A grain bill or mash bill is the whole of the different malts, grains, and adjuncts that make up a beer. The grain bill is very important when designing a beer recipe, as it is primarily responsible for the potential original gravity, color, and diastatic power of the beer.
Tag: mash (Page 2 of 2)
A mash bill or grain bill is the whole of the different malts, grains, and adjuncts that make up a beer. The mash bill is very important when designing a beer recipe, as it is primarily responsible for the potential original gravity, color, and diastatic power of the beer.
A beer’s grist is the milled or crushed malt and grain that comprises the grain bill prior to the mashing process. An example description of a beer’s grist would be: crushed American two-row malted barley, German pilsner malt, and some white wheat malt.
Diastatic power or enzymatic power is the measurement of how much starch-converting enzyme a malted grain contains. It is shown in degrees Lintner. If your mash does not contain an adequate amount of diastatic power, you will not convert a high enough portion of the starch in your grain bill to sugar, which will translate to a low brew house efficiency and lower than expected starting gravity.
To be safe, you should aim for an average of at least 75 degrees Lintner for your total grain bill. For the most part, light base malts are used to make up the real diastatic power of a mash. Caramelized, toasted, and roasted malts have diminished diastatic power due to excessive heating. Generally, the darker the roast of the malted grain, the less diastatic power it will have.
Calcium sulfate or CaSO4 is also known as gypsum. It can be used to boost sulfate or add permanent hardness to a mash. You will want to verify with your vendor, but one gram per gallon typically adds 62 ppm calcium,147 ppm sulfate, and 153.5 ppm to the permanent hardness.
Calcium chloride or CaCl2 is used as water additive to reduce the pH of a mash. One gram per gallon typically adds 72 ppm of calcium and 127 ppm of chloride, but you will want to verify those numbers with your vendor.
Recent Comments