Mashout have improved my effecinacy so much.

[guest5234]

First 2 brews I had poor effecinacy with a pre-boil reading of only 1020, I put this down to the Bairds malt I had bought but after doing a mashout in my last 4 brews with the same malt i have got it up to 75% +. I am now a mashout fan, anyone else noticed a difference?

[gnutz2]

Whats a mashout?

I had some poor efficiencys from bairds and found treating my water improved it

[Spud395]

I don't BIAB , but it does make a huge difference.
Sugar dissolves better in hotter water

[Bribie]

Mashout = ramping the mash up to around 78° and resting it there for about 10 minutes. This stops the enzyme activity, and on the way through the low 70s it gives the alpha amylase a second crack at converting any starches that may possibly still be lurking in the grain. It's a mechanical thing as well, as noted above the higher the temperature, the more free flowing the sugary liquid we are after.

Mashout is almost universal in commercial brewing. With BIAB it's important not to let the bag touch the hot element / pot bottom during ramping - I use a curved roasting rack in the bottom of the urn but there are lots of cake racks and trivet things you can buy from kitchen shops. It's also beneficial to stir vigorously as the mash is heated up. I regularly hit 75 - 80% depending on the malt (I use UK Malts, domestic Aussie malts and Weyermann)

Off topic but another way of increasing efficiency is to use a bit more strike water, mash thinner and do a longer boil (90 minutes) - that way, less sugars are left in the spent grain. Some senior forum members and authors such as Graham Wheeler recommend 90 min boils as a matter of course and I've started doing them for the improved efficiency, plus better quality wort, better break etc.

[greenbank brewer]

I used to be concerned with efficiencies however I am now a total convert to no sparge brewing. I do mash out however. Typically get 65%.

I believe I am now brewing the best beers I ever have (been at this game for thirty odd years) and the keeping properties of the product have improved.

In brewing it is accountants that should worry about high efficiencies not brewers! They should focus on quality : )


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