 15, and 5.

90 seconds pure O2 through a .5 micron stone, pitched decanted starter of WLP833 (~25 million cells per ml of wort) at 45 F then fermented at 50 F for a week. Raised to 68 F for another week, then down to 32 F for another 4 weeks. FG ended up being 1.014.

The decoction mash definitely does add some color, but that 0.5 liter stein is quite wide and the beer looks a little darker in it than it does in a pint glass. I don't think this beer fits all that well into any of the BJCP style categories, but it's really tasty

you pulled the entire grist to decoct? is that normal?

 

[wobdee]

you pulled the entire grist to decoct? is that normal?

Lots of different ways to decoct. Look up "Schmitz Process" it a simple single decoction that boils the entire grist and doesn't take up as much time as a traditional triple decoction. I do it with all my lagers and have had great results.

 

[brewbama]

I agree with a rest in the low 130*F range. I believe it does a lot of good not the least if which is mashing in below the gelatinization temp of Barley so you eliminate dough balls and get greater efficiency.

 

[VladOfTrub]

A rest at 122 to 128F is an albumin, phytic acid rest. Albumin is an old name for the right protein beer needs. The 130 to 135F rest is a proteolytic rest. Basically, the rest reduces beta glucan. Other things take place, as well.

The funny part of the protein temperature thing that brewers get spooled up on is, it takes both temperatures to do the job the best. That is kind of the reason why a decoction brewer allows the first decoction to rest at 122F. Only a small portion of the mash is heated to 122F. The decoction is then used to raise the main mash into the proteolysis range. The temperature decided on may not be the same, batch after batch. The temperature chosen for the rest is determined by mash viscosity and gelatinization. If the decoction jelled up more than usual, the higher temperature was used. When the higher temperature was used, the Alpha II rest was shortened.
In my opinion, the proteolytic rest is more important, than the 122F rest, when high protein malt is used. The exceptions are stuff like wheat, corn, rye.
Enzymatic stuff gets complicated and to say that 122F or 130F are ultimate temperatures, which will work every time, doesn't always work. The same thing goes for saccharification temperatures.

Kolbach can be low and the malt can be standard protein level. Malt can be under modified and still be in the 8 to 10% protein range.

 

[wobdee]

Here's a reply from Best Malz when I asked about their SNR or Kohlbach index and decoction mashing.
*Todd,

*

Thank you for your Email. There should be absolutely no problem to use all our malt types also for brewing with decoction. Decoction is the original and traditional way to brew also and particularly in Germany, so it would not be very expedient if you couldn´t do it with our malt.

And please don´t take to much care about the 40% Kollbach, it is only an indication out of the literature. The so called Kollbach- Index depends a lot on the protein contents and is only a quotient between soluble proteins and the complete protein content. So if you have relatively low protein contents in the barley (like out of the current crop), Kollbach is self-acting higher. So the values of Kollbach in our current Pilsen Malt are between 39 and 43.

*

So please don´t worry and try the decoction. I am very keen to hear about your results,

*

Kind regards from Heidelberg

Thomas

 

[dfhar]

you pulled the entire grist to decoct? is that normal?

Yes and no. Traditional decoction schedules do not call for for the entire grist to be decocted at once, but as Wobdee mentioned the Schmitz process does. The idea behind the Schmitz process is to produce as much "decoction flavor" as possible with a single decoction boil when using modern, highly modified malts.

Even though it's only a single decoction, boiling the entire grist for 25 to 30 minutes brings out a lot of flavor and color; see the picture of the beer I posted on page 1. I never get color like that from 80% pils, 10% light munich, and 10% vienna when doing a single infusion mash.

 

[VladOfTrub]

"The idea behind the Schmitz process is to produce as much "decoction flavor" as possible with a single decoction boil when using modern, highly modified malts."
Very interesting.

The Schmitz method is a very complex method, which faded away due to its complexity. It isn't a brew in a bag or cylinder method. I began learning the tri-decoction method in 1987. It is the only method which I have used since that date. So, I understand how the modified Schmitz works, but I have a feeling, there is a lot more to the process.

