Home of the BrewNosers

Post up your method/success/failure stories of how you maintain your mash temps...include pictures if you've got them

I mash in a cooler. However, I mashed in a pot for years, and I'd just wrap it in a comforter we weren't using anymore.

I use bubble wrap, but I'm not sure l need it. In fact I'm sure that l don't.

This conversation is only half complete without Nash

Sent from my Nexus S

I have reflectix bubble wrap, 4-layers around my BIAB keggle, sealed like a top hat. Works well for me with a few degrees drop. Haven't done a whole lot of cold weather brewing, but a couple of weeks back I mashed in when the outside temp was -8 degrees Celcius with a stiff breeze. After 45 minutes I had dropped 3 degrees F, so I gave it a quick 1 minute flame bump and I was good for the remaining 45 minutes of the 90 minute mash. At temperatures above freezing I'm good for the 75 minute to 90 minute mash with only a 3 to 4 degree F drop.



That brings up another topic - how important is temperature stability and length of mash? What's an acceptable temperature drop over the run of the mash?

LeafMan66_67 wrote:I have reflectix bubble wrap, 4-layers around my BIAB keggle, sealed like a top hat. Works well for me with a few degrees drop. Haven't done a whole lot of cold weather brewing, but a couple of weeks back I mashed in when the outside temp was -8 degrees Celcius with a stiff breeze. After 45 minutes I had dropped 3 degrees F, so I gave it a quick 1 minute flame bump and I was good for the remaining 45 minutes of the 90 minute mash. At temperatures above freezing I'm good for the 75 minute to 90 minute mash with only a 3 to 4 degree F drop.

http://goo.gl/Dbt3I

That brings up another topic - how important is temperature stability and length of mash? What's an acceptable temperature drop over the run of the mash?

I often wondered this myself. I'm guessing 1-2 degree drop in 60 minutes is ok. I'm guessing as long as the temp stays constant in the first 30 minutes you should be good. Maybe it depends on the style and desired mash temp as well. Since moving to my coleman extreme 70qt BIAB system I can do 3 hour mashes and get about 5 F drop in temp.

Mash-in is the critical timeframe for mashing. For modified malts, Nash says the vast majority of conversion in done within 5 minutes (assuming proper stirring and mash thickness). Seeing as it's money to him, I'd tend to believe that is true. I'm sure if you search some of those terms, you'll come up with his tutorial on that topic. If you find it, we should sticky it, as it's worth reading.

mr x wrote:I use bubble wrap, but I'm not sure l need it. In fact I'm sure that l don't.

This conversation is only half complete without Nash

Sent from my Nexus S

Yess....I know I know..Insulation isn't needed since conversion is done in 5 minutes

On 12/21/12, this is how you end:

Err, still refining my methods.

dean2k wrote:Err, still refining my methods.

+1

mr x wrote: (assuming proper stirring and mash thickness)

Wonder how that holds up for BIAB then?

No insulation here, just make sure to hit my mash temp as close as I can, throw the cover on the cooler and shut the door to the brew shed for the length of the mash rest.

Its a cooler and sleeping bag for me....with about 3F drop in an hour.
I know everyone says conversion is done in 5 min, but my question is why do 60 min then?? I know I can count on a 3-4% eff increase with a 90min mash(Happens every time) so somethins still going on there...

It's not all conversions, it the highly modified malts iirc...

The sugars could also convert quickly but maybe take a bit longer to become soluble and suck out of the grain and into the wort solution.

This is backed by nothing other than assumption, though.

I'm sure to get flames thrown this way.. however.. I'm also looking for feedback. I did my first BIAB this weekend and it went less than great. I hit all my numbers.. except my OG, which was higher than expected... that's not bad tho. My boil-off volumes, etc were all on the money.

My problem, as I see it, is that my kettle is way too big for my batch. I have a 10G Blichmann which leaves a ton of space for heat to dissipate. I've even turned the burner on low and dunked.. but the transfer thru the bag was not sufficient to bring the wort up fast enough. I even did a 'lautering', so to speak, where I drew hot wort from the bottom of the pot and poured it into the top. In this case, I don't think, based on pot volume, that putting the pot in a sleeping bag would have helped.

I saw a video that Jimmy posted on his site using a rectangular cooler with a bag in it. I have ordered a bag from him to do this. I think I can heat the MT up with water hotter than needed, add the grains, stir and close the lid. I can see this eliminates much of the true ease of doing BIAB.. and one might say, you might as well go to 3V. If I do it this way, I'll have a 2V which should work and be easy on cleanup. Heat the adjusted water in the BK, rack into the MT, stir in grains, take pH and further adjust and cover. Transfer back to the BK, squeeze the bag and start the boil

So, I'm looking for any help. I spent so much time working with temps that I forgot to do my pH test and adjustment. My pH was way too high.. so, I'll likely have an astringent brew.. we'll see. I got the adjustment made about 30 minutes into the mash.. argghhh. Also got so flustered I didn't do an Iodine test.. but, I don't have much doubt the conversion took place as expected.

I've read the some people put tin foil over the top of their mash when mashing in a large vessels with small batches, so it traps the heat.

I used to use pink foam insulation.

I use a 15G keggle for BIAB, insulated with four layers of bubble reflectix (including the top) and put the layer of foil over my mash. I do 5-6G batches so there is lots of room left over. Temperature stays fine using this method, unless the wind is howling and temperatures are close to freezing on the back deck.

mr x wrote:I used to use pink foam insulation.

Does that work well, how come you don't use that anymore

Seemed to work fine. Changed systems.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

I do 6-5 gallon batches in a 15 gallon pot. I just wrap the pot with an electric blanket set on high. The temp will drop 1F in an hour.

Has anybody had their reflectix catch on fire from being too close to the flame?

CartoonCod wrote:Has anybody had their reflectix catch on fire from being too close to the flame?

I always just added mine after the flame was off - slide it down over the top of the pot. Not sure what others are doing.

CartoonCod wrote:Has anybody had their reflectix catch on fire from being too close to the flame?

It will melt. I made mine as a removable "top hat" for the keggle and would slide it off when firing up the burner.