Boiling the entire Mash dough

Sounds like a bad idea. I don't think acidifying your sparge water will save you from tannin extraction and a whole heap of lousy flavors if you boil your mash grains.

 

Only one way to find out.

Do you have a way to do a small batch (maybe 1 gallon) to test it out without risking ruining a whole batch? I'm thinking it would work, personally.

 

Kind of an intriguing idea, actually. If boiling portions of the mash in doing a decoction (arguably) produces benefits, then could you get the same or more benefits by boiling the entire mash for a similar period of time? Hmmm. My only hesitation would be that I would imagine somebody tried this at some point in the long history of brewing, and if it improved the beer, we'd probably have heard about it. Then again, you never know. Worth a try, I'd say, if your equipment is such that you can do this without too much hassle.

 

Well, in a traditional decoction, you would slowly raise the temp to boiling and then typically hold it there for about 15 minutes before returning to the main mash. So you might try 10-15 minutes. But I have no real idea, either.

BTW, you have to be very careful about scorching while raising the temp, but it's not so much a worry once it's actually boiling. I forget the science behind this, but it's true.

 

When you decoct, you pull the thick part. It turns out that 1/3 of the volume is most of the grain bill, and what is left is mostly liquid. The enzymes are mainly in the liquid.

Tannin extraction is a problem at high temperature AND high pH, at 6 or above.

I would think that having low sugar levels in this might allow more tannins out compared with a decoction.

 

I'd be interested to hear about your results but I'd simply remind you that "more" is not always "better"

Also, there is much debate over how / what / if decoction truly does anything flavor wise....especially when using modern well modified malts.

One of the other benefits of decoction is that it helps to boost temps / provide a step mash. You will not gain that benefit based on your strategy.

Another thing that comes to mind is the possibility that doing the partial decoction prior to the mash might be the reason for any potential flavor benefits. Perhaps it's the denaturing of the enzymes PRIOR to conversion on part of the mash grist that is behind it? If so, your strategy won't reap any of those hypothetical rewards either.

As for gaining efficiency, even if that were true (compared to a standard mash out) you will most likely be using more fuel / taking more time to heat your full mash volume up to a boil with the grain in it and that might undermine your potential increase in mash extraction efficiency.

Final pessimistic thought...... if it were a good idea, somebody else would already be doing it on the regular

 

How about something like this, with a batch sparge:

1. Mash the grains
2. Drain the first runnings.
3. Add the sparge water and double check the pH. Adjust to pH 5.2-5.5 as necessary.
4. Slow raise the grains and sparge water back to a boil, as you would with a decoction.
5. Drain your second runnings into a different vessel.
6. Taste the second runnings and evaluate, "Do I really want to add this to my delicious first runnings?"
7a Yes -- this tastes kind of bready and nutty, could be interesting -->go ahead and mix first and second runnings, boil, cool, pitch, ferment.
7b No -- this tastes like eating dirt, and not the good kind of dirt --> do not mix the runnings. Instead, make a beer just from the first runnings. Perhaps you'll want to augment it with extract or steeping grains. You won't end up with the beer you set out to make, but you won't have lost everything, either.