Mr. Wizard
Topic: All Grain Brewing
Protein rests when brewing with wheat
This is a great question, Richard. The short answer is no, you do not need to do a protein rest when brewing with more than 25% wheat. However, many brewers want to
Measuring Mash pH
Questions about pH and its relationship to brewing are very deep. So deep in fact, that the pH scale was developed and introduced to the world in 1909 by Søren Peter Lauritz
Batch Sparge Temperature
I remember when I first began homebrewing back in 1986 and almost immediately wanted to start brewing all-grain. At that time the information related to homebrewing was a little more difficult to
Curing Sparging Woes
The likely culprit to this problem, assuming that you have been using the same basic recipe over the last 7–8 years, is beta-glucan from the flaked oats. I am betting on this
The Details of Step-Mashing
Let’s start out with two quick answers to your questions. Heating time is definitely an important part of the mash and it most certainly should be counted. In fact, control over the
Troubleshooting The “Reverse Step-Mash”
The old alpha and beta amylase temperature conundrum! It does indeed seem that the temperature optima for these two enzymes is reversed for the purpose of mashing. Beta amylase produces maltose by
Increasing Mash Efficiencies
This question reminds me of a phone call I once received from a winemaker who was considering building a brewery, and the plan was to build a 400-barrel brewhouse (12,400 gallons per
Sparge Temperatures
I remember when I first began homebrewing back in 1986 and almost immediately wanted to start brewing all-grain. At that time the information related to homebrewing was a little more difficult to
Starches in the Mash
This is really a great question and one that brewers started contemplating shortly after RIMS (recirculating infusion mashing systems) brewing became popular. The two main goals of malt milling are particle size
Converting starches
One of the most important aspects of measuring anything is to understand what is being measured and how the measuring device works. The iodine test indicates the interaction between iodine and the
Adding Extract to Make Big Beers
I love this idea for a number of reasons. The first reason is that many malt extracts seem to be less fermentable than the preference of my palate. If you open a
Mash pH Importance
Mash pH is extremely important. Enzyme activity is a function of pH and all enzymes are only active in a relatively narrow range around their optimum pH. In the case of mashing,
