Mash lengths
Mash lengths
How long do brewers mash for these days?
I personally have been mashing for 90 mins but am always up for alternative ways.
is anyone mashing for 60 minutes or even less? does this have any impact upon finished brews?
I personally have been mashing for 90 mins but am always up for alternative ways.
is anyone mashing for 60 minutes or even less? does this have any impact upon finished brews?
Re: Mash lengths
I normally mash for 60 minutes.
Although I have a well insulated tun and if I have to I will leave it for a lot longer, 3 to 4 hrs.
I have NOT* noticed any significant differences.
I know some people mash overnight.
*Missed a important word on this post!
Although I have a well insulated tun and if I have to I will leave it for a lot longer, 3 to 4 hrs.
I have NOT* noticed any significant differences.
I know some people mash overnight.
*Missed a important word on this post!
Last edited by gobuchul on Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mash lengths
I always do a 90 minute mash - often longer if I'm doing other stuff. Keep telling myself I should try 70 minutes but haven't done so yet. 90 minutes is force of habit more than anything but so long as the temperature is right and you haven't got clumps from doughing in, you can be pretty sure you've converted all your grains.
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Re: Mash lengths
Did 90mins as a minimum for donkey's, then a couple of years back went to 60mins and never changed back as the only difference I noticed was the shorter brew day! Exactly the same can be said of boiling, incidentally. Either my sensory faculties are well shot or I've wasted an awful lot of time over the years.
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Re: Mash lengths
Yep, changed to 60min mash 2/3 years ago, no noticeable difference.
Mash efficiency alway 80%+
I've always batch sparged too, but unlike Capped still boil for 90mins!
I remember reading on here someone was doing a 45min mash with good results!
Mash efficiency alway 80%+
I've always batch sparged too, but unlike Capped still boil for 90mins!
I remember reading on here someone was doing a 45min mash with good results!
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Re: Mash lengths
How many of us could confidently claim they could tell "blindfolded" the difference between 90 and 60? Unless there is a practical difference, e.g. 60 minute mashed beers stale quicker, it's then a question of how important the 1/2 hour saved to you is. I've certainly read some evidence is available that 90 can extract more but it becomes a question of diminishing returns. I changed from 90/90 to 60/60, didn't spot the differences in the beer. I would say temperature and it's stability is way more important, that is where my effort has gone, setting up a RIMS system.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"
Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,
Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer
Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,
Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer
Re: Mash lengths
http://brulosophy.com/2014/09/01/does-m ... t-results/
to push the debate a little further, good write up of 30 minutes versus 60.
to push the debate a little further, good write up of 30 minutes versus 60.
Planning: BrewEasy system build; possibly a Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold clone
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Fermenting: Simcoe SMASH
Drinking: Cascade Centennial Pale
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Re: Mash lengths
A 30 minute mash sounds tempting but would mess with my mind too much as well as deprive me of time to do the things I normally do during the 60min mash. Interesting how low it could go though. But one thing is for sure - the oft-quoted 90min mash is totally unnecessary and constitutes a shocking waste of time if you have other things to do, or... it could afford you some time to do those things whilst mashing. Win win, really.cerbera84 wrote:http://brulosophy.com/2014/09/01/does-m ... t-results/
to push the debate a little further, good write up of 30 minutes versus 60.
Re: Mash lengths
10 hours usually. But always at least 90 minutes. That's because I do BIAB and so there is no separate sparge time.
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Re: Mash lengths
There's no definitive answer to this age old question like how long to Boil, it has to come down to "Horses for Courses " That's because there are many variables, Style of beer, Grain, Mash Temp .......And on.
An iodine test is a good indication of starch conversion if you want to experiment, This will generally show conversion in the mash is complete by around 20mins, but this doesn't show you total conversion as the longer more complex starches in the grain haven't been broken down in this time ,so you'd be leaving sugar behind.
To cut an extremely long story short by 60 min there's nothing left to convert long or short and this is even over the top,
Experimenting is the best way to find what works for a particular style and greist but 60 mins to long for me so 90 isn't happening unless I'm proven otherwise.
An iodine test is a good indication of starch conversion if you want to experiment, This will generally show conversion in the mash is complete by around 20mins, but this doesn't show you total conversion as the longer more complex starches in the grain haven't been broken down in this time ,so you'd be leaving sugar behind.
To cut an extremely long story short by 60 min there's nothing left to convert long or short and this is even over the top,
Experimenting is the best way to find what works for a particular style and greist but 60 mins to long for me so 90 isn't happening unless I'm proven otherwise.
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Re: Mash lengths
Well that's quite a contrast so what were the results?Hairybiker wrote:Been doing 60 min or overnight for several years now.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"
Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,
Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer
Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,
Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer
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Re: Mash lengths
I'm looking forward to the answer,too. I mean, is a 60min mash deliberately chosen over an overnight one (and vice versa) to achieve a desired result, or is the outcome of both so similar that it doesn't matter?orlando wrote:Well that's quite a contrast so what were the results?Hairybiker wrote:Been doing 60 min or overnight for several years now.
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Re: Mash lengths
Most of the time I'll do a 60min mash, but have done a 75min, and 90min for 2 beers recently.
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Re: Mash lengths
Well, I suppose if the objective were to produce something alcoholic that can be swallowed without great difficulty, either would do.Capped wrote:I'm looking forward to the answer,too. I mean, is a 60min mash deliberately chosen over an overnight one (and vice versa) to achieve a desired result, or is the outcome of both so similar that it doesn't matter?orlando wrote:Well that's quite a contrast so what were the results?Hairybiker wrote:Been doing 60 min or overnight for several years now.
I've mashed for no less than 60 minutes, probably because it takes me that amount of time to do what I want and need to do before I can start sparging. Most mashes last 90 mins. shorter ones will always include a starch test which are usually satisfactory. The mashing process itself is quite complex, not a simple case of just a couple of reactions. My longest this year was over 3 hours and I've never mashed overnight as that's never been called for or proved necessary.
Longer mashes will help avoid a cloying beer of high gravity from all grain while short mashes at higher temperature can leave more body on a low gravity-low alcohol beer.
When producing an all grain stout with lots of adjuncts it will be mashed for at least 2 hours and I can't do a simple starch test with iodine, but if using sugars and not wanting to reduce the body it can be mashed hotter and shorter. I got this wrong earlier this year and an 8%+ ABV stout with an FG of 1010 wasn't what I was after. As a consequence it sits there taking valuable space.
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