Can we get a little review of the tips on the Big Beer Show?

Mash temps, fermentation time, fermentation temps, etc. I've listened twice and still can't get is all down.

A fellow homebrew club member wants to come over and use my AG stuff to try a AleSmith Speedway Stout clone and split it between us. I've only done 3 AG batches so this one has me a little worried. I can't believe the AleSmith brewer left us high and dry on Sunday!

Just listened to the first Jamil show on Imperial Stouts. In it, 155 F mash was mentioned. On the Sunday high gravity show, low 140's was mentioned as a way to get a higher ratio of fermentable sugar out to help drive the FG down. Anyone have any opinions/advice on this?

Thanks,
da Cheat

The higher the mash temp, the more unfermentables are left behind, and hence the more body a beer has. If you do a lower mash temp, you will end up with a higher amount of fermentable sugars, and not a lot of residual sugars, and hence, high alcohol, but not a lot of body in the beer.

Low temps are good for dry, clean beers with nothing left over. Higher temps for beers with more body, creamy mouthfeel, etc..

in general that is....

Figure as a ROT that your FG will be about 25% of your OG with a mash around 150F. This means that a 1.100 beer will finish around 1.025, not bad for a Barley Wine, but not good for a tripple where you want the FG to be no more than about 1.015. You don't want to mash this beer around 154 because that will boost the FG to around 1.029 or so. A step mash (145/155F) on my system will drop the FG to around 1.015/16.

The other trick is to substitute sugar for some grain/extract.
If my grain/extract (without the sugar) will yield me around 1.060, my FG will be around 1.015. If I add sugar to boost my OG to 1.080 my FG will still be 1.015, sugar does not contribute to FG.

This all assumes you are pitching enough healthy yeast.

Does that help?


Fred