Grain temp in Lauter Tun

[O2 Mash]

I brewed this morning and found that the temp of the grains in the Lauter Tun was only 140*. :eek: Strange, I thought because I mashed at 155*, and my sparge water was at 180* before I transferred it into the HLT.

I am using a 5 gal. cooler for the HLT; a 5 gal. cooler for the lauter tun, and a Phil's sparge arm.

This was the first time I have ever taken the temp of the grains in the lauter tun, and I was surprised because I thought the HOT water in the sparging process was supposed to stop the enzyme activity by raising the temp up to 170* or so. At 140*, I'm sure that didn't happen. My beer has always turned out okay, and this is how I've always done it.

Does this sound right to anyone? What are the consequences if I didn't stop the enzymatic activity? Isn't this what is called "mashing out"?

[funkconnection]

for what do you want to stop the enzyme activity in the lauter turn?

The temperature must be to 170°F (78°C) for two main reasons :

1. The filtration will be improve with the high temperature (as the temperature increases the viscosity of the liquid decreases)

2. But you have to stop to 170°F (78°C) for having an enzyme activity for reducing the residual starch. Because enzyme is destroyed at 176°F (80°C) it is necessary to keep below this temperature during lautering.

The stop of the enzyme activity is during the wort boiling.

For the temperature of the grains, I don't think is really important. For me, you hgave only to concentrate on the sparge temperature.

[O2 Mash]

Thanks for the input, I understand that everything I was doing was okay.

And thanks to Brewmonkey for the pm's setting me straight on this one. Maybe this beer will turn out okay after all :)