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Mashing question

captjpr3

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After 20 years of home brewing by "winging it" I've recently started paying attention to what I'm doing, mostly due to the recent discovery of Beer Smith.

My question is this; On my last batch of IPA my mash started out at a very high temperature, about 175F. I left the blanket and lid off and stirred it until the temp came down to about 160 then covered it up. It took about 10 minutes to get the temperature down (I've since read that I should add cold water to bring the temp down faster-DUUUH!) How will this time at a higher temp affect the mash?

I've been reading up on short rests at lower temps to give the beta enzymes time to work before raising the temp for alpha enzymes to work. If the temp goes too high too soon is the opportunity to use beta amalyse lost or will there be benefit in bringing the temp down for 10 minutes before bringing it back up again? 
 
I am pretty sure that you denatured most of your beta amylase. You will have a lot of unfermentable sugars, I would expect a very high finishing gravity.

Also you have likely added a tannins to your beer which are extracted from the grains above 170F.

Below is some stuff I plagiarized for the internet regarding mash temps - note the "quickly deactivated" parts:

Beta amylase produces Maltose, the main wort sugar, by splitting 2 glucose molecules from the non-reducing end of a glucose chain. It is therefore able to completely convert Amylose. But since it cannot get past the branch joins, Amylopectin cannot completely be converted by beta amylase. The optimal pH range for beta amylase between 5.4 and 5.6 and the optimal temperature range is between 140�F (60�C) and 150�F (65�C). Above 160�F (70�C) beta amylase is quickly deactivated [Narziss, 2005].

Alpha Amylase is able to split 1-4 links within glucose chains. By doing so, it exposes additional non-reducing ends for the beta amylase. This allows for the further conversion of Amylopectin. The optimal pH range is between 5.6 and 5.8 and the optimal temperature range is between 162�F (72�C) and 167�F (75�C). Above 176�F (80�C) alpha amylase is quickly deactivated [Narziss, 2005]
 
What I was wondering is if the betas would "re-activate", so to speak, when the temp is brought back down or they dead?
 
Barley is magic. It does everything possible to become beer, in spite of you.

But hitting 175 is sort of the equivalent of driving north half a day when you should have gone south. ...And your wife is with you.

Beta amylase was very likely more than 70% denatured after 10 minutes. It has a half life of 20 minutes or so at 150, so it goes away, quickly. Alpha amylase has a half life measured in hours, so you still had some enzyme activity. But, you still beat it like a rented mule.

On the other hand, this beer will have rich, full body and magnificent head retention. Probably half or a little less of the alcohol you intended. I recommend that you make a sugar solution of dextrose, that will create about half the intended alcohol in this beer and add it to late primary. It will all ferment out, and the additional alcohol will have the effect of lightening the body a little.
 
Brewfun - I think that has to be the most entertaining forum post I have read in a while. Very descriptive!

I would add that Honey might be a good candidate to add to bring the alcohol content back up. It works well when added late in the primary or is added to the secondary. I usually pasteurize by sticking the honey container in a saucepan of water at 145F (thermometer in the honey not the water) for 30 mins to kill off the wild yeasts (some may say that is unnecessary).
 
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