Hey folks-I have in the last few years converted to elect brewing and have so much more control in the mash. Just curious if those who do elect brew vary the mash temps and times for each recipe. Do you keep the same temps and times for all Pale malts, Pilsner malts etc?
I use RIMS. Most of my recipes are single infusion mash. Occasionally, I’ll use mash steps to focus on enzyme groups.
Most of the time I use a single infusion mash schedule. I sometimes to a step mash which is just a matter of adjusting the set temp on your controller.
I have several Grainfather systems. Mash temperature and schedule is decided partially by recipe, but equally important is what the malt needs. Sometimes it’s a step mash, sometimes it’s single infusion.
I find it to be totally malt dependent. Some heritage malts work best with a step mash (or decoction if desired); most modern malts are fine with a single infusion (typically followed by a mashout step) or batch sparge. YMMV, of course.
I generally use single infusion mashes, but the mash temperature depends on the recipe, to get the fermentability I want.
I pretty much use the same mash schedule for every beer, but I also tend to brew the same few recipes over and over with only minor variations.
147/148 - 30 minutes
162/163 - 30 minutes
170 - 10 minutes
I have an Anvil Foundry without a pump. I mash in at 147F, then set the power level to 66% and set my temp to 162F. When the controller reads 162F, I stir my mash (which settles in somewhere in the low/mid 150’s once it is mixed) and bump the temp up a few degrees. I keep repeating this process (heat, mix, bump temp) until it gets to about 180F on the contoller (low 170’s actual mash temp), then I drain the grain basket. It’s essentially a continuous ramp starting from a low beta rest up through mashout over about 70-80 minutes. I haven’t noticed a significant difference in body or efficiency compared to my old usual 153F for 1 hour mash schedule, but the grains drain better at the warmer pull temp, and I’m closer to boil temps when my mash is done. This is certainly a “just because I can” methodology, but it works for me and makes good beer.