I think there is a fair bit of adjuncts in there and that's the reason for the protine rest at the start but I'm sure a single infusion mash at 65c sorry no Fahrenheit here
will be fine just mash long like 90 mins that way making sure it's all converted.
What's others opinions on this?
150F is not an optimum protine (protein) rest temperature. Resting mash for 90 minutes is a waste of time. Use iodine to determine the presents of starch. The malt is so poor that the enzymes are weak or the malt is slack if it requires 90 minutes for saccharification to occur unless, there are a lot of adjuncts like corn mixed in. A half a pound of corn isn't a lot. The six row makes up for it. Right from the start modern, high modified malt is enzyme deficient. The only enzyme left in the malt strong enough to do anything is Alpha. For that reason only a single temperature in the optimum range of Alpha is needed. The problem, on its own Alpha cannot produce Ale or Lager but it can produce home made style beer. Alpha is not responsible for conversion, Beta is. Beta is a weak enzyme and depending on the quality of the malt it may not exist or it can be very weak or there isn't enough of it to do the job, make beer. Since, a maltose rest wasn't performed conversion did not occur and if the malt was poor it wouldn't have taken place, anyway.
"I give it a short dextrin rest at 158 or so to improve body, but I'm not sure it's really necessary. Turns out great."
A certain type of protein and complex starch are needed for producing body. If mash isn't boiled the complex starch ends up in the compost pile. Call the starch money out the window. Alpha I range is 158F. Alpha creates two types of sugar, sweet, tasting, non-fermenting types of sugar and a simple sugar called Glucose. Since, complex starch did not enter into solution mainly sweet sugar was released and less Glucose was released from simple starch called amylose. Amylo-pectin is the starch responsible for a type of sugar called limit dextrin. A and B limit dextrin are types of tasteless, non-fermenting types of sugar which are responsible for body.
A temperature which activates proteinase is needed to produce the right protein and the mash needs to be boiled to remove protein gum.
"You could always remove a portion of the mash, heat that up then dump it back in to raise the temps but not dilute it. But then, you're going into decoction territory, which may or may not be desirable for the style"
I'm not sure why the decoction method "may or not be desirable." Can you explain the statement?
This is the way that I would produce the beer.
Too much going on with the recipe.
I would eliminate the wheat malt, the instructions do nothing to deal with the high protein and high PPM Beta Glucan content. In it's place I would use a high grade of malt similar to Weyermann Pils floor malt. Same thing with less expensive, modern, high modified 2 row malt, exchange it for a higher grade of malt. The flaked, crystal and honey would go. I would reduce the amount of six row, one pound is plenty, make up the difference with a higher grade malt. Six row is high protein malt, it is lacking in sugar content. It's good malt for grain distillation.
Procedure:
1. Crush the six row and an equal amount of two row into a kettle and mix the corn in. ( When wheat is used add it in.) Crush the rest of the malt into the MLT or mash tun. We'll deal with it later.
2. Dough in the corn and malt mixture with cool RO water at 1 qt/lb. The mash temperature desired is around 60F. Allow the mash to rest for at least 15 minutes. During the rest the inherent pH of the malt will stabilize mash pH before enzymes activate. After 15 minutes add enough sauer malz to reduce pH to at least 5.5 and no lower than 5.3.
3. When pH is stable begin to heat the mash to around 122 to 125F, proteinase will activate. Rest the mash for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Increase the mash temperature to 155F. Alpha will begin to liquefy the amylose in the malt and glucose will be released, along with non-fermenting, sweet sugar. Rest the mash for 20 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes.
5. Begin to boil the mixture without scorching it. If needed thin down the mash. Continue to boil the mash, skim off hot break as it forms. Now, we will deal with the dry main mash.
6. After the mash has been boiling for 20 minutes. Dough in the main mash with hot RO water at 1qt/lb. The temperature of the mash should be somewhere between 95 and 100F during this step. When the temperature of the mash is stabile add sauer malz and lower the pH to 5.5 and no lower than 5.3. Close the lid but, stir the mash once in a while and ensure to keep temperature close. Slight acidification will occur during the rest.
7. After the malt/corn mix has boiled for 40 to 45 minutes, add it into the main mash. The temperature needs to be 130 and no higher than 135F during the rest. Use boiling water if necessary. During the rest proteinase releases glucose from Beta Glucan and mash viscosity reduces. Stir the mash a few times and hold the temperature close during the rest period. During the next couple of steps we will deal with the glucose that was released right up to this point.
8. When the mash temperature is stabile remove about 1/3 of it. For horseshoe and hand grenade accuracy assume that a gallon of thick mash weighs about eight pound or so and go from there. Gently pour it into the boiler, no violent slopping in or stirring mash at any time when it is hot. Oxidation happens during mashing, too.
9. Quickly raise the temperature of the 1/3 volume mash to 140 and no higher than 145F and hold the temperature close. The rest is the maltose rest. During the rest conversion begins. Beta begins to convert simple sugar glucose which Alpha and proteinase released earlier into complex types of sugar called maltose and malto-triose. Hold the temperature close and rest the mash for 20 minutes.
10. Begin to boil the mash. Boil it for 20 minutes. Skim off hot break as it surfaces. After the mash has boiled for 20 minutes add it into the main mash. The temperature of the mash during the next rest should be 153F, make adjustments as needed. Reduce mash pH with sauer malz to 5.2 and no lower than 5.
When the mash was boiled amylo-pectin entered into solution. During the rest Alpha will have two types of starch to liquefy, simple starch, amylose and complex starch, amylo-pectin. Dextrinization will begin and saccharification will continue. The types of sugar responsible for body are released during the rest, A limit and B limit dextrin. Beta will continue with conversion until it denatures. Alpha will continue to release glucose and sweet sugar.
11. After the mash has rested for 20 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes infuse boiling water to increase mash temperature to 158F for ten minutes. Then add more boiling water to increase mash temperature to 162F and rest the mash for 10 minutes.
12. This step can be eliminated. Mash out shouldn't be needed because the enzymes were pretty much worked to death through out the procedure and with adding boiling water the mash thinned down. But, anyway, the mash liquid can be removed and boiled and returned to raise the mash temperature to 168F. Usually, there isn't enough mash water and boiling water is needed.
13. Stir the mash a couple of times and let it rest. A layer of mud will form on top of the filter bed, try not to disturb it during vorlauf and sparge. Keep about an inch or two of liquid above the grain bed until the end of sparge.
14. Begin to run off the extract. As soon as the bottom of the boiler is covered with extract toss in a very small amount of hops and fire the boiler. The hops causes the hot break to form early on. The wort will be cleaner when the bittering hops are added. Less hops are needed. Allow the wort to come to boiling before pumping more wort in. As the wort boils skim off hot break. When hot break ceases to form add bittering hops and skim off the second break. Run off extract to 1020, stop sparge and drain the tun, stopping when gravity drops to 1015.
15. The beer will require second fermentation. The beer will naturally carbonate during the aging cycle, sugar priming or CO2 injection won't be needed.