When a method is modified, the final product is also, modified. So, when a brewer decides on a certain temperature that can only work at its best, when it is used with a certain method, it won't work as well in a method that has been altered from the original.
Beer brewed by using a single decoction thins out during aging. Even, if the entire mash is boiled and the enzymes are returned back into the main mash for saccharification.
The reason being, after gelatinization, enzymatic action slows way down. Since, the brewmaster punches a time clock when enzymatic action kicks in, a single decoction works too quickly and cannot drag out enough A and B limit dextrin, needed for a true lagering cycle to come to an end, without the quality of the beer suffering. The beer doesn't have the stability to age out.
During the tri-decoction method, the mash jells early on, giving the brewmaster enough time to alter the next step in the process by changing enzymatic action.
In the Schmitz method. The entire mash is boiled after the mash liquid has been removed. After the mash is boiled and cooled, the mash liquid is added back into the cooled mash. This is where the process becomes limited, as only a single temperature, single saccharification rest are used, which is not too much different than the English method. When Pils and Lager are produced, a brewmaster will ring the snot out of beta and later on, with alpha, after gelatinization. A single rest, single temp cannot do that.
The other thing is, about the length of time mash is boiled. A short boil produces less amylopectin. So, when the brewer dumps the enzymes back into mash resting at a set temperature. The enzymes go to town on amylose, but work very slowly on the limited amount of amylopectin, produced during the short boil.
Although limit dextrins can be formed from amylose, it isn't a lot. The majority of the amylopectin wrapped up in starch is in the ends of the grain, root end, plant end. Jeez, aint that simply amazing? However, the starch is heat resistant, and only starts forming amylopectin at 149F and at a snails pace, as long as pH is in the park. The hard, heat resistant part of the malt can be ground into flour and still, enzymes aren't going to do to much with the starch. It takes temperature above 168F to burst hard starch and release amylopectin.

Kolbach number indicates modification. SNR is slightly different. A brewmaster uses the numbers, along with the protein percentage and beta glucan level, to determine how to work with the malt. The data sheet is the road map.
Malt can be standard modification and be low protein and vice versa. Mother Nature, lets not a brewer sleep.
Never believe that the temperatures and rests which worked well with the bag of malt purchased yesterday, will work the same way with malt purchased a year later. For that reason, it isn't a bad idea to get the data sheet for the malt being used at the time.

 

[dfhar]

In the Schmitz method. The entire mash is boiled after the mash liquid has been removed. After the mash is boiled and cooled, the mash liquid is added back into the cooled mash. This is where the process becomes limited, as only a single temperature, single saccharification rest are used, which is not too much different than the English method. When Pils and Lager are produced, a brewmaster will ring the snot out of beta and later on, with alpha, after gelatinization. A single rest, single temp cannot do that.
The other thing is, about the length of time mash is boiled. A short boil produces less amylopectin. So, when the brewer dumps the enzymes back into mash resting at a set temperature. The enzymes go to town on amylose, but work very slowly on the limited amount of amylopectin, produced during the short boil.

Not necessarily. I use a modified version of the Schmitz method that is more similar to a Hochkurz mash. I directly heat from the protein rest to a beta rest at 145, and then pull the decoction. The liquid mash is held at 145 F while I separately rest the thick decoction at 160 F for about 10 minutes before boiling it for 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, I add enough of the thick decoction back into the thin portion of the mash to raise its temperature to 160 F, cooling any remaining thick decoction to 160 F before adding it all in. I then give the alpha amylase a full 60 minutes to work at 160 F.

 

[wobdee]

"The idea behind the Schmitz process is to produce as much "decoction flavor" as possible with a single decoction boil when using modern, highly modified malts."
Very interesting.

The Schmitz method is a very complex method, which faded away due to its complexity. It isn't a brew in a bag or cylinder method. I began learning the tri-decoction method in 1987. It is the only method which I have used since that date. So, I understand how the modified Schmitz works, but I have a feeling, there is a lot more to the process.

