mashing
Step mash
Raise the mash through a sequence of held temperatures, each chosen to favour a particular enzyme, for precise control over fermentability and protein.
What is actually happening
A protein rest around 50 °C degrades protein and improves clarity and run-off — useful with undermodified malt or a high proportion of wheat, unnecessary and slightly harmful with well-modified malt, where it thins the head.
Beta-amylase and alpha-amylase rests are then held in turn, and the relative time spent at each sets how fermentable the wort is with much more precision than a single temperature allows.
Typical conditions
| Temperature | 45–78°C |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60–120 min |
| Scale | Used at both homebrew and commercial scale |
Ranges, not targets. These describe what is usual across the styles and breweries that use this step, and a value outside the range is a decision rather than an error.
Styles where this step is decisive
- Weissbier
Bavarian wheat beer defined by its yeast: pronounced banana and clove over a soft, cloudy, highly carbonated body.
- Munich Helles
Bavaria’s everyday pale lager: soft, bready and malt-forward, with just enough hop to balance and nothing to distract.
- Dunkelweizen
A dark Bavarian wheat beer where banana and clove meet bread crust and light caramel from Munich malt.
- Weizenbock
A strong wheat beer combining Weissbier yeast character with bock malt depth — banana and clove over dark fruit and bread.
- Kristallweizen
A filtered Weissbier: the same banana-and-clove character in a brilliantly clear beer with a lighter, crisper body.
- Roggenbier
A German rye beer, spicy and full-bodied, fermented with Weissbier yeast for banana and clove alongside rye’s pepper.
- Witbier
A Belgian wheat beer brewed with unmalted wheat, coriander and orange peel — soft, hazy, citrusy and lightly spiced.
Related steps and concepts
- Infusion mash — The simpler single-temperature method.
- Decoction mash — The traditional way to reach the steps.
Also at the mashing stage
Decoction mash · Infusion mash · Kettle souring · Mash pH adjustment · Mash-out · Mashing · Sour mashing · Turbid mashing · Water treatment
See the whole process in order on how beer is made.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.