Sacch Rest
Posted by Barley Beaver on
We have been asked this question by a beginning brewer - "what does Sacch Rest mean in my mash schedule". Our first thought was this person is trying to brew a recipe that is 'All Grain', so we asked him where he saw the recipe. Sure enough he had been looking in a forum and saw a recipe that looked interesting, but did not know what all was involved in brewing this type of recipe so he was asking some questions. The sacch rest or saccharification rest is the conversion of starch to sugars by the enzymes produced by the grains. During this process you add hot water to your grains (the water will cool slightly) and then you allow this to rest at the optimum temperature suggested for the amount of time in the instructions. At the end of the resting period you will add boiling water which render the enzymes unable to convert any more starches to sugar.
Novice and experienced homebrewers are reminded that you must always remember to read and follow the directions of your individual recipe as the instructions will change depending on what type of homebrew you are making.
Similar to a woodworker that should always measure twice and cut once, a homebrewer should read twice and order once so that their brew day will run smoothly. Have a question for Barley - email him at barleybeaver@gmail.com