When a method is modified, the final product is also, modified. So, when a brewer decides on a certain temperature that can only work at its best, when it is used with a certain method, it won't work as well in a method that has been altered from the original.
Beer brewed by using a single decoction thins out during aging. Even, if the entire mash is boiled and the enzymes are returned back into the main mash for saccharification.
The reason being, after gelatinization, enzymatic action slows way down. Since, the brewmaster punches a time clock when enzymatic action kicks in, a single decoction works too quickly and cannot drag out enough A and B limit dextrin, needed for a true lagering cycle to come to an end, without the quality of the beer suffering. The beer doesn't have the stability to age out.
During the tri-decoction method, the mash jells early on, giving the brewmaster enough time to alter the next step in the process by changing enzymatic action.
In the Schmitz method. The entire mash is boiled after the mash liquid has been removed. After the mash is boiled and cooled, the mash liquid is added back into the cooled mash. This is where the process becomes limited, as only a single temperature, single saccharification rest are used, which is not too much different than the English method. When Pils and Lager are produced, a brewmaster will ring the snot out of beta and later on, with alpha, after gelatinization. A single rest, single temp cannot do that.
The other thing is, about the length of time mash is boiled. A short boil produces less amylopectin. So, when the brewer dumps the enzymes back into mash resting at a set temperature. The enzymes go to town on amylose, but work very slowly on the limited amount of amylopectin, produced during the short boil.
Although limit dextrins can be formed from amylose, it isn't a lot. The majority of the amylopectin wrapped up in starch is in the ends of the grain, root end, plant end. Jeez, aint that simply amazing? However, the starch is heat resistant, and only starts forming amylopectin at 149F and at a snails pace, as long as pH is in the park. The hard, heat resistant part of the malt can be ground into flour and still, enzymes aren't going to do to much with the starch. It takes temperature above 168F to burst hard starch and release amylopectin.

Kolbach number indicates modification. SNR is slightly different. A brewmaster uses the numbers, along with the protein percentage and beta glucan level, to determine how to work with the malt. The data sheet is the road map.
Malt can be standard modification and be low protein and vice versa. Mother Nature, lets not a brewer sleep.
Never believe that the temperatures and rests which worked well with the bag of malt purchased yesterday, will work the same way with malt purchased a year later. For that reason, it isn't a bad idea to get the data sheet for the malt being used at the time.

So what would you recommend Vlad? Multi rests before boiling the Schmitz decoction similar to dfhar? Or maybe multiple temp rests before pulling the decoction? I heat up the decoction very slowly before boiling hopefully running it through all those different enzymes.

I'd do a full triple decoction if it didn't take so damn long. I like the Schmitz process because it only adds minimal extra time to my brew day and adds great flavor.

 

[wobdee]

Not necessarily. I use a modified version of the Schmitz method that is more similar to a Hochkurz mash. I directly heat from the protein rest to a beta rest at 145, and then pull the decoction. The liquid mash is held at 145 F while I separately rest the thick decoction at 160 F for about 10 minutes before boiling it for 20 to 30 minutes. Finally, I add enough of the thick decoction back into the thin portion of the mash to raise its temperature to 160 F, cooling any remaining thick decoction to 160 F before adding it all in. I then give the alpha amylase a full 60 minutes to work at 160 F.

145 is at the very low end of Alpha, do you think that enzyme would be denatured by the time you boil the decoction and add it back in? I wonder if it would be smart to do a 130 rest, a short 140 rest, another short rest at 150 to get the grains up to gelatinization temp and Alpha active then pull the decoction, maybe do another short rest at 160, boil 30 min then add everything back for a final Alpha rest?

 

[dfhar]

No, alpha can sit for a very long time at 145 and barely does anything at that temperature. Furthermore, 145 is hot enough to gelatinize starch if given a 10 to 15 minute rest. If alpha was getting denatured during my decoction boil I probably wouldn't be hitting >83% efficiency consistently.

One interesting point to ponder though is how long to wait before decocting from the 145 rest, as decocting immediately will bring over more ungelatinized starch. I'm actually brewing a Pilsner with NZ hops at this very moment, and tried a slightly different mash in which I decocted immediately after hitting the 145 rest, whereas I normally let the mash sit for about 15 minutes. I measured that my decoction gravity post conversion was 18 Plato, when it is typically 16 Plato when I do a short beta rest before decocting with this grist. This means more ungelatinized starch was carried over into the decoction, which could potentially alter the ratio of maltose to dextrins in the final beer. I'm excited to see what happens!

 

[wobdee]

Cool, keep me posted if you don't mind. I'll have to change some things up next time I brew.

 

[VladOfTrub]

"Furthermore, 145 is hot enough to gelatinize starch if given a 10 to 15 minute rest."

