Mash times and iodine

[Bart Goddard]

One thing I've never done is an iodine test. I've always just mashed
for an hour and called it good and never had any problems blah blah blah...

It occured to me the other day that perhaps an hour isn't just plenty
of time, but WAY plenty of time. A webpage I just checked suggested that
most mashes are done in about 30 minutes.

So I'm thinking that I'll start doing some iodine tests and see if
I can start predicting mash times better. When it's 100 here in
Texas, it pays to be done brewing as early in the morning as
possible. (My usual sessions are 7 to noon in the Summer.)

Any advice about doing the tests or anything related to the tests?

B.

[Ecnerwal]

Post by Bart Goddard
One thing I've never done is an iodine test. I've always just mashed
for an hour and called it good and never had any problems blah blah blah...
It occured to me the other day that perhaps an hour isn't just plenty
of time, but WAY plenty of time. A webpage I just checked suggested that
most mashes are done in about 30 minutes.
So I'm thinking that I'll start doing some iodine tests and see if
I can start predicting mash times better. When it's 100 here in
Texas, it pays to be done brewing as early in the morning as
possible. (My usual sessions are 7 to noon in the Summer.)
Any advice about doing the tests or anything related to the tests?
B.

As about a 90% dark (if you can see through it, it's probably not mine)
beer brewer I'm never all that certain they work for me. I suppose I
could not mash the dark grains, but they do seem to give a bit more if
they are mashed, and I prefer to handle all the grain in one go anyway.

Someone suggested using large (sidewalk?) chalk as the test surface -
put a drop of wort and a drop of iodine on the end of the stick, then
trim (or write, I suppose) off the end of the stick for a new clean
surface.

[Tom Biasi]

Post by Bart Goddard
One thing I've never done is an iodine test. I've always just mashed
for an hour and called it good and never had any problems blah blah blah...
It occured to me the other day that perhaps an hour isn't just plenty
of time, but WAY plenty of time. A webpage I just checked suggested that
most mashes are done in about 30 minutes.
So I'm thinking that I'll start doing some iodine tests and see if
I can start predicting mash times better. When it's 100 here in
Texas, it pays to be done brewing as early in the morning as
possible. (My usual sessions are 7 to noon in the Summer.)
Any advice about doing the tests or anything related to the tests?
B.

It's not a bad idea to do the iodine test when you are not sure of the
conversion time. I use it only when I change things. If I'm doing things
as I always have then I know the conversion will take about 45 minutes.
If I change grains, temps or anything drastic I will check for
conversion. It takes so little time and effort why not?

Tom

[David M. Taylor]

I typically only mash for 40 minutes after experimenting a lot with mash times. Sixty minutes is indeed overkill unless you are doing a 100% low enzyme mash such as a dunkel with all Munich malt. But beyond that, 40 minutes is always enough in my experience. No iodine test necessary when the results are based on taste and experience.

[Bart Goddard]

Post by David M. Taylor
I typically only mash for 40 minutes after experimenting a lot

with

Post by David M. Taylor
mash times. Sixty minutes is indeed overkill unless you are doing

a

Post by David M. Taylor
100% low enzyme mash such as a dunkel with all Munich malt. But
beyond that, 40 minutes is always enough in my experience. No

iodine

Post by David M. Taylor
test necessary when the results are based on taste and experience.

Thanks. I tend to lean on "taste and experience" rather than
on calculation. (Which seems odd, maybe, because I'm a
mathematician in my real life.) Intuition has always served
me better in the brewery and the kitchen, than measuring.

I suspect that 60 minutes IS overkill, so I'm glad to hear
"40 minutes" usually works.

B.