The following is a step by step tutorial about using the Mash Designer in ProMash. This tutorial will walk you through entering one step for every possible heat type (infusion, decoction and direct) and demonstrate other functionality within the Mash Designer.

The Mash Designer is launched from the main ProMash screen by selecting the "Mash Designer" button. Additionally, the mash designer can be used from within the recipes and brewing sessions when you select the "Complex Mash Schedule". In the tutorial presented here, the stand-alone Mash Designer is used for demonstration. When using the complex mash schedule within recipes and brewing sessions, the screen layout is slightly different (as some items such as grain amounts are taken from the recipe itself), but the functionality is the same.

Once you have finished this tutorial, you may also want to see "Decoction Mashing, A Technical Tutorial For A Double Decoction Mash in ProMash" which will guide you through some of the details in creating a decoction mash. We strongly suggest becoming familiar with this tutorial beforehand, as it covers the basic operation characteristics you will want to know prior to the advanced tutorial.

So, let's get to it!

The first thing you will do after launching the Mash Designer is to enter a Mash name (if desired). The dialog will be filled in with some default values and the actual step list will be blank:

Note the entry fields at the bottom of the dialog are set to the default of 10 LBS Grain, the Grain Temp is 80 F, the QTS Water /LBS Grain Ratio is 1.0, the initial amount of Dough-In Infusion Water is 10 QTS (this is initially calculated based on the grain value and the default water/grain ratio) and the Thermal Mass is left at 0.0 (indicating a pre-heated mash tun). Note that the Water/Grain Ratio, Grain Temp and Thermal Mass defaults can be set in the System Settings, Mash and Evaporation Section.

The entry fields on the right hand side of the mash designer will be disabled until the first step is created.

To enter the first step of the mash schedule, press the "New Step" button on the right hand side of the dialog. A small dialog will pop-up and allow you to enter the name of the step and choose the colors for the mash graph:

For this example we will name the first step as "Protein Rest". Note that the options for Direct Heat and Decoction are disabled. This is because the 1st step in any mash schedule will be infusion, as you are doughing in grain and hot water. You can modify the color for the step here as well by pressing the "Step Up Time" and/or "Rest Time" buttons. Press OK.

The first step pops into the Step List. Now you must enter the temp that the rest will be. Enter a temp of 122 F in the "Rest Start Temp" field. Your screen should now appear as the above example. Notice that the infusion water temp is automatically calculated for you and is listed in the "Infusion Temp" column of the list box. What this means is you need to infuse 10 qts of water (your initial infusion amount) at 130 degrees F to bring the initial step temperature to 122 degrees F.

Now enter the second step in the mash schedule by pressing the "New Step" button again:

For this example we will name the step "Intermediate Rest". This step will be an infusion step, and the color of the rest time is modified from the default (to blue). Pressing OK takes you back to the main mash dialog:

When the Intermediate step is placed in the mash list, its initial temp will be that of the previous step's stop temp. So, modify the "Rest Start Temp" to 140 degrees F, the temperature we wish the "Intermediate Rest" to be. From the list above, you can see that 3.09 QTS of 210 degree F water will be needed to bring it from 122 F (the previous step) to 140 F. Note also that the Infuse Ratio in the list box now represents the ratio of the mash with the additional infusion.

Now we will enter the main step of this mash by pressing the "New Step" button once again:

For this example we will name the step "Saccharification Rest". This step will be a decoction step, and the color of the rest time is modified from the default (to orange). Pressing OK takes you back to the main mash dialog:

Upon returning to the mash dialog, the decoction step will now be highlighted, and the "Decoc Thickness", Thick, Thin, Med and Curr buttons will be enabled. For this step, modify the Rest Start Temp to 154 degrees F. In the list box, you will see that 3.18 QTS of mash need to be pulled and heated to 212 degrees F, then returned to the mash to bring the temperature from 140 F (the stop temp of the previous rest) to 154 F, the desired temperature for this step.

Note that when a decoction step is highlighted in the Step List, the headers above the list change to represent the decoction values. "Step Time" changes to "Pull Time" (representing the amount of time the pull decoction was out of the main mash), "Infuse Temp"changes to "Decoc Temp" and represents the temperature of the decoction when returned to the main mash, and "Infuse Amount" changes to "Decoc Amount", representing the amount of the decoction that needs to be pulled and returned to the main mash in order to achieve the desired Start Temp.

Additional Note: While multiple decoctions are allowed and supported, each decoction may only span from the previous step to the current step. While you may hold the decoction at another temp before bringing it to the decoc temp required, ProMash will not graph or record this additional rest temp, but only the temp of the decoction when returned to the main mash.

Decoc Thickness

What is the Decoction Thickness Parameter?

