Mashing Times for Various Mash Temperatures

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by OldBrewer, Apr 21, 2022.

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  1. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    I realize there are many variables, and one should always check with a conversion test, but I was wondering if anyone has seen any "general guidelines" for approximately how long one should mash at different mash temperatures to get fairly full conversion for a standard beer, using modified two-row or pilsner malt, of say 1.048 OG? For example, for temperatures over 150 F, it seems that one hour should be more than reasonable. For lower temperatures, to get a really dry beer, say 145 F, or even 140 F, will 90 minutes be enough? Or should it generally take even longer? Thanks!
     
    #1 OldBrewer, Apr 21, 2022
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2022
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I'm not sure if you're really talking about "full conversion," i.e. all starches converted to things that aren't starches, or if you're talking about degree of fermentability. It kind of seems like you're touching on both. But for the the latter, you could try playing with BrewCipher for various combinations of grain bill, mash temps, mash lengths, and yeast strain. Or you could do the same thing with BeerSmith, but BeerSmith doesn't consider grain bill when predicting attenuation.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Apr 21, 2022
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  3. dmtaylor

    dmtaylor Savant (1,149) Dec 30, 2003 Wisconsin

    I don’t toy with mash temperature too much anymore. Just mash almost everything at 150 F for 45 minutes. If I want low attenuation on purpose, I’d mash 158F for just 20-30 minutes. For high attenuation like saison, 148F for 90-120 minutes will suffice, or even overnight in an extreme case. But for 95% of recipes, just do 150 F for 45 minutes, or an hour if you think you must (waste of 15 minutes IMO), and be done with it. Experiment and find out for yourself.

    We also can control attenuation via yeast strain selection. This has a greater impact than mash temperature or time.
     
    #3 dmtaylor, Apr 21, 2022
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  4. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Thanks for your responses. In this case, I didn't mash low on purpose. My setup failed and by the time I had to do the mash, it was too late to consider alternatives. As a result, the mash was at a temperature of about 144 F for 75 minutes. It tasted much less sweet than usual, so I was wondering whether I had enough conversion. Of course, a lower mash temperature would also result in the mash tasting less sweet. I then explored the literature on mash times and found out that there seems to be little written on suggested mash times under 148-150 F, at least in the search I did. I became curious, and wondered if anyone had experience mashing at lower temperatures, particularly around 145 F or lower. I assume that not many have done so. I assume that the lower the mash temperature, the longer it takes to get sufficient conversion.
     
    #4 OldBrewer, Apr 22, 2022
  5. dmtaylor

    dmtaylor Savant (1,149) Dec 30, 2003 Wisconsin

    I have mashed very cool a few times. It certainly will help to preserve the beta amylase, which will serve to increase fermentability. In my own experience, the efficiency (I call it efficiency, maybe you would call it conversion) is not hugely affected with a mash time exceeding ~60 minutes, regardless of temperature. Mashing for a good amount of time like you did, 75 minutes, will still get the job done and help to dry out the beer. If you had only mashed for 30 minutes or 45 minutes, THEN you could expect both lower efficiency and lower attenuation. But at a certain point, close to where you mashed for the 75 minutes, you still can get the beer into a fairly normal range. Mash time does matter, probably even more than mash temperature... but only to a certain point. As long as you were above say 140 F for longer than say 45-60 minutes, you're going to get conversion, and both your efficiency and fermentability will be decent. It's the really short mash times that you can sometimes -- not always, but sometimes -- see minor impacts in conversion efficiency, but bigger effects on fermentability (i.e., poor attenuation). That's been my experience, based on much experimentation early in my all-grain "career", about 20 years ago now, with perhaps occasional goofups since then. Mash time is kind of a big deal, if the mash time is really short. Temperatures.... not such a big deal. The thing to avoid with temperatures is the dreaded 168 F or higher where all the enzymes are wrecked within a couple of minutes.
     
    #5 dmtaylor, Apr 22, 2022
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  6. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Thanks dmtaylor! I guess I don't have to worry about the outcome of this batch, although it may end up on the dry side.
     
    #6 OldBrewer, Apr 22, 2022
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