Transforming the magic of the grain into the perfect beer
Have you ever wondered why some lots come out with that freshness and unique body, while others seem to be on the road? The answer, on many occasions, lies in how we handle the process of extraction of grain sugars and the way in which the water flow crosses that mystical mass of ground barley.
The secret behind a ground that conquers palates
Before immersing yourself in the battle in the pot, look closely to how crushes that grain. The key is to grind it precisely, leaving the shell in place to act as a natural filter. A double roller mill, carefully adjusted, can be your best friend, allowing a balance between a fine grinding and the preservation of the external shell.
Eye! Some input stores do not calibrate their mills well, and that can ruin your crush, making losing efficiency and taste of every day. In addition, certain special malts require fine adjustments in the ground to release all their potential.
Navigating the geography of the volume of water
The next piece of puzzle is to master the amount of water you use. A key ingredient: the absorption of the grains, which varies depending on the type of malt. For simple systems such as BIAB, absorption is lower, but in traditional tubs, loss due to absorption and dead space make you calculate with care how much water you need to avoid surprises.
What does this mean in practice? To subtract the amount of water that the malt retains the total volume you want to obtain, will give you a precise figure of how much you should add to the macerate and how much water you need to make the final washing without losing anything along the way.
The time to heat and do magic with temperature
And what about temperatures? Traditionally, a heating at about 75 ° C (168 ° F) is recommended to ‘stop’ or stop the enzymes, helping the conversion to be more uniform. But many modern brewers believe that, with a good equipment and ground, this is not so necessary and that even a water at about 81 ° C (178 ° F) can facilitate a softer flow and increase the viscosity of the must.
And what about myths like very hot water causes Tanninos? The reality is that pH and quality of work in maceration are the real responsible, not the temperature alone.
Patience: the hidden value of good extraction
Unlike a wash quickly rinse the grains, the key in extraction is in time that you allow water to be in contact with the malt. Take your time, about 20 to 30 minutes or more, helps extract more sugars and improve initial gravity. It’s like letting magic happen slowly in your bowl, without hurry but without pause.
Maintain the balance of pH: the little big detail
The pH of the must is one of those details that may seem lower, but that defines the final quality. Using an acid to adjust the pH and prevent it from rising too much during extraction (overcoming pH 6.0) is vital to prevent unpleasant flavors and the presence of unwanted tannins.
A technique that does not go out of style: recirculate and clarify
Before starting the extraction, many provide a small massage to the grain: collect the first currents and return them to the upper part so that the grain bed settles better. Modernly, systems with recirculation bombs do wonders, helping to clarify the must and reduce impurities.
Of course, you have to be careful. A poor planned circulation can create channels that evade the richest areas of the grain, so the distribution of the input and exit flow must be well controlled to maintain a uniform and stable grain bed.
And what else can we learn? That the apparent simplicity of the lautering hides secrets and that, with attention to each step, more intense flavors, better performance and cleaner and consistent beers can be taken.