A, you're kind of right. It will, as long as mash pH is low enough. It takes a very long time for it to happen and you haven't hung around long enough during the mash cycle to see it happen, anyway. Also, for mash to jell at 145F, the pH would be outside of where it would need to be, when the next step in the process would be initiated. Mash pH will have to be changed, before going into the next step. Perhaps, you may be confusing changes in mash viscosity, due to reduction of beta glucan, which can occur at temperatures of 130 to 145F and not from jelling up, per se'.

"If alpha was getting denatured during my decoction boil I probably wouldn't be hitting >83% efficiency consistently."

There is absolutely no way that enzymes do not denature when boiled.
Note, the potential extract efficiency of malt is about 80%. So, are you getting 83% of 80%?

"No, alpha can sit for a very long time at 145 and barely does anything at that temperature."

Have you ever chewed up a chunk of bread for a few minutes. Amylase converts starch to sugar at 98.6F, like wild fire. Alpha is a very strong enzyme. For that reason and for the reason that it works at low temperature, the alpha rest is cut short during production of Pils. To produce Pils, a dextrinous wort has to be produced, not a sweet wort, per se'.

Until amylopectin forms, which it cannot in any quantity, until the hard, heat resistant starch bursts, formation of limit dextrins from amylose is very low. The beer will lack body and mouthfeel, but will still be sweet, when prolonged high temperature rests in the alpha range are used.

Try Crisp Euro-Pils. The malt has high viscosity percentage and high beta glucan percentage. The malt is hard to work with, but makes decent English Lager. You'll get an idea of what jelled mash looks like and see how slow enzymes work on jelled mash, as well.

Wob, I ain't done with the Schmitz. Here is how I think that I will do it. Weyermann Pils floor malt will be the base. I'll dough in cold with 1.25 qt/lb and allow the grain to get saturated with water. I'll start with 1.25 quarts and thin it down a little more, if need be. Then, I'll crank up the mash temp to 90F or so and let the mash rest, to see if pH will reduce. If pH is stuck, some sour malt will be added. The pH of Weyermann Pils floor malt reduces during the acid rest to an acceptable range. Weyermann standard Pils malt does not. I would believe that Best malt won't reduce, without adding sour malt. Crisp Euro-Pils does not reduce below its inherent ph, either. But they will, if given enough time.

Then, I will remove the mash liquid when it is in the 90F range.
After the mash liquid is removed, but allowing enough of it to be held back in the main mash to keep the mash from scorching. The entire mash will be brought to boiling and will be boiled for at least an half hour. Longer, if I deem necessary.
Here's where the process becomes tricky and the part that may have caused its demise. After boiling the entire mash and before adding back the mash liquid, I am going to split the main mash and begin cooling one down to 155F and the other to 149F. After the temperatures are reached, I'll add the mash water into each tun and wait until conversion. Timing is essential. The beta rest will be extended and the alpha shortened. But, both mash have to convert at the same time before being transferred into the lautertun for sparging. After conversion occurs, the temperature will be cranked up to 169F, instead of pulling a decoction for mash out. I am not going to screw around with an albumin/phytase/proteolysis rest. I want to see what the process puts in the keg, in the manner in which I perform the method.
If other rests are needed, more complexity is added to the process.

 

[dfhar]

Sorry, I was unclear - I did not mean that alpha amylase is not denatured in the decoction boil, but rather that the alpha amylase sitting in the thin mash liquor being held at 145 F is not denatured while the thick portion is separately boiled.

 

[wobdee]

Vlad,
Let us know how that turns out if you decide to try that split mash decoction, it sounds interesting but a little complicated.

I found some more info on another forum that you guys may be interested in.

*bascially is a decoction that allows boiling all of the grain. Pretty much the Kesselmaische that Mashweasel mentioned or the Double decoction variation that I explain here:http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... #Variation

Another "exotic" mash that I read about in Narziss's book is similar. An enzymatically rich liquid is drawn from the mash and kept on the side while the main mash is stepped up and eventually brought to boiling temperatures where it is lautered at at boiling temps. That speeds up the lauter process but liberates starches that cannot be converted sicne the enzymes are gone (the main reason why we don't want to exceed 178F during lautering). Because of that the kettle wort needs to be cooled to ~160 and the enzymes that were kept on the side are added to convert the starches in the kettle. That steps pretty much negates all the time savings that the faster lauter gained.

