BIAB - Mash temp

[ryantollefson]

Doing a cream ale:

• 4.75 lbs Pale 2-row
• 4.75 lbs Pilsner Malt
• 1 lbs flaked rice

(5 gallon batch)

I was shooting for mash of 149*F for 90 minutes... After heating water, then adding grains in, temp was 153*F. I left open and stirred for a little bit, but temp only dropped to 152*F.

I called it good enough, closed up & insulated the kettle.

Will this matter? Should I shorten the mash time now?

 

[doug293cz]

Doing a cream ale:

• 4.75 lbs Pale 2-row
• 4.75 lbs Pilsner Malt
• 1 lbs flaked rice

(5 gallon batch)

I was shooting for mash of 149*F for 90 minutes... After heating water, then adding grains in, temp was 153*F. I left open and stirred for a little bit, but temp only dropped to 152*F.

I called it good enough, closed up & insulated the kettle.

Will this matter? Should I shorten the mash time now?

I'd let it ride for the mash time you planned. Keep good notes of your OG, volumes efficiency and FG. Then collect this information over a number of brews so you can start to draw some conclusions about how your system behaves as far as mash time vs. mash temp vs. Fermentability/Attenuation ([FG - 1] / [OG -1].) Keeping track of your crush is also important.

It may turn out that your wort fermentability is somewhat higher than expected, or it may not. If you don't know your system you can't really predict. What would happen on someone else's system would likely not be 100% applicable to yours. The way to learn your system is to brew a lot and keep accurate records.

Brew on

 

[dkennedy]

What Doug said- I rarely try to scramble on brew-day, just let things ride and record what happened. Never had anything undrinkable, and finally hitting my stride with my new rig (after a few trying months). Temps, Volumes, Gravities are the key things that I record, as always your mileage may vary.

 

[adixon3]

If you were looking for a drier beer (higher attenuation)Beta Amylase starts at 140 degrees and stop producing at 149 degrees, but if you wanted a more maltier beer you mash between 150 - 167 where Alpha Amylase is produced leaving a lot of dense non-fermentables. A cream ales should be well attenuated making it dry but since your just starting to homebrew this batch will be just fine you will learn as you go and get better so DWHAHB

 

[ryantollefson]

Thanks guys, yeah, I just let it ride.

If you were looking for a drier beer (higher attenuation)Beta Amylase starts at 140 degrees and stop producing at 149 degrees, but if you wanted a more maltier beer you mash between 150 - 167 where Alpha Amylase is produced leaving a lot of dense non-fermentables. A cream ales should be well attenuated making it dry but since your just starting to homebrew this batch will be just fine you will learn as you go and get better so DWHAHB

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[RM-MN]

I mill my grains very fine for BIAB and I find that my beers attenuate more than expected based on the mash temperature. You may find that your cream ale comes out just right.