All - Assuming you are brewing a basic APA and the water, pH, etc., management is being done ‘properly’, I am curious if anyone has any insight or experience to whether or not there is a significant difference between performing a single infusion mash at 153 F for 60 min vs starting at 148F for 15 min and then stepping up to 158 F for 40 min.
Traditional and popular practice these days with our current malt modification specs seems to yield the single infusion method at a middle range beta/alpha temp to be the widely accepted choice, but wondered if a simple 2 step saccharification method would actually yield anything different or it is basically the same end result as the single temp mash.
**Note - I am not asking if one method is better than the other, just simply if anyone has any insights or experiences with the difference.
I use a split mash profile like the one you describe but for farmhouse beers, albeit a longer mash. I wouldn’t use it for pale ales myself merely because I don’t want my pale ales as dry as a saison. APAs are almost universally mashed by single infusion. Changing the mash might give you character you find unfamiliar to the style but maybe it better satisfies your desire for your brew.