Decoction Method for first time

Assuming you're doing a single decoction, you return the boiled decoction to the mash and then let the mash proceed as usual. The hotter decocted portion raises the overall mash temp to your target for that step.

 

I have never done a decoction mash. You can read @OldSock's description in that link that you included - it looks as though he directly heated his mash tun to go from 113°F to 126°F, and then to 144°F. Only then did he perform a decoction, and when he returned the decocted portion, it apparently raised the temperature to 161°F.

Here is a page with a lot more information on decoction mashing. Although the 1 qt/lb approach might be a good rule of thumb, it is far from the only way to do a decoction mash.

 

The trick is that with modern malts you don't want to leave them at a protein rest for an hour. Safer to decoct to reach the second Sacch rest, or mash-out in my experience.

I picked up a great tip from Kai, he pulls basically all grain and then adds water as needed to prevent it from scorching. Also a good idea to pull a little extra, take a temperature as you slowly return the decoction to the main mash, stop if you hit the target. The small amount will cool quickly, return it when it is a bout the same temperature as the target rest.

 

I wouldn't think decoction/boiling even a portion of your mash would be beneficial to well modified modern malts. If sparging with boiling water is bad, why wouldn't boiling your mash result in tannin extraction also? PH might not be as high as when sparging, but it seems as though with well modified malts you could actually be doing some damage. Too much work for me, anyway for questionable benefit.

 

You increase tannins a little when you do a decoction, but it is not a problem, even with modern malts the lower pH of the mash minimizes the amount of tannins.

Doing a decoction for the first time, I said that is all there is too it?

 

Have done a lot more stepped mashes than decoctions, but now that I have my old gas stove in the garage, I might revisit it on a smaller 5 gal batch. Cheers

 

I have always rested the decoction at each rest temp as you heat it. Otherwise the grains that you pull would go straight from a protein rest to boiling with no sacc rest. For this reason I think that the first rest or two are better suited to infusion or direct heating step mashes. Save the decoction for later steps. Personally I like the hochkurtz (spelling?) regimen as outlined on Kai's website. Either no protein rest or a very short protein rest with infusion to the first sacc rest.

 

Got it. That sounds like a good plan. Do you use beer smith? I use beersmith and always double the amount of decoction it tells me to pull. As an example of my Oktoberfest, 11.7 lbs grain, 1.7 qt/lb. water resting at 146, pulled about 9 quarts thick mash and after boiling and adding back (with a short rest at 158), hit my second rest temp of 158 spot on. That's a little less than your 1 qt. per pound of grain example.

 

Rest the decoction @158F for 10 -15 min on the way to the boil, that helps loosen the decoction, making it easier to stir, and gets some Alpha conversion. Stir often, it helps to have a partner when decocting.

I mash losse when decocting, not less than 1.5 qt/lb.

 

This depends a little on the character you are going for. Since you are doing a rest at 115°F, I assume you are aiming for clove character, rather than banana. (The "ferulic acid rest" ensures that there is a precursor to the compound that produces a clove flavor. So in other words, the reason to do a mash around 115°F is to increase the clove character of the beer.) If that's the case, you should probably ferment pretty cool. I've heard people getting good results in the low to mid 60s. My recollection is that Jamil Zainasheff recommends 62°F. (Just checked - indeed, he recommends 62°F in Brewing Classic Styles.)

If you want a little more banana character, then you can ferment a bit warmer (I don't know, maybe 65°F?). Go too warm, and you might get bubble gum aromatics.

 

You probably could just do a 90-minute boil. I don't know why he did a 115-minute boil, but I don't think that's necessary for a hefeweizen.

 

It was 7 years ago, but it may have been a suggestion from the Classic Style Wheat Beer book. 90 minutes would be fine.

 

I've had great results following Michael Dawson's process for a Double Decoction mash from Brewing TV's Episode 34: Decoction Day

 

Just a quick semi-hijack question...

I read about decoction method and see mention of taking out a volume of liquid from the "thick part" of the mash. What does this actually mean? I can't find an explanation anywhere of what this is refering to. The mash all looks the same thickness to me!

 

Just don't drain from bottom and I think you will be OK

 

but wouldn't the bottom part be thicker (heavier)? <semi-TIC>