Amylase for Faster Mashing

[Beer_Pirate]

I understand that amylase enzyme is generally used for beers that are light or have a grist with low diastatic power, but could a brewer add powdered enzyme to the mash to shorten mashing time to high conversion? My LHBS has it for cheap, so it could make for a fun experiment.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Ive herd that it never stops the yeast from eating sugar so what I mean is the beers can be as thin as water and 100% attenuation and dry so its not just the mash that it effects

 

[jeffpn]

Is that what’s in Beano? I’ve heard of it being used for stuck fermentation, with results like OMB said.

 

[Beer_Pirate]

If I'm not mistaken, they're slightly different. This is what the LHBS says about amylase: "Breaks 1,4 linkage in starch during liquefication, producing dextrin and a small amout of maltose. Leaves 1,6 links, therefore self-limiting. Use if you have a starch problem in storage, or in light beers, or in mash tun." I know beano is a bad idea and will make high gravity water, but it was just a thought I had when browsing the aisles yesterday.

 

[Hogarthe]

You should be getting conversion in 30 minutes or less anyway. Shortening the time isn't usually my biggest concern there. What is be worried about is does it act like mashing at 148f or 156f? I'm thinking probably more like 148.... Wich is fine if you were planning for a highly fermentable wort, not so good if you wanted to leave body.

 

[Beer_Pirate]

I'm not actually trying to shorten my mash times either. This was more of a thought experiment. The super highly fermentable wort would be an issue though as far as body is concerned. I wonder why they suggest it for light beers... seems like that would make the thin body issue most light beers have even worse.

 

[GFHomebrew]

i think its a good idea especially when lots of adjuncts are being used in mash like rice oats corn ect could help you get bwtter conversion. i dont know much about it but i remember braukisers enzyme experiment on his site on holding back some enzyme rich mash wort and adding it to his fermentor to drive a little bit more conversion whilst yeast are fermenting. worth a look ifnyou havnt already pirate.

fwiw i find my lagers a little too full bodied sometimes and would love that little bit more attenuation so i see it helpful here and also may help convert starches better so less haze in them lighter sryles.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Amylase enzyme is already in the mash, adding more would be a good idea if you combine a German pilsner or some other low diastaic malt with a adjunct for a Belgian triple (instead of sugar), the diastatic power of European malt is @ 75-80, where as American 2 row is nearly double that. In other words, American malt can has more amylase enzyme and can easily convert extra starches no problem, European malt not so much. I had to dump one I made with German pilsner malt and 20% rice, it just wouldn’t convert the rice. If I had an enzyme, I could’ve just added it to the mash and solved the problem.

If you add additional enzyme to the mash it will de-nature in the boil. If you add to your primary after cooling it will have effect of Beano, continuing to reducing starches to sugars in the fermenter, at which point your at the mercy of the enzyme as to how thin the beer will be. Great attenuation, thin body.

I have thought of keeping some on hand, but it has a shelf life of about a year. So it goes bad in time. I think if you want to play with, go for it. No matter how it works out, you will be learning.