Single Decoction question

You can & should almost immediately (like within 3-10 minutes) pull about 1/2 to 3/4 of the thick mash (solids) out using a colander or whatever and immediately start to bring it up to the boil so that it's ready after 30 minutes.

Of course, there's a million ways to decoct and most of them are not wrong, so you can do it any way you want, really. But yes, above is pretty standard practice.

EDIT: Afterthought... Hmm... for single decoction, maybe they really *do* want you to give the whole thing a rest for the first 30 minutes. I've always done double or triple, so maybe that's why I initially thought the thing I did above. Hmm.... yeah maybe best to leave all the grain in there for 30 minutes so it has a chance to really start to convert at 62-65 C before moving it up to the next step.

But it wouldn't be super wrong either way.

 

Is the 62-65C rest the only saccharification rest? If so, that's kind of short.

With a single decoction, you'd typically decoct near the end of the (last) saccharification rest, pulling the decoction once conversion is complete*, do your decoction boil, and return for the mashout.

*Note that there's a difference between "complete" conversion (i.e. all starches converted to something other than starches) and the end of the sacch rest. The enzymes in the non-decocted portion of the mash are still working on making the wort in the already fully converted mash more fermentable while you're boiling the decocted portion.

ETA: I guess you could pull the decoction 2-3 minutes into the rest as @dmtaylor suggests, but I wouldn't. The normal purpose of a single decoction is to return the boiled portion to reach mashout temps (and to add flavor), not to break anything down for a future sacch rest (since there won't be one).

 

True words.

If this is your only sacc step I would leave the entire 30 minutes. My technique is to let the boiling portion "rest" in the mid-150 range for 10 minutes before continuing to a boil. Otherwise it will be denatured and contribute no more fermentable sugars. BTW, 62-65 seems on the low side for a single step mash.

Here's how Brauskaiser addresses decoction to include 3 YT videos (which will probably be completely different than everyone else):
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Decoction_Mashing

FWIW: I have decocted many times with good results. A few years ago I did a true A/B test, a decoction versus an infusion . . . taste test revealed little difference with the infusion declared the winner. Final tip: have your stirring arm well rested before attempting and have your ducks lined up so you can devote most of the boil time to stirring.

 

Your description is still a single decoction as you're only pulling grain once to boil. If you pulled a second time to raise to mash-out temps that would be a double.

I read in the Braukaiser link about the Hochurz steps and he really does want you to have two 30 minute sacch rest periods. Those temps seem on the extreme ends of where you want to be but I guess if your name is Hochkurz that's just how you roll. There are a couple of calculators that predict the volume needed to pull to reach the next step and I find they always understate what is needed . . . it never hurts to have some boiling strike water standing by. Oh yeah, I usually get a few extra points in the OG as compared to an infusion mash.

 

If your goal is to simply reach the next mash step temp, you can just bring it to a boil and immediately return. If you want lots of maillard reactions, boil longer. Maybe 15 minutes for pale beers. Maybe a half our or longer for dark beers. There's no one-size-fits-all answer.

You definitely want to try to avoid scorching. IMO gentle is the way to go.

That depends on the mash temperature difference you need to get in the main mash when returning the decocted portion. There are a few decoction calculators out there on the WWW.

 

...it depends...varies a lot...a million ways...YMMV...

All over the place is a good answer. Me, I raise to 155 for ten minutes and 15 - 20 minutes of boiling. But this is harder than it sounds. Measuring with a thermapen as I add heat will show temps like 149...150...151...158...really tough to nail down.

I've never scorched the mash, remember it's 212 whether it's boiling soft or hard. What will happen is it will stick to bottom of kettle (is this scorching?) unless stirring like a mad man. This is also harder than it sounds. Recruiting a helper for this step is advisable.

Because you are going from very kurz (low) to very hoch (high) you'll be in the range of 30 - 40%. But whichever calculator you use to estimate mash quantity will probably underestimate what's needed. I always undershoot the temp for the second mash step. For some reason this is harder than it sounds, so I keep another quart+ of boiling water ready to hit my target. Expect to have a higher water/grist ratio at end of process.

If you've gotten this far why not pull a second decoction for the mash-out step? This really isn't any harder than it sounds, I mean what's another half hour added to a brew day? Earn membership in the DD club.

 

How much flavor and color development do you want?
For a Light beer i might just bring to a boil and return. For a dark beer Ive gone over 20 minutes.

 

So . . . how did Herr Hoch and Frau Kurz turn out?

 

The only issue with this is that the rest of the mash will remain in that state for the entire duration of the rest, as well as the time to bring the decoction to a boil and the length of the boil. That could result in close to 2 hours of rest for the "rest of the mash". It will also result in a lot of loss of heat of the rest of the mash (i.e. if mashing it in a cooler) unless it can be regularly heated somehow.

I solve this issue with a unique solution. I make a completely separate thick mash with the right amount of grain and water equivalent to what a decotion should be. I then bring it up to a rest temperature, let it convert for half an hour and then bring it to a boil and boil for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile I mash the rest of the mash separately at the rest temperature for 45 minutes or so (the mash will be relatively thin so a long mash is not required), but don't start it until the timing of its completion matches when the decoction has been boiled. I then add the decoction, which brings the entire mash to mash-out tmeprature. The timing is a bit of an issue but after a couple tries, it becomes relatively easy.