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Old 01-05-2013, 01:40 PM   #1
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Default Mashing in Kettle

I just bought a ten gallon stainless steel kettle with a temperature gauge. My goal was to mash in that, transfer to a second pot, clean out the mashing kettle and then boil in there. When I was mashing, it was nearly impossible for me to get a consistent temperature. I had to stir for literally an hour. Is there a step in here I am missing to make this successful?


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Old 01-05-2013, 01:59 PM   #2
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A lot of people will use an insulated cooler for a mash tun. The insulation helps hold the temperature for the proper amount of time and keep things nice and warm.

I do a lot of BIAB brewing on my stove top and have little difficulty keeping the mash between 153-155f. Consistent monitoring and tweaking on and off the heat is par for the course with all grain brewing in a brew pot. My process requires me hitting a strike temperature around 165f and when the grains bring down the temps, adding more heat as needed. I stir on occasion to prevent dough balls and use a metal colander on the bottom of the brew pot to prevent settling and scorching.


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Old 01-05-2013, 02:14 PM   #3
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I do BIAB in a 10 gallon kettle and wrap the kettle in a heavy fleece jacket that fits snugly over the top, and then put a towel around that. My mash temps will drop about 2 degrees during a 75 minute mash.

The problem with the wrap is that I can't give the kettle any heat unless I undo it, nor can my wife or kids use the stove. I guess that's why I brew at 6am.
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Old 01-06-2013, 05:57 PM   #4
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I'm confused then. How are you supposed to mash out then?
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Old 01-06-2013, 06:02 PM   #5
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I've used this process twice and pleased with it so far. All I needed was a bazooka screen. I don't have an efficiency number to provide...still learning. However, my OG came out close to the recipe and it passed the iodine test before I started boiling.

http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/schmidling.html

Wrap it with a blanket or towels...my temperature drops 2 degrees at most over 30 minutes.
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Old 01-06-2013, 06:05 PM   #6
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How much headspace on the top do you have? Too much space between the top of the water and the top of the pot might be where your having problems.


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