Mash low, ferment high

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I had a pint of the now ubiquitous doom bar in a Wimbledon pub on Sunday. It was a panic order after I was informed the local guest ale (twickenham grandstand) had run out.

Anyway, it was better than most pints of DB I've had before, lots of fruit and interesting liquorice flavour. Which prompted me to look up the recipe.

Couldn't find any exact stuff but found a thread on another forum where some guy had emailed sharps.

They gave him the grain bill and hops (can't remember what and they didn't give quantities of either), yeast was a Whitbread derivative. They also advised the guy to:
- mash low at 64c
- ferment high at 25c

Fermenting high I can see (esters, fruitiness) but mashing low was new to me.

What are the likely results of doing that?
 
You should get more fermentable sugars. This will give you a drier beer and if overdone, less body.

(So higher mash temp, some less fermentable sugars and some residual sweetness and maybe more body).
 
During malting, barley germinates and synthesises a number of enzymes (biological/protein catalysts) for the process. Two important enzymes for the mash are the amylases, alpha and beta. Alpha is active between 68-75*C and promotes the formation of less fermentable sugars. Beta is active between 54-65*C and promotes the formation of highly fermentable sugars. Higher mash temps selecting for alpha activity produce less fermentable wort that attenuates less giving a fuller body. Lower mash temps selecting for beta activity produce more fermentable wort that attenuates more giving a thinner body. The art is to strike a balance, I think. If you go too low, it's best to include a rest in the alpha range too. I've only done this so-called step mashing for Saisons. I tend to stick with 65*C for most ales and go higher for stouts.
 
McMullan said:
During malting, barley germinates and synthesises a number of enzymes (biological/protein catalysts) for the process. Two important enzymes for the mash are the amylases, alpha and beta. Alpha is active between 68-75*C and promotes the formation of less fermentable sugars. Beta is active between 54-65*C and promotes the formation of highly fermentable sugars. Higher mash temps selecting for alpha activity produce less fermentable wort that attenuates less giving a fuller body. Lower mash temps selecting for beta activity produce more fermentable wort that attenuates more giving a thinner body. The art is to strike a balance, I think. If you go too low, it's best to include a rest in the alpha range too. I've only done this so-called step mashing for Saisons. I tend to stick with 65*C for most ales and go higher for stouts.
Click to expand...

Hence 65-67c being typical recommendation, striking that balance. I don't see doom bar as being particularly dry though. Not sure I've got my process down well enough to start tinkering with mash temps and be able to appreciate any difference it brings. Interesting though
 

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