Bolverk Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Howdy all, I'm hoping you can help me understand something... So I crunched all the numbers on the Crampton and Tolman papers, and I see that the average ratio for the ryes is 85r/15mb, and bourbons 75c/13r/11mb... but when I run the DP on those recipes, they are severely lacking in power (even using distillers malt which wasn't available until like the 1950s) needed to convert the mash . How were they getting proper conversion if they weren't using exogenous enzymes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleclerc77 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Would it make sense if they were shooting for a lower starting gravity back then? I've heard that was the case back in the day. I've thought about how I'd achieve full conversion without enzymes, and a significantly lower starting gravity - so less grain for the same volume of mash would definitely be my starting point. More for viscosity reasons than anything. I'd still shoot for ~15% mb in this hypothetical scenario though. Just a thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolverk Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 I've read a 5-6% beer was common for the time, but percentage wise the amount of malt in each is the same whether it a 5% or a 10%. Based on the modern DP of malts these bills don't have enough enzymes to convert until you start getting closer to 25% malt. I feel like I'm missing something stupid obvious. Maybe it's a longer mash time and thin beer, like 5-6%, but mashed for several hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pofarmer Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 This is an interesting little read. https://www.mcbrayerlegacyspirits.com/2021/04/02/the-letter-behind-the-legacy-how-we-discovered-our-mash-bill/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolverk Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 49 minutes ago, Pofarmer said: This is an interesting little read. https://www.mcbrayerlegacyspirits.com/2021/04/02/the-letter-behind-the-legacy-how-we-discovered-our-mash-bill/ Thanks for that! It kinda confirms the following... In speaking with whiskey historian, that low/incomplete conversion leaves more flavored starchy bits in your beer, thus leading to a more flavorable spirit. It makes sense now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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