In decoction mashing, a portion of the water and grain mixture in the mash is boiled in a separate pot and then added back to the mash to raise the temperature during steps in the mash. The decoction tool is a calculator to help determine how much mixture you need to remove and boil for each step.
Note that most decoction profiles start with an infusion step which brings the mash to the first step temperature, and then decoction methods are used after that to achieve follow-on steps.
Online Articles: Decoction Mashing, Infusion Mashing and Decoction
Using the Decoction Tool
| o | Select the Decoction Tool from the Tools menu or ribbon. |
| o | Enter the target step temperature for the next step in your mash profile |
| o | Enter the starting conditions for your mash including the starting water volume and the total weight of the grain you are mashing. |
| o | Enter the starting mash temperature, which is usually the temperature of the current step in your mash |
| o | If you want to also adjust for equipment - include a non-zero mash tun weight and mash tun specific heat. Note that the mash tun specific heat is generally between 0.2 and 0.5, with all metal mash tuns being on the low end and plastic insulated mash tuns being on the high end of that range. |
| o | Enter the temperature at which your decoction boils. Due to altitude variations, and also the fact that the mash is a mixture of water and grain, often the decoction will boil at a temperature slightly above the boiling point of water (which is 212F or 100C). |
| o | The tool will show the volume of water and grain mixture than needs to be decocted (removed and boiled) to achieve the next step |
| o | It will also show the water to grain ratio of the current mash step |
