Enzyme Activity

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

On my brew day yesterday I used a grist containing grains with good enzyme qualities for conversion. I also used a 5.2 pH stabiliser in with the mash. It is said to assist with creating a good environment for enzyme activity due to the pH level created.

After 60mins of the mash I like to give it a stir to make sure there are no remaining grain balls & that the grain has separated well. I then usually mash for a further 20-30mins. Yesterday as I began to stir I noticed a lot of "foaming" (for a better word) than I have had before when mini-mashing. I can only assume this is the result of high enzyme activity? 

I'm wondering if this was due to the grist used, or the pH stabiliser, or a combination of both?

I'd be interested to hear from those that use water treatment, whether when they first began using salts etc. if they had an occurrence such as this.

Cheers,

Lusty. 

[headmaster]

I can't remember if it was when I started using salts or not, but with my ghetto HERMS, the top of the wort does start to foam as the sac rest starts to crank up. 

I don't see the foam at the glucan or protein rests but yeah once I'm 5 to 10  mins in to saccharification the foam appears on the surface. 

I expect this only happens because I am circulating, or if you were to stir up the mash, as you did there Lusty. 

I think it is more noticeable when using stuff like oats,  wheat  and rye with plenty of glucans? 

Have  just made a NEIPA that has all of those in it and it was quite foamy I remember at the saccharification rest. 

Not sure if there is a gas byproduct being produced by the enzymes or not. 

[Hairy]

I didn't notice any difference with foaming when I started using salts etc.

There are a lot of posts about this in the Grainfather Users Group and the common response is that it is caused by air (from the pump during recirc) or by air in combination with high protein malt like wheat.

Did it foam up after you stirred it?

[Otto Von Blotto]

Mine don't foam up at all during the main mash rest, no difference between not using salts and using them, but other than doughing in I don't stir it except during heating. I've never used that 5.2 stuff so no idea what effect it might have. If the beersmith prediction is right then I'm in the right pH range anyway, and I usually use acid malt to drop it if needed. 

I do get a little bit of foaming when I bring it up to mash out but that's also in conjunction with stirring the mash around and has always happened, and the usual foaming when it's coming up to the boil. That foaming usually starts when it reaches the mid-high 70s. Maybe the grain bag prevents it rising to the surface during the heating to mash out because it's the same temperature.

[The Captain!!]

I do get some foaming at mash time. Especially if I stir at the 30 min mark during mash. I have very hard water so maybe that could be the difference between what Kelsey has noticed and my system. I’ll be brewing tomorrow, if I remember I’ll take a photo. 

[The Captain!!]

Hey @Beerlust

heres a photo of my mash about 5 minutes after doughing in. It’s appropriately 10mm thick

Is this what you were talking about mate?

[Beerlust]

Thanks for all the replies & input guys. Much appreciated. 

Temps were fine at start of mash & post mash (65-66°C). 

I had a fair bit of floating grain that covered the top surface of the wort @ 60mins. A little unusual, but I've had this before & it caused no issues. When I stirred the grain at this point it must have allowed the build up of activity underneath it to break surface tension. Maybe that was why it seemed to foam up a little excessively? 

It's no biggy, I just found it interesting & wondered what may have caused it. The ferment was up & going fairly smartly for a lager brew & is fermenting well.

It's a fairly expensive brew for me, so just wanted to check there wasn't something amiss given a few of the different things I did with this brew compared to my usual ones.

Thanks again,

Lusty.