Poly-gyle Homebrewing: Making Excessive-Gravity Beers

What’s Poly-gyle?

We, nonetheless, are speaking concerning the follow of poly-gyling, which entails mashing with wort slightly than water by means of a number of mashes. Poly-gyling will not be a brand new idea—information present it was used as early because the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Elizabethan England.[iii] Again then, brewers had been forbidden from brewing sturdy beers as a result of they had been thought-about wasteful. These days, using a poly-gyling routine is an efficient option to obtain greater gravity beers whereas saving mash tun house. Poly-gyling may be known as reiterated mashing or double mashing.

Poly-gyle vs Parti-gyle Brewing

After I point out doing a poly-gyle, folks inevitably ask if I imply parti-gyle. I don’t. A parti-gyle is the time period used to explain working the wort from a single mash into a number of kettles.¹ A parti-gyle consists of 1 mash getting used for a number of batches of beer with progressively decrease gravities. The identical mash is lautered a number of occasions. The household of Scottish ales is an effective instance of how one mash can create a method reminiscent of Wee Heavy, then a decrease gravity Scottish Heavy, and eventually a good decrease gravity Scottish Gentle. A poly-gyle, alternatively, is making concentrated wort with the aim of reaching the next gravity.

The right way to Poly-gyle Homebrew

Like many issues with homebrewing, there’s an in-depth, technical (however simple to observe) methodology for poly-gyling, after which there’s the quick-and-dirty methodology. The short-and-dirty methodology is what I’ll describe right here, because it’s the one with which I’ve probably the most expertise. For a superb primer on the technical methodology, please see Chris Colby’s influential article outlining his process for reiterated mashing.[iv]

Poly-gyling will lengthen your brew day, as you’re doing two (or extra) mashes to create your concentrated wort, however the time spent is on par with the time it takes to do an prolonged boil. Step one in poly-gyling is dividing up your grain invoice. For the quick-and-dirty methodology, there a few choices for doing this. First, you may weigh out and blend your whole grain invoice collectively and divide it into roughly equal batches. Second, you may prioritize mashing your base malt within the first mash together with any specialty malt your recipe comprises within the remaining mash tun house after which conduct your second mash with the remaining grain. I’ve accomplished a poly-gyle utilizing each strategies and each labored tremendous for reaching my meant gravities. Typically a poly-gyle is a well-planned step in my brew day course of, and different occasions it’s a gameday choice once I notice, as I’m making an attempt to mash in, that my grain invoice is simply too massive for my mash tun. If this method is simply too willy-nilly for you, I actually can’t advocate Chris Colby’s extraordinarily detailed and considerate article sufficient.

You’ll conduct your first mash as regular. Intention for a mash temperature of 150–152°F (66–67°C) and a mash time of 60 minutes. Recirculate your wort till it runs clear after which run off the wort—your brew kettle is the right vessel for the runoff. Your intention in working off this primary mash is to get your pre-boil quantity of wort wanted to your whole batch. As a result of the grain will soak up a number of the water, you’ll need to sparge your grain mattress till you acquire your full pre-boil quantity. Subsequent, warmth your wort as much as strike temperature. Whereas your wort is heating, clear the spent grain out of your first mash out of your mash tun.

For my fellow brew-in-a-bag homebrewers, I sometimes add all the water I’ll want to attain my pre-boil quantity through the first mash. That is normally a perform of the aforementioned realization that my grain will not be all going to slot in my mash tun as I’m already mashing in. Whereas the wort is heating to strike temperature, I clear the spent grains from my brewing bag (and want that I had remembered to purchase a second brewing bag) after which fill it with the grains for the second mash.

You’ll conduct your second mash as you usually do apart from utilizing your strike-temperature wort out of your first mash as a substitute of water. Run your wort out of your kettle again into your mash tun and mash in, once more aiming for a temperature of round 150–152°F and a mash time of 60 minutes. As soon as your second mash is full, you’ll recirculate, lauter, and sparge as regular into your boil kettle.

After finishing your poly-gyle, your brew day continues on as regular!

As talked about, the above methodology is the short and soiled methodology I’ve employed a number of occasions with success. Water chemistry and acceptable pH are the issues I hear probably the most usually with poly-gyling. When creating my water profile for a poly-gyle, I’ll sometimes intention to maintain the pH of my mash within the mid to greater finish of the beneficial 5.2—5.6 pH vary for environment friendly enzymatic exercise. My poly-gyle batches have additionally been comprised of base and crystal malts, with no roasted malts. For those who’re excited about making an attempt a poly-gyle with a grain invoice that features roasted malts, my suggestion is to both add your roasted malts throughout the previous couple of minutes of your second mash, or make a roasted malt scorching steep and add the ensuing tea to the previous couple of minutes of your boil. Alternatively, you may put money into a pH meter and monitor the pH of your second mash, including calcium or carbonate as wanted to regulate.

Poly-gyling isn’t just a good way to brew high-gravity beers with the tools you’ve gotten, nevertheless it may also be a good way for homebrewers making smaller batches <5 gallons) to brew medium- to high-gravity beers, reminiscent of Dunkles Bock or Double IPA.

Poly-gyle Homebrew Recipe

Previous Wives Story Barleywine

Recipe Specs:

• Unique Gravity: 1.120
• Estimated ABV: 13%
• Shade: Deep copper
• Bitterness: 52 IBU
• Yeast: Alcohol-tolerant English ale

Elements for five gallons:

• 21 lb (95%) Maris Otter pale malt
• 0.5 lb (2.5%) Victory malt
• 0.5 lb (2.5%) Crystal 120 malt
• 1.5 oz Goal hops, 11% a.a. (60 minutes)
• 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings hops, 5% a.a. (20 min)
• 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings hops, 5% a.a. (flameout)

Instructions:

Divide the grain into two equal elements. Conduct your first mash at 150-152 °F for 60 minutes. Vorlauf till wort is obvious after which run your wort off into your boil kettle. Sparge as wanted to achieve desired full pre-boil quantity. Warmth wort as much as strike temperature (a minimum of 158 °F however will fluctuate). Whereas your wort is heating up, clear the spent grains out of your mash tun and get it prepared to your subsequent mash. Repeat your mashing routine and sparge to gather desired pre-boil quantity. After your poly-gyle mash is full, your brew day continues as regular.

Concerning the Creator

Jen Blair is an Superior Cicerone and Nationwide BJCP Beer Choose. She is the co-host of False-Bottomed Ladies, a podcast about beer and brewing. Jen could be discovered at underthejenfluence.beer or on Fb at Beneath the Jenfluence and Instagram at @underthejenfluence.

Garrett, Oliver, ed. The Oxford Companion to Beer. New York, NY: Oxford College Press Inc, 2012.