Because the mash pulled for a decoction seldom is of the same water/grain ratio as the main mash, the decoction thickness parameter allows the brewer to set the qts/lbs ratio (liters / kg if set to metric) of the actual decoction (which allows ProMash to more accurately determine the amount of the mash needed to be pulled). If this is a little confusing, try thinking of it this way: A mash has a specific water/grain ratio when the first infusion is made. This is commonly referred to as the qts/lbs ratio (or L/kg if in metric) of the mash. A decoction pull may have its own water/grain ratio, independent of the main mash. This ratio is the decoction thickness parameter. Note that when a new decoction step is created, the decoction thickness parameter is set to the current water / grain ratio of the mash, including all additional infusions made to that point.

While the actual decoction thickness (water/grain ratio) may be difficult to determine, many brewers are aware of their approximate parameters and may set the direct field accordingly. However, because many brewers will not know what their decoction water/grain ratio is, ProMash comes with several defaults set that the brewer can choose from (the values for these defaults can be set within the System Settings, Mash and Evaporation Section). These parameters are only available when the heat type is decoction.

All of the default decoction thickness ratios can be applied by simply pressing their associated button:

Thick

Pressing this button will insert the default water / grain ratio for a thick decoction pull into the the Decoc Thickness field.

Medium

Pressing this button will insert the default water / grain ratio for a medium decoction pull into the the Decoc Thickness field.

Thin

Pressing this button will insert the default water / grain ratio for a thin decoction pull into the the Decoc Thickness field.

Curr

When the Curr button is pressed, ProMash will insert the mash's current water / grain ratio into the the Decoc Thickness field. If you feel the decoction pull is the same water / grain ratio as the main mash, use the Curr button to calculate what that ratio is at the point of the decoction step and use that value. Note also that when a new decoction step is created, the decoction thickness parameter is set to the current water / grain ratio of the mash (including all additional infusions to that point).

Now we will enter the final step of this mash. Pressing the "New Step" button once again:

For this example we will name the step "Mash Out". This step will be an direct heat step, and the color of the rest time is modified from the default (to green). Pressing OK takes you back to the main mash dialog:

Upon returning to the mash dialog, the Mash Out step will now be highlighted. For this step, modify the Rest Start Temp to 165 degrees F. You will note that there are no infusion temp or infusion amounts for this step. As this is a Direct Heat step, none of these parameters apply.

You have now created a fully functional Mash Schedule! The next section of this tutorial will describe some of the nuances in using the Mash Designer:

Graphing the Results:

To see a graph of your custom mash regimen, simply press the Graph button. If you have chosen colors other than the default (as the chart below has) those colors will be used accordingly:

Show Infusion Spikes

When this option is selected, infusion spikes are shown as a dashed or solid line (depending in your system settings) dropping down to the time and temp of the mash immediately before the infusion (IE when the infusion is made), and with a solid filled ellipse at the temperature of the infusion water.

Show Decoction Spikes

When this option is selected, decoction spikes are shown as a dashed or solid line (depending in your system settings), from where the decoction was pulled in time and temperature, to the temperature of the decoction when returned to the mash, to the time and temp of the rest after the decoction is returned to the main mash.

Decoction Time Pulled:

Upon looking at the chart above, you will notice the decoction spike represents only a 5 minute step time. However, what if you pulled the decoction for 30 minutes? How do you chart that correctly?

When a particular step if denoted as a "Decoction Step", the "Step Time" label will change to "Pull Time". Pull Time works in reverse of Step Time. When a step's heat type is denoted as Direct or Infusion, the "Step Time" represent the amount of time to bring a step from one temp (the previous step's stop temp) to the next (the current step's start temp). However, the "Pull Time" for decoction steps actually represents how far back in time the decoction was pulled. (Note that there is also a 5 minute default amount of time added to the decoction "Pull Time" to properly represent going from one temp to another in the graphic charts). So, as an example, assume you pulled the decoction 5 minutes into the Intermediate step. As the intermediate step was for 30 minutes, this would mean the amount of time the decoction was pulled before being returned to the mash was 25 minutes (30 - 5). So, in the decoction step, modify the "Pull Time" to 25 minutes:

Graphing the results now we see a more accurate representation of the decoction pull:

Start and Stop Temps, Losing Heat:

How do I account for heat lost during the steps?

While many brewers are able to keep their mash tuns at a constant temperature, many brewers are not able to achieve this. Because of this, the actual temperature of the mash may be a couple (or a few) degrees lower than when the rest was initiated. ProMash will allow you to account for this, and thus obtain more accurate numbers for additional infusion/decoction amounts and temperatures.

In the mash designer steps, the start temp of any step represents the desired rest temp for the step. By default, ProMash will set the stop temp to the start temp of the rest. This would assume your mash tun is capable of holding the rest temp for the entire length of the mash. Should your particular setup not hold the temperature, you account for this by setting the "Stop Temp" to the Start Temp, minus the amount of temperature lost. So, in the above examples, suppose each step looses 2 degrees F. The Stop Temps would then be modified to:

As you can see, modifying the stop temp of any given step will cause infusion/decoction amounts to change (were applicable) in subsequent steps, to account for the heat loss. Graphing the results will also show the heat lost:

For a discussion on how important the stop temperature can be, please see "Mash Designer, Know Your Stop Temperature".

This concludes the tutorial for the ProMash Mash Designer.