The overnight mash intrigues me. I actually tried it a couple years ago. I just did my regular thing and left it until the next morning. It did have a little sour smell when I opened up the mash tun, and that spooked me a little, but I carried on and made beer. I don’t recall any major differences in the results. I have to confess; I am not one to take a lot of notes, measurements, nor do I claim to have a sensitive palate. I made beer; it was drinkable; it was consumed.
Now that I’m retired, I have more time to improve my methods and make a more enjoyable beer. However, being some 30+ years since I made that first batch, I just get wiped out on a brew day. Breaking things down into two days would be really nice.
So, what would be a few simple recommendations for success in overnight mashing?
-Would you try to maintain recipe mash temp for a couple hours, then put it to bed. (I can use my digiboil for mashing 5 gallon batches)
- Would you recommend a full volume mash to further reduce startup time the next morning?
-Anything else that you can think of that you would absolutely want to do, or absolutely want to avoid doing?
I would also like to do 10 gallon batches this way, but would have to use my mash tun, (non-heatable) rather than the digiboil.
Thanks in advance!