Averagely Perfect NorthEast IPA - Poll #12 - Mash Temperature

I think the mash temp. will need to be on the lower side in order to bring the gravity down to 1.012. 1318 doesnt attenuate all that well. I have been falling closer to 70%. ------------------- I am voting for 151F.

 

BrewCipher, with my parameters, is 75-90min at 148-152F.

 

Data point for anyone who wants it... my 1318 IPA that I kegged a couple weeks ago attenuated from 1.070 to 1.010, 85% apparent attenuation.

Meta data, for the true nerds: I mashed at 152F, and I pitched a 2 quart starter using yeast that was about 3 months old. A beersmith-estimated 8.5% of the OG came from homemade invert#2. The grist included 83% 2row, 6% amber malt, 2% crystal, and 8% flaked oats.

 

I'll throw my last batch numbers out there too.
OG: 1.069 FG: 1.017 Mash temp: 151. 75 minutes, 85 minute boil
I used a large amount of 3rd time used 1318, small starter to help improve vitality.
75% pilsen
12% white wheat
6% Honey malt
carapils and acid malt as well
Citra, Mosaic, Azacca

Super Juicy and delicious.
I have this yeast in the fridge on beer #5 waiting for this final recipe.
Made the same beer, swapped pilsen with 2 row and used Nuggetzilla and Citra hops. Kegging soon.

 

You are showing 74% AA which is consistent with my most recent (OG: 1.058/FG 1.014/Mash 152/AA 75%) and what Wyeast post on their website:
YEAST STRAIN: 1318 | London Ale III™
Attenuation: 71-75%

But this recipe calls for 80% attenuation. What's the thought process (especially for the high temp mash'ers) on getting 1318 up to this task? I don't see a way without using sugar and that's probably not going to get a very sweet reception.

 

For those people who are voting above 151*F, what other mash/boil/fermentation parameters can you tweak to pull 81% attenuation out with this grain bill? My single use of London Ale III in a NEIPA attenuated in the mid 70%s if I recall.

 

Mash length, but I agree. This needs to be 60-90 min mash at 148-152F. The yeast will not pay attention to the polls. They will do what they generally/predictably will do.

 

80% attenuation with this yeast will not be easy. I have brewed about 10 batches with it and the highest I have gotten is 75%. I do a temperature control fermentation, so I am not fermenting high. I still doubt we will get up to 80% without a very low mash temp. and/or sugar addition. ----- changing my vote to 150F, because its the highest low temp.

 

Also in the FWIW category: my one experience with this yeast started at 1.053 and ended at 1.013, for an AA of 75%. The mash was at 150.6 F (average) for 55 minutes with a 12 minute ramp to a mashout temperature of 169. I'm guessing a mash time of 90 minutes at 150 F may get this yeast close to 80% attenuation. Cheers!

 

I think 1.012 is not really possible with the grain bill so far ... so, I picked a higher temp because I like that.

 

Why will sugar not be well received? All the research I put into my recipe suggested that sugar was part of the profile -- that's why I used Invert #2 and had a fermentation that attenuated to 1.010. Mind you, all the research I did can be summed up as looking at two clone recipes that used sugar:
http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/heady-topper-clone-all-grain/
https://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/allgrain/AG-OfftheTopper.pdf

 

Just my opinion. While it would certainly work, I don't see this group voting to pull grain and add sugar.

Somewhat related: What going on with the pattern of voting? Vikeman hasn't had to use his statistical-bag-of-tools yet . . . every poll has been an easy one for him. No one (so far) has admitted to voting to the extreme to skew the results. Have we turned into "averagely" voters?

 

1318 attenuates within a point of 1056. I went 154 because mouthfeel.

 

You need to try harder.
edit: after looking back on my experiences with 1318 78.5% attenuation is my lowest, 81% is my highest. Both recipes were all grain mashed at 154.

 

Yes, manufacturer attenuation ranges are conservative in my experience. Out of 6 batches of 1318, mashing between 152-154, I've gotten 75-80% every time. The grist usually didn't have any crystal malt, but that shouldn't make a huge difference.

 

Am I being overly skeptical in suggesting that this is a level of precision that might not be achieved in the brewhouse? If my digital thermometer is telling me 150, I'm not going to swear that it is not really 151. For that matter, placement of thermometer likely results in variation greater than 1 degree. I know from the interviews I've heard with him that Kai is a careful and thoughtful brewer, but I find these particular results dubious and hope that many people have tried to replicate them before they are widely accepted as gospel.

 

Ahhh, statistical ecstasy . . . I wouldn't recognize a bimodal whatca-may-call-it if it were to hit me in the face, but I am an convinced this is not convincing . . . the only way to make it better is if the three temps all pull the same votes (what a layman would call a "tie").

You're probably correct . . . but this has motivated me to actually go out an buy a thermo for the mash tun.

 

Absolutely. It is extraordinarily unlikely that a home brewer can maintain and accurately read 151 degrees for the mashing.