What happens if you don't mash out?

[HHP]

OK,

I brewed my third all grain batch a week ago today, and I didn't mash out.

Obviously, I am very new to all grain brewing, and new to these forums.

So, my setup is a keggle that I do every step in. I bring the water up to desired temp, add the grain, let sit, sparge, remove the spent grain, and finally boil all in the same vessel.

So my disaster:

When mashing out, my thermometer went haywire. It was a digital probe thermometer with a 3' probe and after about 10 minutes of heating, all of a sudden started reading 190 degrees.

At this moment I panicked and killed the heat. I also proceeded to sparge with cold water instead of hot water, because i thought that it was 190 degrees! While it drained slowly (after recirculating about 5 gallons), i realized that the thermometer was faulty. It is, as i write this sitting in a glass of room temp (72) water and reading 232.

I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what temperature it was at any point after i started heating it up to mash out temp.

It is currently sitting in two buckets, that have been fermenting for 7.5 days, and have gone from 1.064 to 1.045 (measured yesterday).

What might have happened to my wert?

 

[david_42]

Sounds like you did a mash out. The main purpose of a mash out is to de-nature the enzymes so they stop converting the starches. For most beer styles, this isn't a concern. The more conversion, the better.

 

[BrewHerc]

You're screwed, I would take it out back and dump it out. Not really, at the mashing out point your stopping conversion of sugars. I think you'll be fine, especially if it's fermenting. Like everyone will say, RDWHAHB.

 

[iijakii]

I only mash out big malt bombs usually.

 

[wcarter1227]

Ive never done a mash out and have had some really great beers

 

[bovineblitz]

I don't bother mashing out, I have enough water to worry about to begin with.

 

[joety]

I'm less worried (ok, not worried at all) about the lack of mashout but it's odd that your SG only dropped from 1.064 to 1.045 in 7 1/2 days. Most ales have reached their FG by then. How much yeast did you pitch in each bucket?

 

[HHP]

I'm less worried (ok, not worried at all) about the lack of mashout but it's odd that your SG only dropped from 1.064 to 1.045 in 7 1/2 days. Most ales have reached their FG by then. How much yeast did you pitch in each bucket?

Yeah me too. Beersmith calculated that it would have reached its FG in four days.

I had a 1L starter between two 5 gal buckets, (well 4.5 gal buckets ... i havent yet hit my final volume right) and pitched about 4/5 of it. I saved the last 1/5 so i could start another starter and pitch the next beer I have, which is currently waiting for fermentation space to be available so i can brew it.

Also, whats RDWHAHB?

 

[jkreuze]

Relax - Don't Worry - Have A Homebrew

 

[iijakii]

I'd say your lack of attenuation is probably thermometer related. You said it went wonky during mash-out, are you sure it didn't put off false readings before then? A completely wrong mash temperature would be a prime suspect for your yeast attenuation issues.

 

[broadbill]

OK,

I brewed my third all grain batch a week ago today, and I didn't mash out.

Obviously, I am very new to all grain brewing, and new to these forums.

So, my setup is a keggle that I do every step in. I bring the water up to desired temp, add the grain, let sit, sparge, remove the spent grain, and finally boil all in the same vessel.

So my disaster:

When mashing out, my thermometer went haywire. It was a digital probe thermometer with a 3' probe and after about 10 minutes of heating, all of a sudden started reading 190 degrees.

At this moment I panicked and killed the heat. I also proceeded to sparge with cold water instead of hot water, because i thought that it was 190 degrees! While it drained slowly (after recirculating about 5 gallons), i realized that the thermometer was faulty. It is, as i write this sitting in a glass of room temp (72) water and reading 232.

I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what temperature it was at any point after i started heating it up to mash out temp.

It is currently sitting in two buckets, that have been fermenting for 7.5 days, and have gone from 1.064 to 1.045 (measured yesterday).

What might have happened to my wert?

Yeah, no worries....the most important temp to hit is your mash temp...

