To begin with, my understanding of a "thin" mash is a mash that is more watered down than it "ought" to be; and that a "thick" mash is one that is not diluted with enough water. My understanding of the grist ratio (water:grain ratio) is that it attempts to set a mash thickness/viscosity that is desirable, and I typically see it set in the range of 1.25 to 1.5 quarts per pound (qt/lb). Therefore I conclude that a thin mash …

I'm new to all grain brewing and one of the things I haven't been able to find much information on is the importance of water volumes for the mash and sparge steps. There are a lot of calculators out there, and I'm trying to find out if water volumes play a key role in the extraction of sugars from the grain. It makes sense that too little water in a mash wouldn't allow for the extraction of sugars because not …

I am looking to do my first partial mash and I have been seeing instructions for using a mash thickness anywhere from 1 to 1.5 quarts of water per pound (per 450g). What does the thickness of a mash change? Are there any calcuations that need to be adjusted based on this thickness? Also, does changing the ratio of the sparge water to pounds of grain change anything? I typically do a 5 gallon (19 litre) batch and a 3 …

I just did my first AG brew today. It went very well! My question comes with the mash. I know normally, you determine your mash thickness with 1.25-1.5 quarts per pound of grain. If I were to use, say, 1 or 2 qts per pound, what would the difference be in the end product? I'm very interested in forming my own recipes, and I'm wondering if this is a big deal. Thanks!