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About to do my first decoction mash: actually a double decoction. Anyone have any tips and tricks?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
Keep plenty of time up your sleave lol na my brief foray into the decoction mash world would be to enjoy the process keep some heavy duty heat risistant gloves handy when transporting the mash into decoction pot. A good scoop that keeps the fingers out the hot liqour. Ive found once the decoction is up to boil and break has settled i can cover with lid and walk away stiring intermittently. Observe the change in mash consistancy and how almost no break develops in main kettle. And enjoy those beautiful caramel baked biscuit aromas.About to do my first decoction mash: actually a double decoction. Anyone have any tips and tricks?
Thanks in advance
And some who swear at it. By all means try it but expect a lot of work and no miracles. For the same reason I will do a cereal mash next time I brew my Mexican Dunkel: I want to see if it makes a difference.I don't bother doing it either. But I know lots of pro stars who swear by it.
If you decoct on a burner with a kettle that has a THICK bottom, it helps immensely in preventing scorch1. scorching. If you scorch the grain at all it wrecks the beer, bring the decoction up to a boil slowly
Low pH also avoids tannin extraction during decoction. Most instructions say to pull wort thick with grains for this reason2. Make sure you mash pH is on the low side before pulling a decoction, 5.2 or lower. Low pH will reduce the mallard reaction and the excessive darkening of the wort. This seems what you want with a decoction, but it needs to be kept in check.
Boiled grains gelatinize significantly and gum up very easily, especially mesh bags. Bags in the decoction kettle can make a real mess.3. Considering adding rice hulls to aid the lauter and sparge.
Cant say I agree with this, not sure what the "lot of work" part is, stirring every couple min till it comes to boil ??And some who swear at it. By all means try it but expect a lot of work and no miracles. For the same reason I will do a cereal mash next time I brew my Mexican Dunkel: I want to see if it makes a difference.
Was the test blind? Or did you know which glass was which? And was it an "n=1" study? I'm asking not to dissuade you from decoction mashing, it's your time and your beer. We are in a beginner's forum, though, and you are talking about a pretty advanced procedure. I tend to dissuade beginners from complex procedures until they can brew a consistent beer using the simplest possible process. So here's what I found by going out to other sources than my experience:I use decoction on every brew I do, although I only brew and drink weizen or weis beers. I did a side by side test of my beers of a step infusion mashed and the other decoction and I prefer the taste of decoction mashing. To me the extra 30-45 min added on for this step is worth it to me.
Cant say I agree with this, not sure what the "lot of work" part is, stirring every couple min till it comes to boil ??
There are still some German breweries doing decoction, Bitburger and Hofbrau to name a couple big ones I know for sure. It is true that decoction is less prevalent now a days but still quite a few keep with the traditional method.Not to be a killjoy but don't. Germans don't any more. Unless you have some undermodified malt (like Bohemian Floor Malted Pilsner) there's not that much of a difference between decoction and none. And if you insist, a single decoction is quite enough.