Lesson 4 - The Mashing Process
This lesson discusses the process of mashing. It provides an overview and sets out the objectives of the process before explaining what parameters need to be controlled to ensure success. It describes the various methods used to mash and their impact on the wort produced. Finally, it details the composition of wort produced by mashing.
The Objectives of Mashing
A good place to start our look into the mashing process is to identify what we need to achieve from mashing. You could, of course, just say ‘we need to make wort,’ but as we are (or soon will be) brewing experts, we need more detail than that!
Let’s list what we need to achieve in mashing:
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Maximise extract yield
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Obtain the required wort sugar spectrum (and hence wort fermentability)
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Produce a wort with the correct level of yeast nutrients (FAN, ions, vitamins)
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Minimise the extraction of undesirable material
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Maximise the chances of producing a beer with excellent foam, colloidal and flavour stability
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Minimise the amount of time, energy and resources consumed
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Provide an input to wort separation that ensures it will be successful
By the end of the lesson, we will have a great understanding of how we manage the mashing process to achieve these objectives. Before we get into the specifics, we will start with an overview of the mashing process so we have a foundation on which to build.