Wort

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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jimc
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2001 11:50 pm
Location: West Grove, PA, US

Wort

Post by jimc »

I am new to all grain brewing. Can the mash be safely completed the night before starting the boil?
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Mesa Maltworks
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 477
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island

Yes... but only with some fuss...

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

You can pre-prep wort for the next days brew, but it must be fully lautered when you do to avoid lactic and acidic bacterial infection. There are two ways this can be accomplished: 1) Preparation with anti-microbial agents prior to refrigerating such as sodium metabisulfite or potassium sorbate or 2) Freezing the pre-boiled wort. The reason this is a necessity is that if you do not do either of these, it will be likely that bacterium or molds will move into your wort and cause off flavors. This can occur very rapidly ! Another possibility is that wild yeast, which is a very quick propagator compared to brewers yeast, can also do the same thing. Boiling the wort after this has occured will NOT eliminate the deliterious effects on flavor that may be caused.

It is my suggestion that you wait until you have the proper time available to complete your brew within the same day. Your session will yield better results, you won't be worried and it is actually more time efficient because you don't have to re-heat the lautered wort let alone the night befores' preparation.

Eric Watson
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