Sixty Minute Mash

[Stonechat]

Have always done a 90 minute mash as per Graham Wheelers Camra book. After picking up on a Daab post have been doing 60minute mashes. I'm drinking the first of these now, an Amarillo barreled on 18/2/08 and it's great.
Thanks for the suggestion Daab, it works

[Garth]

I also have moved to the 60 minute and haven't noticed any difference to quality, makes the brewday shorter and more time for drinking.......

cheers....

[SiHoltye]

I do 60 mins too. I think it just affects the utilisation of the hops so you up them a bit to compensate. In a 60 min boil as opposed to much longer I 'spose you might have less caramelisation going on in the kettle, but not so you'd notice in half an hour.

[Andy]

I do 60 mins too. I think it just affects the utilisation of the hops so you up them a bit to compensate. In a 60 min boil as opposed to much longer I 'spose you might have less caramelisation going on in the kettle, but not so you'd notice in half an hour.

The guys were talking about the mash duration

[SiHoltye]

Should pay more attention - sorry Admin.

I did try shortening the mash to 60 but couldn't get over the lots of purple and black from the starch testing. So much wasted fermentables. I then compromised by shortening the boil rather than the mash in an attempt to save a bit of time. I boil outside and when it's nice and warm boil times may extend back out to 90 to allow time for a liquid refreshment while it does it's thing.

[Garth]

I also do a 60min boil, exactly as you put it Si, just a bit more hops to compensate......errr more drinking time....?

[Should drink more]

Does a shorter mash leave more unfermentables and so more body in the final beer?

[steve_flack]

I did try shortening the mash to 60 but couldn't get over the lots of purple and black from the starch testing.

Other than on a Brewlab course I've never done a iodine test for mash end point. From what I understand, it's a notoriously tricky test and often comes up positive for starch even when the mash is actually done.

[oblivious]

Yea, you have to very careful these is absolutely no husk material as it will read as a false positive result

[SiHoltye]

I didn't know that about the husk material.

FWIW I test everytime at the end (either 60 or 90mins) and IMO the difference was clear to the naked eye that there is more and quicker colouration in the 60 minute sample. Sample is mainly juicy wort, 1 tbsp, though a few husks in it also.

[Gurgeh]

as far as judging the starch end point - I love to remember that post that someone posted about a year ago about putting some of the mash on a chair and sitting on it - if you can get up, you need to mash longer, if the wort sticks you down you're done. it's called brewing by the seat of your pants



who was that? genius anyway!

fwiw i always do a 60 min mash.

[Stonechat]

[quote="Gurgeh"]as far as judging the starch end point - I love to remember that post that someone posted about a year ago about putting some of the mash on a chair and sitting on it - if you can get up, you need to mash longer, if the wort sticks you down you're done. it's called brewing by the seat of your pants



who was that? genius anyway!

Urban brewing myth

Ale conners used to do that with the finished product in ye olde ale houses, but the job uniform required the wearing of leather trousers

[stevezx7r]

Shakespears dad was one of these guys, so I read.

[nobby]

Yea, you have to very careful these is absolutely no husk material as it will read as a false positive result

In John Palmers book he says that all the Iodine test does, is tell you that the starch has been degraded. Starches are broken down into sugars then these sugars are broken down again. So the Iodine test will tell you that you have no more Starch but this doesnt mean you have a good fermentable wort.

He also recommends Mashing for an hour.

Out of interest what happens if you mash for longer than 90 Minutes??

[anomalous_result]

It means you're brewing an old beer. Durden Park use 210 minute mashes.