I’ve swapped back and for the many times on hockhurz step mashing and single infusion for my lagers. I’ve been more pleased with the hockhurz mashed beers more often than not. I would prefer it if I preferred the single infusion beers, since the latter while fairly easy with my HERMS, is a bit shorter of a brewday but I don’t. I’m stepping all my lagers going forward.
I’d probably step mash the kolsch personally.
I’m not sure exactly what “challenge” you guys are talking about, but I can tell you, I have experience mashing extract as explained in the link that follows. A couple years ago, my local homebrew club ran an all ESB competition where we all brewed the same extract ESB recipe to see whose process reigned supreme or whatever. The ingredients list included aromatic malt, which fortunately contains some enzymes (supposedly, anyway). So, I did a quick steep of the aromatic and other specialty malts for a few minutes, removed the steeping bag, added all the extract (several pounds), then maintained the temperature at 150 F for like 40 minutes or so, then brought to the boil and brewed as normal. (Yeah, it was definitely single infusion.) The result? Well I can’t say if it was due to the mash or due to my use of distilled water or anything else, but… I won the gold medal out of about 8 or 9 entries. And I’m sure no one else did a glorified steep like I did. Otherwise all entries were exactly the same recipe, same ingredients, but just different water and different process and different brewers. It was pretty cool to see my efforts paid off.
So anyway… read what follows if you’ve ever thought about mashing extract. It can be done, and it does seem like maybe it makes a difference.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=14465.0
Apologies if I doth digress too much.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming just because someone has won a medal or ten that they are automatically a better brewer than any one else.
I wonder if those receiving the award are honestly saying the same thing deep down inside. 
Not to take this too far off on a tangent, but the challenge rules for the spring swap have been narrowed down to A) MUST use DME and dry yeast and B) CANNOT mash or mini-mash. Everything else is fair game.
Back on topic, I had recently made up my mind to experiment with the Hochkurz mash a bit right before this thread went up. It won’t add any extra time to my usual process, so I figure why not. I have an Uerige-esque Alt planned for next month, so I’ll be trying it out then.
Probably not, Dave. ;D Having won a medal or two that surprised me on beers that I thought were ‘pretty good’, and having really good beers come up short just reinforces (to me anyway) that comps are unpredictable. Judges have varying experience, knowledge of a given style, and palate fatigue within a style. Judges - please understand that I mean no disrespect. 90% of the time I am harder on my own beers than any judge ever. The other 10% I chalk up to a tough category, and occasionally ‘they missed a good one’. Stuff happens.
I won a blue ribbon for a 32 pt Helles, so… ya, I’m an expert.
I had a Helles get a 45 from a pro and 42 from a National and not even place in the category…so it depends on the comp and the judges. But Jim is an expert as far as I am concerned! Just waiting for him to discover the “It” key for the rest of us, then we can all tie at the NHC finals.
Good luck.
I must admit your system is quite impressive - and back at you on the good wishes.
Germans were making “IT” long before hi-tech systems were invented…that’s not the secret IMO.
For the record I used a simple infusion mash at 150*. I appreciate all the input I may try a step mash the next time I brew a Kolsch or beer like this. This time around I didn’t have the time and energy to play with my HERMS, just wanted to mash in the cooler and call it good.
Always great insight and tips on this forum.
Yep. Obviously there are techniques that have to be mastered, but I’m still sold on ‘it’ as uber fresh, top notch ingredients.
Likely so. Equipment and technology is quite likely irrelevant.
To me, the inability for us to choose the best of the malts and hop crops explains why it’s so hard to duplicate at home. Fun trying to duplicate anyway !
Agreed. Having all of that with the right process and you could nail it…irrespective of your low tech or high tech system.
Would I love the ease and precision of high tech- absolutely.
I’m curious, do you find the ingredients you get to be inferior in some way? Or the variety available lacking? The supplies available twenty years ago pale in comparison to what is out there today. I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t get a particular malt or hop variety (as long as you order your hops when they hit the market) nor have I received supplies that were stale or unusable. I’ve been to malting facilities as I have a friend in the biz and also to hop farms (none in Europe, yet) and while the contracted brewers may get first pick, that doesn’t mean the balance of the malt or hops are somehow lacking.
Back on topic, this thread caught my eye because I have step mashed kolsch and never found a difference between that and a single infusion. And my initial reply about competition winners somehow being superior to other brewers due to the coincidence that the only time I entered the AHA national comp I submitted a Kolsch and a Cream Ale. These light styles are often discussed as being more tedious to brew due to their light nature. Both scored high enough to earn silver medals, that certainly doesn’t make me feel like I am a better brewer than anyone else. More so that I had a good handle on the style and process.
personally, I don’t think we get bad or subpar, or lack of variety of brewing ingredients.
I just think fresh is best-not so different from baking and cooking. I’d love to grab a freshly malted sack of pils, some just processed hops, and give it whirl and see if that freshness carries through or not to the finished product.
We have access to good ingredients of course, but we don’t get to pick the very best lot of noble hops from a farm or the freshest, highest quality lots of malts from maltsters. Homebrewers get what’s left over. Some German brewers have malts made to their own specs. I’m just saying that while we have access to often very good ingredients, there is a pecking order on ingredients and we’re not at the top.