Schlaflyish ESB

So there I was. My target mash temp was 153 F. According to both Brew365 and Hopville this temperature aught to be achievable by mixing 4.5 gallons of 166F water with 13.75 lbs. of 65F grist. Using my brand new Taylor waterproof compact digital thermometer, I determined that the strike water was less than one degree fahrenheit over 166. Dough-in time!

Then, out of the blue, for the first time since I've been all-grain brewing,  tragedy struck. Once I mixed the grist with the strike water thoroughly, I proceeded to take a temperature reading with my handy new thermometer. Result? The mash temperature was only 149F!

One-hundred and forty-nine Fahrenheiting degrees!!!

This would be perfect if I were brewing a Belgian blonde or the like--all starches become easily fermentible sugars, making for a thin, dry, highly attenuated brew, almost no unfermentable dextrins. However, as the reader may have guessed, I was NOT making a Belgian blonde. No ma'am. Today was Schlafly Winter ESB clone day. ESB (or English Extra-Special Bitter) as a style is neither thin, nor dry. It is full-bodied, malty (balanced with a good dose of hop bitterness and flavor), and almost sweet. Anything but thin and dry.

Time to improvise a plan B. And quickly! Our mash temperature has come in almost 5 degrees below target, and we have less than 5-minutes to take bold corrective measures, or write yet another batch off as a potentially delicious brew lost to poor temperature control.

What to do? What to do? . . . Fortunately, I just happened to have a little less than 2 gallons of water already boiling in the kitchen in preparation for mash-out. Adding this directly to the mash within 3 minutes of dough-in raised the temp to 154F. (I don't have a good reason for why I already had the mash-out infusion at full boil a full hour before it was supposed to be added. So don't ask.)

But was the beer saved? We'll just have to wait and see.

S.G. 1.047
O.G. 1.059

Here is the Beer Recipator version.

January 5, 2013 Tasting

S.G. 1.017--This is a good number. Apparently the cooler-than-optimal initial mash in was counteracted by my good luck and quick thinking in adding the boiling mash-out water at the beginning of the mash instead.

Good bitterness. Body is good at room temperature I hope this holds up when chilled. Very little aroma. A bit fruity in a way that is comparable to other ESB's I've tasted. Not mind blowing. Not bad either.

I'm detecting an off flavor. Having trouble identifying it. This batch (along with all the others I brewed in December 2012) fermented cool--between 60F & 65F. I'm going to bring it upstairs to rest at warmer temps for a couple of days before kegging. Then I'll bring in my team of beer tasters to help me identify the remaining problem, if any.