How important is Mash Out Temps while Batch Sparging? Does anyone raise the temps of their mash to Mash Out Temps (168??) before doing the Batch Sparge?? If so, how long do you keep the mash at that temp before the Batch Sparge? Or...do you Batch Sparge with the Batch Sparge Water at Mash Out Temps???

I've made some really good beers without ever worrying about Mash Out Temps however, always looking to improve the process I was wondering how much the Mash Out Temp step would help with improving my beer.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

Richie

Richie,
I think mash out temp is only really important for efficiency. Eventually during the boil you will denature enzymes, but if you runoff at too cool a temp say 158F you risk leaving behind extract. There might be some breweries that push the mash out temps as well to help extract a husky grainy flavor, i think i read that about tripel karmeliet once. Of course choosing to do that will depend on what you are trying to achieve.

I recently started doing a "mashout". I have been hitting about 167-169. I would usually not bother but all my beers would finish about 1.006, which is great for dry styles of beer but when you look forward to a beer with some sweetness and body it's frustrating. I have had limited success with this, but I've gotten better efficiency. Maybe I just need to mash higher.

Richie, I don't try to hit a specific temp for a certain amount of time, but my top off water before the first runoff is usually boiling. This tends to get temps up into the 160's, but I just stir, vorlauf, then runoff. Then the sparge water is in the 185-190 range.

I can completely understand what Bonnie is saying. Since my couple latest batches I,ve noticed that Im not getting that sparge water hot enough after the addition of the sparge water itself, so boiling had entered my mind and bonnie only convinces me to boil in my next reciepe.(I hate spelling that word!). Thanks.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. If you are batch sparging, it is almost countreproductive to heat the mash to 168 and do a rest. It is much better to add any top up water and start running off into the boil kettle which can heat it quickly. You will get better efficiency if your runoff is at 168F than 150F. It just depends on how much wort you want to get from the first runoff. We just did a Wit ala Wit or Witout. Ended upp mashing around 152F for 90 minutes. Did not add any top up water, just vorlauf and drain( mash was at 150F by this time). Sparge addition was almost boiling and after stirring the second runoff was 165F. We got 83& efficiency and that with most of the sugar in the first runoff at 150F.

I don't worry about it much...like brewsci, I try ti do it if I can and don't sweat it if I can't. For homebrewers, "mashout" is mainly aboput rasing the temp to reduce the viscosity of the wort. That _might_ translate into a very slightly higher efficiency. I don't think I know of any homebrewers who hold a high enough temp for a long enough time to denature enzymes and stop conversion. Fortunately, in batch sparging you get to a boil in a very short amount of time after the mash ends, and the boil will DEFINITELY denature the enzymes!