We are brewing a cream ale this weekend which we haven’t done before.
I just had a quick question about protein rests during mash. I have read that they are not of any benefit for American malts because they are fully modified and so the enzymes have already been used. But it is to my understanding that a protein rest is beneficial for high-protein grains such as corn. Is 10% flaked maize worth adding a protein rest or would it still lack any real benefit? :cheers:
My grain bill is going to be along the lines of (and if you care to comment on it I would be more than grateful):
Looks like a good recipe. One comment: I’d cut back the biscuit malt to a half pound as it can be overpowering in larger amounts.
A protein rest can hurt your body and head retention if done for too long. For that reason, I never recommend it. If you really must try it, just to learn what it does or whatever, then go no longer than 5 minutes in the protein rest range, that’s plenty, then right away bring up to mash temperature, for which…
I would just recommend mashing at about 148-150 F (64-65 C) for 45 minutes. I just made a cream ale and that’s what I did, no protein rest. I used a good portion of corn in mine. The result is fantastically grainy, a little corny (a good thing), well attenuated, good body, head, balance, nearly clear with just a very slight chill haze that doesn’t bother me at all. A bit of gelatin would have probably cleaned the haze right up. I used 2565 yeast, sat at 61 F for about 3 weeks then bottled. I’m very happy with it. My one concern with it is the very slight tartness, which might have come from the yeast selection, or pH, I’m not sure which. But oh well. Still yummy, and in perfect time for summer.
[quote=“ModernFuel”]We are brewing a cream ale this weekend which we haven’t done before.
I just had a quick question about protein rests during mash. I have read that they are not of any benefit for American malts because they are fully modified and so the enzymes have already been used. But it is to my understanding that a protein rest is beneficial for high-protein grains such as corn. Is 10% flaked maize worth adding a protein rest or would it still lack any real benefit? :cheers:
My grain bill is going to be along the lines of (and if you care to comment on it I would be more than grateful):
Thanks for the input! I think I will skip the protein rest in this case.
[quote=“dmtaylo2”]
I would just recommend mashing at about 148-150 F (64-65 C) for 45 minutes. [/quote]
Your beer sounds great and what I am aiming for for the summer! A 45 minute mash is the shortest mash I have heard of. I was thinking a 60 or 90 minute mash. How come you did 45? :cheers:
I mash for 45 minutes because years of testing and experience have proven to me that there is no need to mash any longer than that. Years ago, I ran a number of experiments looking for the minimum mash time to get good beer. Most of the time, 20-25 minutes was not long enough for good attenuation. 30 minutes was long enough some of the time, maybe 50% of the time. 40 minutes was adequate to assure great efficiency and attenuation all the time every time. So that’s what I normally do. Or maybe 45 minutes. Somewhere in there. Give it a try and see for yourself. I never ever go 90 minutes anymore, well except maybe for saison, I think I went 75 minutes for the saison, seems to make sense for that particular style. But nothing else. My opinion and experience.
Denny are you able to quantify/qualify/expand on “better” at all? Not trying to be argumentative, but my experience has been more in line with Dave’s, that is, we mash for way longer than we need to. My understanding is that modern 2-row is loaded with enzymes and will have plenty of time to cleave and extract in way shorter than most recipes call for.
My beer turns out “better” when I mash at 150 F for 40 minutes. I guess I could try mashing even longer to see if my beers turn out “even better”, as it’s been a long while since I’ve tried that.
Interestingly, I found that if I mash higher than 153 F, my beers never turn out very good. So I never mash that high anymore. I’ve mashed hotter a couple of times recently, and, ick. I should also probably calibrate my thermometer again as it’s been a few years. But last time I checked it was smack dab right on. So at least at my house with my water, there seems to be a definite temperature effect going on with “betterness”.
I’ve never done a real experiment with mash time, but its one of those parts of the brew process that rarely seems to cause time troubles, so I’m happy to just leave it while I finish other things.
Mash temperature seems to have less effect on fermentability than beer writers say, but I’ve noticed the same thing as Dave - my beers seem to turn out better if I mash on the low side.
my simple cream ale is adjunct with powder sugar from crystal sugars, from sugar beets… stole that idea from belgium styles. I do mash at 148… or as close as you can hold it…. I’ve never done a stepped mash. Enough articles support that its not vital. Keeping things as simple sometimes is a challenge, being a home brewer… Seems I feel I’m going to tweak this and that and I’m going to get a knock out brew!!! WRONG… Sneezles61 :cheers:
