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Author Topic: Mash Efficiency Problem  (Read 39493 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #60 on: August 08, 2013, 04:19:33 pm »
I don't preheat my mash tun with boiling water.  I just heat the water an extra 12 F than my calculator says.  Works really well.  I always boil an extra couple of quarts of water on the stove at the same time just in case the mash gets too hot.  Only very rarely have I needed to use it.  And rarely I need to stir or add cold water because it got too hot.  Typically no adjustments are required because it's within a degree or two of desired.  With experience you'll learn how many extra degrees are needed to heat your mash tun so that you don't need to precondition.
+1.  No preheat here either.  I bring my mash tun in from the garage the day before and let it warm to ambient room temp, with the lid open.  I heat my strike water 12-13 dF above mash temp as well, and adjust with boiling water or ice if need be.  I'm always within 2dF and usually 1dF of target, but most often don't need to adjust.
Jon H.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #61 on: August 08, 2013, 06:57:58 pm »
My mash tun will melt at 2,750°F. Also I use it to heat my mash water, and can throw heat on it midway if needed. But with a $5 homemade insulator and no stir, it only loses 2° in 90 minutes.  Thanks to Denny

Offline cheshirecat

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #62 on: August 08, 2013, 09:27:03 pm »
I use either a 5 or 10 gallon rubbermade round mash tun depending on what size batch I am doing, don't pre heat. For both I usually go 12+ above my mash temp. Maybe a little more with MO which gives me dough balls for some reason, usually needs a little extra stirring. I don't see much of a drop in temp even with a 90 min mash no more than a degree or two.

Offline AmandaK

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #63 on: August 09, 2013, 08:17:50 am »
Kai's wiki has probably my favorite studies on efficiency (and fermentability):
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Effects_of_mash_parameters_on_fermentability_and_efficiency_in_single_infusion_mashing

I think it's worth a read.
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Offline denny

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #64 on: August 09, 2013, 10:05:30 am »
Just finished a 90 min mash, 5 gallons with 12lbs, no stir after doh in. 20° or 1.080 so once again Denny is the Master!
I also didn't lose much temp, about 2° in 90 min with my stainless MT and yoga mat insulator

Dude, I'm no smarter than anybody else here.  It's just that after brewing hundreds and hundreds of batches you learn a few things!
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline denny

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #65 on: August 09, 2013, 10:07:17 am »
great so no little loss on heat and hitting target OG, sounds good. Are folks typically covering their mash tun coolers to insulate heat? Does everyone typically pre-heat mash tun cooler with boiling water prior to adding strike water and mashing in?

I don't insulate my cooler mash tun and I never lose more than 2F over a 90 min. mash.  I used to preheat, but decided that I was too lazy foe the extra step.  It took me about 2-3 brews to figure out how much hotter I had to make my strike water to account for not preheating.
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Offline denny

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #66 on: August 09, 2013, 10:08:45 am »
I don't preheat my mash tun with boiling water. 

Is there any downside to preheating the mash tun? Equipment issue perhaps?

Just that you're wasting time and effort.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline scottNU

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #67 on: August 09, 2013, 10:13:54 am »
I don't preheat my mash tun with boiling water. 

Is there any downside to preheating the mash tun? Equipment issue perhaps?

Just that you're wasting time and effort.

OK.  Got it.  Thanks.

Offline joe_feist

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #68 on: August 09, 2013, 10:30:06 am »
I used to pre-heat. Haven't lately. It's summer, I brew outside when I can and it just hasn't been necessary. Come winter, I'll mash in the kitchen. I'll probably pre-heat again because everything is just cooler. It's not that big a deal really. I throw a couple quarts of water in the ol' microwave while I'm getting stuff together and dump that in the tun while I'm milling my grain...bim, badda-boom, done.
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #69 on: August 09, 2013, 10:50:11 am »
I preheated a few times, but I ended up coming in a little hot compared to what the calculator I was using gave me as a strike temp. So now I just let it ride and end up within a degree or two. In the end, it's simply a matter of what works for you to get you where you need to be. Frankly, the less steps in my process the better.
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Offline leejoreilly

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #70 on: August 10, 2013, 06:59:17 am »
I always preheat my mash tun, but I've never seen it as requiring much additional time or effort. I just heat my strike water an additional 6 or 8 degrees, dump it in my cooler/tun, and let it sit for a few minutes before dumping in the grain. Maybe five minutes or so for the added heating and five to let the tun warm up. No biggie, and I hit my mash temps consistently.

Offline fmader

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #71 on: August 10, 2013, 07:15:32 am »
Since I brew in a barn in Ohio, I don't find it necessary to preheat the tun in the 90-100 degree summer heat, but when it's 10 degrees in the winter, I find it necessary to preheat it. But by preheating, I just leave inside next to the wood burner until I need it.

However, I am confused by this paradox since I usually keep my ratio around 1.75 quarts per pound, but I need my strike temp about 18 degrees over the target mash temp with bigger beers that use lets say 15 lb of grain. I run my strike temp 13 or 14 over for smaller beers that require 10ish lbs.
Frank

Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #72 on: August 10, 2013, 07:46:23 am »
I always preheat my mash tun, but I've never seen it as requiring much additional time or effort. I just heat my strike water an additional 6 or 8 degrees, dump it in my cooler/tun, and let it sit for a few minutes before dumping in the grain. Maybe five minutes or so for the added heating and five to let the tun warm up. No biggie, and I hit my mash temps consistently.

Any problem with dough balls?  You'll get the same results, with very few if any dough balls, if you have the grain in first and dump the hot water on top of it.  I don't mean to start arguments on this, but it has been my experience.  YMMV
Dave

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Offline denny

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #73 on: August 10, 2013, 10:22:43 am »
I always preheat my mash tun, but I've never seen it as requiring much additional time or effort. I just heat my strike water an additional 6 or 8 degrees, dump it in my cooler/tun, and let it sit for a few minutes before dumping in the grain. Maybe five minutes or so for the added heating and five to let the tun warm up. No biggie, and I hit my mash temps consistently.

Any problem with dough balls?  You'll get the same results, with very few if any dough balls, if you have the grain in first and dump the hot water on top of it.  I don't mean to start arguments on this, but it has been my experience.  YMMV

Dave, for 15 years and 440+ batches I've added grain to water.  I only recall seeing doughballs a few times and that seemed dependent on the malt I used.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Mash Efficiency Problem
« Reply #74 on: August 10, 2013, 02:17:57 pm »
I'm still just a pigeon scout at brewing but no doh balls with slow pour of grain and steady stir.