Free answers

[Ozbrewer]

i have a 26 ltr cooler at the moment, i was using a 50 ltr but it was giving me problems, but 26 ltrs is plenty for a 5 gal batch for now, I use a herms so its just a matter of running the pump for the temp raising, but a decoction will so fine....info on decoction mashing is on the BT website i think, it sounds hard but its quite easy, its basically taking a porton of the grist from the mash tun, boiling it and adding it back in...basically)

my rest temps are 55c (131F).....then sacc is as per normal for the style

[2DogAle]

Thanks Rob and Oz,

I have only done one all-grain batch so far. It was suppose to be a single infusion but my strike temp was low so it ended up being a step mash. It was an Pale Ale and I just cracked up the first bottle. I think it's awsome but what do I know...

From what I can tell from reading, I should be able to get away with single infusion mash for most of my Ales but when I try any light lagers that may be a different story. Any thoughts?

Rob

[Speyedr]

I am sure the Pale Ale is great, and you know enough to make your own great beer. That's a lot more than most people...

I did one Lager so far, a Classic American Pilsner, and it turned out really good and won a blue ribbon. Other than that I am going off of books BUT, you don't need a protein rest for a lager. That said it can help break down the proteins that could make the beer hazy. I did NOT do one with my Pils and it was crystal clear at 45 - 50f HOWEVER, now that I won I can say that when it was really cold it was hazy. A protein rest AND a 90-minute boil would probably solve this issue. The 90-minute boil will REALLY help, and I have the TBN Forum to thank for that pointer.
Also, if it is a German Lager and you want to be authentic you may want to do a decoction, which will add a nice malty taste to the beer that you can't get from specialty grains alone.
REMEMBER, you do not need to do ANY of this. If it is your first all-grain lager you can stick with one-step and it will be fine. In fact, it will be the best Lager you ever had. I guarantee it. after you bask in the glow of your first Lager you can start to fuck around with Protein Mashes and Decoctions..

Rob

[Henning1966]

Hey those us batch sparging or single infusion I found a way to do a step mash for cheap take a look at this article http://www.brewingtechniques.com/librar ... jones.html

[HalifaxNick]

It's funny you say that about Protein rests OZ. I've consistantly undershot my mashtemps the last few brews (I changed my hosing and got QD's) and have said... well whilke i'm at 132 I might as well do a P-rest!
Maybe i'll keep doing it too!
Gotta build a HERMS though. I've wanted to ever since i got my SS pump.

[Chris Vejnovich]

Hey,

I have been using a 130-132 Protien rest for my German Lagers recently. I did not listen to the Charlie P. show, but I get my information from Noonan's book "New Brewing Lager Beer". He reccommends a 131F protien rest with malts with an SNR in the 36-43 range or something like that. I will say that one beer that a friend and I did together using Weyermanns Pils that had the 131F rest will head very thick all the way down the glass. I also recently made a Helles which is only about a month old including a 20 day fermentation and it is almost brilliantly clear and heads all the way down the glass. I have read on the "Green Board" a recent interview Greg Noonan where he talks about how the 121F rest can hurt head retention, but the 131-133 can help it quite a bit. This is all due to the different enzymes in the protien temp ranges and how they affect the break down of protien chains. I am not a Chemistry major so I don't understand all of this scientific information completely, but from my clinical trials I feel that the beers in which I have done the 131F rest on, those beers tend to clear much faster and head much better.

One could argue though that some of my improved heading of my beers could be a result of my recent implimentation of a stir plate into my brewing and the result is that I pitch much bigger yeast counts then I ever have before.

Hit me up in few years about this question again after I have taken a few more Chemistry courses. In the mean time I think I will continue to use the 131F rest for my Lagers. I have never tried it for my ales.

[Ozbrewer]

i think the 121 rest will bring out acids, thus effecting the head?....i may be way off there but i seem to remember that

[Chris Vejnovich]

Oz,

From what I have read the acid rest is traditionally carried out around 109F. I have never done an acid rest though so I have NO experience with it. Brewing literature that is say more than 5 years old seems to talk alot about the 122F protien rest. I know that Horst D. who writes the Style series for BYO puts a 122F rest in lots of his recipes. But, again I take Noonan's work as gold standard and he doesn't use a 122F protein rest for the newer malts that are more modified. Ofcourse our man Jamil does not use a protien rest at all!! But I have had good luck with it. I have done probally 5 beers with this rest. I am pretty convinced that it works and will continue using it. I suppose the kicker will be how my beers get judged in this years AHA qualifiers. If I score well, then I will proablly continue my mash regimen as is. But if I get dinged and I equate it to mash problems then I very well may change some of my techniques.

cjv85vmax