zakleeright
Well-Known Member
I learned something about controlling dry vs. sweetness. My AG results have been consistently good, including Irish Stout, RyePA, OctoberFAST, Centennial Blonde Ale, etc. Yet they all tended toward the sweet side. Not so sweet that it seemed off, but leaned in that direction. Also, while I nearly always nail target OG (Thanks to Designing Great Beers), Im typically a bit high on FG, ending up around 1.014 or so
.sometimes higher.
RIMS System overview:
240VAC electric elements in converted Sankes; PIDs control temps.
13.5-14 gallon batches. Use ~1.4 quarts/lb of grain.
Single step mash at ~154F for 60 minutes, 170F sparge for 20 minutes.
Efficiency rocks 80-85%.
Ferment 2 wks, cold crash 1 wk, keg. After 1 wk in keg, gets tasty.
S-05 yeast nearly always - it is cheap, reliable, and consistent.
We did an OctoberFast recipe using the above setup, and it turned out very good, but leaning sweet.
So in my quest for uber-dryness, I started with the same recipe, but modified two things:
1. The recipe; deleted the crystal 20 and 40, and added to the 2-row and Vienna to bring it back up to same OG of 1.050. (Crystal adds body, but also sweetness)
2. Used a multi-step mash:
a. 122F for 30 minutes
b. 140F for 40 minutes
c. 156 for 45 minutes
d. Sparge at 169
Wow. My FG was 1.009, and although we used ale yeast (again, October-FAST) it tastes very lager-like, crisp, and very dry. I have this on tap today for Thanksgiving(kegged for 1 week), along with a great Irish stout (kegged for 2.5 weeks).
Just thought Id share for anyone thinking about moving from a single-step, single-temp mash to something a bit more involved .DO IT!
Many thanks to the HBT community, whove been instrumental in my progression and enjoyment in brewing beer at home.
RIMS System overview:
240VAC electric elements in converted Sankes; PIDs control temps.
13.5-14 gallon batches. Use ~1.4 quarts/lb of grain.
Single step mash at ~154F for 60 minutes, 170F sparge for 20 minutes.
Efficiency rocks 80-85%.
Ferment 2 wks, cold crash 1 wk, keg. After 1 wk in keg, gets tasty.
S-05 yeast nearly always - it is cheap, reliable, and consistent.
We did an OctoberFast recipe using the above setup, and it turned out very good, but leaning sweet.
So in my quest for uber-dryness, I started with the same recipe, but modified two things:
1. The recipe; deleted the crystal 20 and 40, and added to the 2-row and Vienna to bring it back up to same OG of 1.050. (Crystal adds body, but also sweetness)
2. Used a multi-step mash:
a. 122F for 30 minutes
b. 140F for 40 minutes
c. 156 for 45 minutes
d. Sparge at 169
Wow. My FG was 1.009, and although we used ale yeast (again, October-FAST) it tastes very lager-like, crisp, and very dry. I have this on tap today for Thanksgiving(kegged for 1 week), along with a great Irish stout (kegged for 2.5 weeks).
Just thought Id share for anyone thinking about moving from a single-step, single-temp mash to something a bit more involved .DO IT!
Many thanks to the HBT community, whove been instrumental in my progression and enjoyment in brewing beer at home.