Save time on mash step

[WheatBeerCH]

Hello,

Just thinking about how to save time during the mash. Some folks do an overnight mash in a mash tun. I have a steel kettle and i'm sure i'd lose too much heat. If the temperature falls below 130F, there problems with bacteria which can be killed off during the boil, but may leave a persistent off taste.

My compromise would be to start the mash first thing in the morning around 8h00 and come back around 11h00 after morning errands. The normal 60-90 minute mash would be 3 hours. Maybe this will bump up efficiency a little but it would save time as I wouldn't be stuck at home.

I would do it with BIAB, which apparently requires more stirring more often during the mash. I figure the longer mash would make up for less stirring.

I lose around 5F / hour. So, if I started at 153F, i'd end up at around 138F.

Sounds doable?

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

That will work. If you could insulate some how and get it to hold temperature longer, it may be a no brainer. I typically mash German beers 90-120 minutes @145F. It makes for a dryer beer that is still malty.

 

[Hawkbox]

I do a multi hour mash quite often. I use a coleman cooler so I only lose around 1C per hour but I often... well I did often in the before times start my mash, then go meet friends for lunch and beer on a Sunday, then come home and do my boil. Worked fine.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I am very loose on mash time. At least an hour but, if I didn't start the sparge water on time then it's a 90 minute mash. If I have to run an errand, then it becomes a 2+ hour mash. I also mash in a cooler as well, so temps only drop slightly. So, just throw a blanket or sleeping bag over your mash tun and go run errands.

 

[Mark Farrall]

As HighVoltageMan already mentioned, the biggest thing to watch out for is making your wort more fermentable by letting the beta amylase work for longer. The beer ends up tasting drier and with a higher ABV, which for quite a few beers is a good thing, but not all.