Making more wort than your kettle can handle....

[Richard]

First off - I think it's a common misconception that higher mash temp = sweeter beer. It adds body, not sweetness.

John Palmer disagrees with you: http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter20-1.html

All things being equal, a higher mash temp will result in a higher terminal gravity...sweeter beer.

I dunno if you read that page or not... he differentiates between caramels and dextrins. Dextrins are a result of mash temperature, and he states:

Dextrins are tasteless carbohydrates that hang around, adding some weight and viscosity to the beer.

Caramels are a result of the grain bill (and to some degree, any boiling involved), and he states:

These sugars are only partially fermentable and contribute both a residual sweetness and higher FG to the finished beer.

It is true that you might obtain a higher proportion of maltotriose with a higher mash temperature, and in combination with a yeast less able to metabolise this - you'd get a sweeter beer. Something like S-05 however would just chow down on that too. The remaining beer in such a case would have higher body (more dextrins), but no additional sweetness.

[Richard]

A much better page on attenuation:

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... ttenuation

[HappyHax0r]

S-05 = NOM... One of the most violent fermenting yeasts I've ever used .

[Richard]

A little more reading suggests that the dextrin Maltotetraose is very slightly sweet also, so I guess Mr Palmer's generalisation that dextrins are flavourless isn't technically correct... the best kind of correct.

The grand majority of sweetness in beer still comes from the attenuation of the yeast - so pick your strains to suit your style, and keep your yeast happy