Abstract
High-gravity brewing requires efficient malt enzyme activity because dense mash conditions can limit starch conversion, sugar release, wort flow, and extract recovery. This study evaluates malt enzyme performance and wort extract recovery under high-gravity brewing conditions. Brewing trials were performed using standardized malt grist, controlled mash temperature profiles, and high-solids wort preparation. Alpha-amylase activity, beta-amylase activity, extract yield, fermentable sugar composition, wort viscosity, free amino nitrogen, filtration behavior, and attenuation potential were measured. The results show that increased wort gravity reduced enzyme mobility and slowed fermentable sugar release, especially when mash viscosity remained high. Optimized step mashing improved enzymatic conversion and increased extract recovery compared with single-temperature mashing. Well-modified malt showed stronger performance under dense mash conditions, while poorly modified malt required longer enzymatic exposure. The study demonstrates that high-gravity brewing efficiency depends on balancing mash profile, malt quality, enzyme stability, and wort rheology to support reliable extract recovery.