Mash temp too low

Hey all,
I ended up with a mash temp of 149 instead of 153 for the pale ale I’m brewing today. To make matters worse I didn’t realize this until my tun was full to the top so I couldn’t add water.

Just how much drier will this make the final beer? I’m willing to leave it as is, but is there anything that can be done post-mash to compensate for the temp mistake?

Do I just mash for a longer time?

I wouldn’t worry about it. I would just go with it. You could add maltodextrin to the boil to beef up they body.

I missed my temp by 4 degrees the last time didn’t notice too much. Go with what you have and change it next time

Yeah, I wouldn’t be too concerned.  But you could pull off a decoction and just bring it to a boil to try to raise the temp.

+1
Could wind up being the best beer you’ll ever make… A few of my successes have been born from mistakes like this.

OK…I’m not messing with it.  I’d have a home brew right now but I just bottled my first batch yesterday, sooo…SNPA in a can will have to do!  8)

I think the importance of mash temp is overstated. The temp range is so narrow, and modern malt has so much enzymatic power, that a mash at 149* probably won’t be any drier than a mash at 153*, all other things being equal. Strain selection and grain bill have a much bigger impact on dryness than mash temp.

Now, if you’re mashing at say 145 instead of 160, that’d be a big difference.

cant wait for those cans to find their way down here for my next road trip.

The only other difference is the beer may lack a little body and mouthfeel.  BUT, you may really like it that way!
RDWAHAHB or a SNPA if none is available!  :wink:

Dave

Has your Thermometer been calibrated lately?  Maybe its off and you were closer to your mash temp then you thought.  Either way, you’ll still get good conversion and a great beer.

Yeah, after checking it with boiling water then an ice bath I bought a lab thermometer that is supposed to be accurate to within 1 degree F and it’s dead on with that at mash temps (which I had to laugh at because I only paid $5 for the one I’m using).

I realized yesterday why I was off: I had my grain in the fridge up until about 10 minutes before I mashed in, so the grain wasn’t 72 degrees like I had it in Beersmith. Had I taken the grain temp before mashing I would have seen this and adjusted accordingly. Oh well, live and learn. I samples some yesterday and it tastes great.