Franconia Beer Message Board
A couple of observations |
| Posted by FredW on 2016-09-08 06:50:48 |
| Some random things drawn from my (ancient) memory... Back before (reliable) thermometers and heated mash tuns the only time you knew the temperature of something was when it was boiling. Hence the addition of boiling water (infusion) or boiling mash (decoction) to raise temperatures. Doing a decoction has a number of benefits: it bursts starch nodules making the accessible to the enzymes when returned to the main mash, improving efficiency. It also helps form melanoidins, which increases the malty flavors. Other benefits I’m sure but I can’t recall off the top of my head. I’ve heard the phrase “double mashing” applied to what Fullers does in their brewing process: The wort is drained from the mash but is not sparged (“rinsed”). The water is added back to the drained mash, re-mixed and the mashing process repeated. Then a second wort is drained. You now have two worts —- one high gravity (the first) and one low gravity (the second) that can be combined in different proportions to make different strength beers (think Golden Pride, ESB, London Pride, Chiswick Bitter) The brewhouse Barry describes is not uncommon in Germany — there are two vessels —- one can be heated (“kettle”) and the other has a false bottom (“lauter tun”). The mash is prepared in the kettle where all the various temperature rests can be achieved. The mash is then pumped to the lauter tun were the wort is separated and drains back to the kettle. When the boil is complete the bitter wort is pumped back to the lauter tun to separate the hop flowers. |
| Followups: |
 A couple of observations by Barry on 2016-09-08 10:03:41 |
| A couple of observations by Nick B. on 2016-09-09 02:33:36 |
| A couple of observations by Nick B. on 2016-09-09 02:38:31 |