I found another neat "pseudo" decoction that can be done with just one heated mash tun on a German brewing board. You mash only about 2/3 of the malt with ~1/2 of the strike water. Then the whole thing is boiled and the remaining water is added to cool it back to 160F. Once that that temp the remaining 1/3 of the malt are added and left to convert the mash. After that you mash-out (or not) and lauter. If you use Pils and Munich in the recipe it is best to keep the enzymatically stronger Pilsner for the late malt addition.*

Kai

 

[SnowRaven]

Interesting thread

 

[wobdee]

Yes, very interesting. The thread kind a went a different way but I sure learned a lot.

 

[wobdee]

Here's some more info on a similar Schmitz type mash. The more I search around the more variations I find.

. I would say that the Kesselmaisch is probably the best way to get into decoction and actually does a really really good job of doing what more complex schedules do. Simply its a single decoction done quite differently that mimics a double decoction effect. It basically came about for breweries that were built as decoction breweries with the extra equipment and such. All one needs is a direct-fired Mash/lauter tun and a boil kettle. Ill give you a very simple outline and a grist of which is works very well.*

Helles
OG: 1045
BU : 20

Malt: 100% continental pils of your choice, I would make sure and do 50:50 blend of two different types
Hops: 25bu in a 90 and 30min addition of Noble anything or Saazer, Sterling,etc
Boil: at least 90min
Yeast: dry 34/70 - 2dry packets/ 5 gal

Mash:
Einmaischen 127F*
- Rest 40 minutes ~1.15qt/lb

1st Sacc rest
- infuse to 149F (~1.4qt/lb)
- rest 15min
- draw off the thin liquid portion (dunnmaisch) until the whole mash resembles moderately loose oatmeal (dickmaisch)
- keep the dunnmaisch at 149F or as close as possible

Decoction
- boil the dickmaisch 30min, you won't be stopping for any rests in between.
- a key point is that you don't try to heat this up to fast

2nd sacc rest
- infuse to ~162F by combining the dick and dunnmaisch back in the lautertun
- rest 45min

Mashout
- direct heat to 172-180

*Optional - Lauter decoction
- instead of mashout
- works better than direct heat for me
- pull about 1/3 of the dunnmaisch about 35min into the 2nd sacc rest
- boil it until it breaks ~9-12min
- add back to mash to bring to mashout temp of ~172-180F

Whirlpool: 30min

Chill to 49F

Ferment
- ferment ~1 week at 49F
- 2 days at 60F for diacetyl rest
- lager at 32F for 4-6 weeks

This is a very simple Helles recipe that gets all its character, using a decent pils malt, from the technique. NO Dextrin malt, NO crystal malt and definitely no bull**** Vienna malt.*

This is the exact beer I entered in this past nationals second round that they said was 'too malty'...at 1043 it was. They said this for all my lagers even though the gravities are always at the very low end. Just FYI.

Give it a shot if you want, or not. Email me with any questions you may have.

Egészségedre,*

Kristen England, Ph.D.
BJCP Continuing Education Director
Grand Master Judge

 

[PlexVector]

I listened to a beersmith audio podcast this weekend while mowing the lawn that was about brewing bohemian pilsner beer that was informative in the general sense. I believe it was #99. I don't recall the guest. My take away was that you have to be really careful not to scorch the wort and I'm not sure if I remember this correctly, but decoction was a method of doing step mashing because they didn't have thermometers yet? Like I said I was mowing, which includes dodging dog poop and cursing weeds.

 

[wobdee]

I listened to a beersmith audio podcast this weekend while mowing the lawn that was about brewing bohemian pilsner beer that was informative in the general sense. I believe it was #99. I don't recall the guest. My take away was that you have to be really careful not to scorch the wort and I'm not sure if I remember this correctly, but decoction was a method of doing step mashing because they didn't have thermometers yet? Like I said I was mowing, which includes dodging dog poop and cursing weeds.

Yeah, I've heard and read that as well. Another reason they did decoction back in the day was the less modified malt needed the decoctions to release more of the starches. Today's malting process is much better and many claim decoction is no longer needed as well as protein rests. Many say just mash with a single infusion and you'll make good beer.

Personally I think there's more to the decoction process than just an old useless technique of the past. Lots of science, chemistry and tradition involved here that I find interesting.

I understand people are busy with life and family and don't have time for a long decoction brewing day and opt for an easier KISS method, that's fine, there's really no wrong way to brew.