Compromise Mash for those w/o recirculation

[phishie]

Coming into LODO with an Igloo cooler mash tun (+ball valve and false bottom), recirculation won't be in my process for quite a while.

I see two options:

1) Single (underlet) infusion mash @ 60-65C (I would lean more towards 63C I think based on Kai's article )
Pros: Simple to accomplish with less chance of O2 ingress than option 2. Full volume mash.
Cons: Less well-balanced mix of amino acids. worse fermentability.

2) "Hochkurz" step mash with (underlet) boiling water infusions
Pros: More well-balanced mix of amino acids, better fermentability.
Cons: Potentially thick mash for dough-in and beta rest. Many more opportunities for O2 ingress during extra infusions. Potential for hot & cold spots in the mash.

If you were in this scenario which would you chose? Are my Pros/Cons accurate?

I should mention my first LODO brew will be a Festbier with 60% floor malted prima. I'm slightly worried about option 1 because of that, although I'm not sure it's warranted. I wouldn't use floor malted if I wasn't already invested in 55 lbs of it!

[Bryan R]

Give some time for a full response. But for the love of god don't use that floor malted shit!

[phishie]

[Bryan R]

I hear ya. I have half a bag here, that I need to trash. A lot of us had less than stellar results with that stuff. I mean it's great if you like to taste damp wet hay and green apples.

Don't forget the carahell in that fest. I would up the vima, lower the muma and add carahell

[phishie]

[Bryan R]

Lower the carahell

[Techbrau]

The green apple peel flavor in the floor malt was supposedly due to a fungus that grew on several lots of the floor malt last year (Or so I've read). It is not normally supposed to taste like that.

My suggestion would be to get a floating mash cap. You can lift it off and give the mash a gentle stir every 15 minutes or so and then replace be mash cap.

[phishie]

Got too excited. 43P/43V/10M/5CH.

[phishie]

[Techbrau]

I'd kick the vienna down to 30%. If you can't step mash, just do a single infusion at 152-153 F.