I am looking to brew a belgian wit this weekend. I was wondering if mashing out accomplishes anything else other than adding a few efficiency points. If you skip the mash out you could just use a fraction more grains right? Also I am doing a biab with flaked wheat. I have read that wheat can get gooey and cause problems and that the mash out can help with that?
Metalhophead
[quote=“Metalhophead”]I am looking to brew a belgian wit this weekend. I was wondering if mashing out accomplishes anything else other than adding a few efficiency points. If you skip the mash out you could just use a fraction more grains right? Also I am doing a biab with flaked wheat. I have read that wheat can get gooey and cause problems and that the mash out can help with that?
Metalhophead[/quote]
Mash out typically just results in a few efficiency points, so if you want to skip it, as you said, just count on needing a bit more grain, or you could supplement with extract during the boil.
Re: wheat gooeyness - it really isn’t an issue with BIAB, more if you are lautering with a manifold or bazooka tube as the wort won’t run sometimes (people use rice hulls to add body to /ungooify the mash mass). With BIAB, however, I haven’t worried about it with beers heavy w/ wheat or rye.
I don’t believe mashing out increases your efficiency at all. It might help more wort to come out of a sticky mash, like you’re saying about the flaked wheat. But I don’t think that effect is huge either. Mash out is really only important for commercial brewers. Homebrewers can totally skip it and it really won’t make any difference at all. If you are concerned about a sticky mash, then add a handful of rice hulls to your mash. But I don’t think you’ll have any problem in a witbier. This is more of an issue for beers that have >50% wheat or rye. If you’re not in that boat, you’ll be fine. Relax. No worries.
A mashout is only needed when doing a fly-sparge to knock out the enzymes and keep the desired fermentability profile. Taking the mash into the low- to mid-160s will squeeze a little more activity out of the enzymes, though. And if you’re using a bag, you don’t need to worry about a stuck sparge with wheat.
I missed the part about BIAB. Yeah… you definitely do NOT need any rice hulls or special treatment for BIAB. Just pull the bag, drain, and squeeze a little, and you’re good to go.
