Tomorrow I'm brewing my first all-grain beer (NB's Rebel Rye), and the recipe calls for a 10 min. mash-out at 170 degrees. I was wondering if anyone knows of any calculators out there to determine the amount/temp. of water I would need to bring my mash up to 170 degrees. I'm mashing (single infusion) for 60 min @ 151 degrees inside my cooler. Is doing a mash-out even necessary? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!
Thanks man for the quick reply. I was kinda wondering how beneficial a mash-out would be considering I would be sparging at about that temp anyhow.
Mash Infusion Equation: Wa = (T2 - T1)(.2G + Wm)/(Tw - T2) where: r = The ratio of water to grain in quarts per pound. Wa = The amount of boiling water added (in quarts). Wm = The total amount of water in the mash (in quarts). T1 = The initial temperature (degrees F) of the mash. T2 = The target temperature (F) of the mash. Tw = The actual temperature (¡F) of the infusion water. G = The amount of grain in the mash (in pounds).
Cool man, thanks. According to my calculations, I would need about 1.29 quarts of boiling water to hit mash-out temp.
I do mashouts and your figure above seems low. I do five gallon batches, and to raise the grain from 150'ish to 168 normally takes me about 2 gallons of boiling water. Brewers Friend has an excellent Mash Calculator to compute strike water and multiple step-ups in temp. You didn't ask, but controlling the initial mash temp is a critical step. This effects the sugar profile, which effects the fermentation profile, which effects the . . . well, you get the picture. It's easier to have hot/cold spots in the mash tun than you may expect. For me it was a temptation to think all is good the first time I got close to the desired temp, which may be transitory. I do lots of stirring and take the temp in multiple locations. Also, don't be in a super hurry to close up the mash tun, it takes several minutes for the strike water and grain to find their balance. You will want to re-stir the mash at the 15-20 minute intervals. Finally, keep an extra 1+quart of hot (boiling) water just in case you miss your target and need a pick-me-up addition. Good luck on your brew day.
The BrewCipher spreadsheet will do this. (Actually, it targets 168F, which is a little safer from a phenol extraction standpoint.)
I've never compared a beer with and without a mashout. I think you'll be fine either way. I'm assuming you're going to be a mother hen over your brew day and you'll sit tight by your mash tun and kettle until you start your boil. If this is true, there won't be much of a conversion difference in your mash. I'd focus on the important things--especially since it's your first AG. Get your mash temp correct within 5 minutes of doughing in. Have boiling water and ice cubes on the ready. Stir like hell for 5 minutes and then measure the temp of your grains. It takes a little time for the water temp to dive down from strike temp. Measure your pre boil gravity @ 60F and have DME on the ready if you're low. It's not the end of the world if you're low, but be ready to add DME to get your beer where you want it. Boil as normal and chill as normal.