Is your thermometer like this one (i.e. one where the probe is connected by a oven-proof cord)?

http://www.target.com/Taylor-TruTem...?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k:thermometer&page=1

If so, they are notorious for going whacky....when liquid (say mash runnings) gets into the probe they don't work right anymore. They need to be water-proofed.

 

[motobrewer]

Yeah me too. Beersmith calculated that it would have reached its FG in four days.

beersmith calculates fermentation times!?

 

[HHP]

beersmith calculates fermentation times!?

my copy does...

Yeah, im just going to sit back and wait for it to finish. Although, I am out of beer on tap and its killing me to wait.

And yes, that is similar to my thermometer. I have purchased a thermometer for my kettle though, and should be installing it soon.

Im pretty sure it didn't put out false readings before then, because it operated normally when bringing the water up to my desired temp, and held a constant reading during the whole mash (lost two degrees over an hour).

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

What happens if you don't mash out?

You sparge.

 

[OLDBREW]

It is currently sitting in two buckets, that have been fermenting for 7.5 days, and have gone from 1.064 to 1.045 (measured yesterday).

if you had an extraction of 64 points, I wouldn't worry about the mashout /sparge part as much, unless the mash saach temp was way to high also.

what type, how healthy, and how much yeast did you pitch at what temperature? Did you aerate well?

 

[joety]

I'd say your lack of attenuation is probably thermometer related. You said it went wonky during mash-out, are you sure it didn't put off false readings before then? A completely wrong mash temperature would be a prime suspect for your yeast attenuation issues.

That was my initial thought, although even if he mashed accidentally in the low 160's (I think that's as high as you can go and still convert), that is REALLY LOW attenuation. Maybe it's just taking it's sweet time. Let us know where the SG sits in a week.

 

[broadbill]

my copy does...

Yeah, im just going to sit back and wait for it to finish. Although, I am out of beer on tap and its killing me to wait.

And yes, that is similar to my thermometer. I have purchased a thermometer for my kettle though, and should be installing it soon.

Im pretty sure it didn't put out false readings before then, because it operated normally when bringing the water up to my desired temp, and held a constant reading during the whole mash (lost two degrees over an hour).

My prediction is that water got into your thermometer probe and now its giving whacky readings....you can dry them out in the oven and they'll work again (only to get water in it again probably). Might want to look for another thermometer...I intially used that type and got sick of it pretty quick.

 

[Blackhawkbrew]

Here's a link to waterproofing your thermometer. It works well. I've used mine for my last 10 brew sessions or so and no problems. I would recommend using some sort of lubricant for the tubing. Oh yea, put the probe in the oven to dry it out first. There are postings for the oven temp setting.

Hope this helps.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/remote-probe-thermometer-wort-proofing-26905/

 

[motobrewer]

my copy does...

where, how? i have 1_40 build 038, is there a newer version?

 

[joety]

As long as we're talking Beer Smith versions, I have a newer version I downloaded after my computer crashed (I managed to recover my recipes). I prefer the old version that would show ingredients in pounds and ounces, as opposed to just fractions of a pound. Anyone know how to recover that functionality? I used to be able to enter .5 pounds and get 8 ounces. Now I either have to see it as all pounds or all ounces.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

beersmith calculates fermentation times!?

I think its just seeing the default option beersmith is set to with 4 days primary/7 days secondary. It always says that. That setting has no bearing on any of the math, it's just there to record your fermentation timeframes in the recipe.

 

[OLDBREW]

I think its just seeing the default option beersmith is set to with 4 days primary/7 days secondary. It always says that. That setting has no bearing on any of the math, it's just there to record your fermentation timeframes in the recipe.

yeah! some top cropping yeast strains can go 10-14 days before they are completely finished. your hydrometer will make that call, not a program

 

[motobrewer]

yeah! some top cropping yeast strains can go 10-14 days before they are completely finished. your hydrometer will make that call, not a program

but, i have a refractometer....

 

[HHP]

Ok, I will dry the probe in the oven, and I already got a new one that is installed in the kettle.

I didn't arrate the beer, but it was the Austin homebrew's "Greene belt" yeast. I'm going hunting this weekend so ill check it on Monday.

thanks!