Mash Water Limit

[goomboogo]

hamstringsally, you don't say what your initial mash temp was. I don't where you are located but I've found the Keep Cool mash tun to be quite reasonable when it comes to maintaining heat. You could try covering the top of the mash (alfoil, camping mat, styrofoam) before putting the lid in place. Maybe even a towel around the join between the lid and the tun. This may help with the temp drop; although I don't know where it started before finishing at 62c.

 

[hamstringsally]

Yes...most important to crawl before walking..

There are many factors that will determine your final SG and overall efficiency...

Grain Crush...to coarse or fine will lower conversion and extraction

Grain Bill...Grain bills with a high % of roast/dark/Xtal sometimes wont sparge as easily

Mash temp...A higher mash temp will result in a "sweeter" beer than a low mash temp "drier" beer. Drier beers will ferment out lower than sweeter ones

Sparging...the more you recirculate the sparge water the more sugars you rinse out of the grain

Sparge water temp....higher the sparge water temp, the more sugars you will extract out

Water...the minerals in your water can help the yeast by giving it nutrients....healthy yest = better fermentation

The more you brew, the more you will find out how and where to make improvements

:icon_cheers:

thanks stu its so good to get great advice from yourself and everyone.

when you sparge would you suggest a temp or does it depend on the recipe. both times ive sparged the temp has been once at 77 deg and the other 79 deg.
from the recipe for the little creatures it suggested sparging at 75 deg.


cheers

 

[hamstringsally]

hamstringsally, you don't say what your initial mash temp was. I don't where you are located but I've found the Keep Cool mash tun to be quite reasonable when it comes to maintaining heat. You could try covering the top of the mash (alfoil, camping mat, styrofoam) before putting the lid in place. Maybe even a towel around the join between the lid and the tun. This may help with the temp drop; although I don't know where it started before finishing at 62c.

hey goomboogo,

It actually started at 63 deg and finished at 59 at the end of the hour. that was the first time i used it with grain. i actually tried a dry run the weekend before and it only dropped 2 deg over the hour. the temp drop without grain when i put it in was only two deg from 70deg. but when i had 4.8 kg of grain it dropped heaps more hence why it started at 63. i went to do the same and adding it at 70 deg thinking it would land nicely on 68 but landed on 63.
last weekend i did another and used 5 kg grain to get a 25l wort. heated water up to 76 and it landed on 68 and finished at 64.

would love to get it less than 4 deg drop over the hour. do you think the camping mat is the go? if i cut it to a circle and just sit inside just under the lip and cut it so its a tight fit so it does not slide down into the mash?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

If you are batch sparging, use boiling water, dont panic, as this wont hurt your mash, in fact it helps to rinse the grains. What I do is drain the tun, pour in boiling water until it covers the bed, stir, let sit for 10-15 mins... re-circulate

 

[boybrewer]

hamstringsally, you don't say what your initial mash temp was. I don't where you are located but I've found the Keep Cool mash tun to be quite reasonable when it comes to maintaining heat. You could try covering the top of the mash (alfoil, camping mat, styrofoam) before putting the lid in place. Maybe even a towel around the join between the lid and the tun. This may help with the temp drop; although I don't know where it started before finishing at 62c.

You can do what I did and cut out a piece of styrofoam to the shape of your mash tun for that is where most of the heat is lost thru the lid . I covered it with some tape to seal the foam and you will find your temp drop will be minimal over an hr to hr and half . I lose about .04 of a degree over that time period and maybe up to 1 degree over an hr and half .