I just felt like posting as a sort of public service announcement, decoction mashes can be turbo efficient so plan accordingly.
I normally do regular infusion mashes and the occasional step infusion but I recently got a chest freezer so I figured I'd try a decoction mash with my first real lager. My normal efficiency is in the 65-75% range and normally depends on the gravity of the beers I'm making (higher gravity I usually get lower efficiency etc.).
This decoction mash clocked in at 87.5% efficiency, which I like, but not so much when I am targeting the recipe at 70%. My target OG of 1.055 ended up at 1.083. Luckly the bitterness was on the higher end of the spectrum for the style but still, I wish I had taken a pre-boil reading so I could have added a few extra bittering hops to offset the added gravity.
I really enjoyed the decoction mash though, It made my place smell delicious. It also dragged out the brew day to a full 10 hours.
Technical data for those interested:
Mash: Hockhurz double decoction:
....infused to protein rest at 131 for 20 minutes (mash thickness 1.25 quart/lb)
....infused to sacc at 142 for 20 minutes (mash thickness 1.5 quart/lb)
....decocted to sacc at 158 for 45 minutes (thick decoction)
....decocted to mash out (thin decoction)
Fly sparged with about 4 gallons, lauter and sparge took ~45 minutes.
Grain bill: 5 lb. German Pils, 4 lb. Munich, 3 lb. Vienna, 1 lb. Caramunich
Hops: 1.5 oz Hallertauer at 60, 0.5 hallertauer at 20.
Yeast: WLP820 Oktoberfest
90 minutes boil, Hit an initial boil volume of 6.5 gallons and with no additional water added.
I guess I have to call it an OktoberBOCK now? The Oktoberator?
I normally do regular infusion mashes and the occasional step infusion but I recently got a chest freezer so I figured I'd try a decoction mash with my first real lager. My normal efficiency is in the 65-75% range and normally depends on the gravity of the beers I'm making (higher gravity I usually get lower efficiency etc.).
This decoction mash clocked in at 87.5% efficiency, which I like, but not so much when I am targeting the recipe at 70%. My target OG of 1.055 ended up at 1.083. Luckly the bitterness was on the higher end of the spectrum for the style but still, I wish I had taken a pre-boil reading so I could have added a few extra bittering hops to offset the added gravity.
I really enjoyed the decoction mash though, It made my place smell delicious. It also dragged out the brew day to a full 10 hours.
Technical data for those interested:
Mash: Hockhurz double decoction:
....infused to protein rest at 131 for 20 minutes (mash thickness 1.25 quart/lb)
....infused to sacc at 142 for 20 minutes (mash thickness 1.5 quart/lb)
....decocted to sacc at 158 for 45 minutes (thick decoction)
....decocted to mash out (thin decoction)
Fly sparged with about 4 gallons, lauter and sparge took ~45 minutes.
Grain bill: 5 lb. German Pils, 4 lb. Munich, 3 lb. Vienna, 1 lb. Caramunich
Hops: 1.5 oz Hallertauer at 60, 0.5 hallertauer at 20.
Yeast: WLP820 Oktoberfest
90 minutes boil, Hit an initial boil volume of 6.5 gallons and with no additional water added.
I guess I have to call it an OktoberBOCK now? The Oktoberator?
