yesterday, I just brewed a Coffee & Cream Stout with Lactose and Kiln coffee malt. I used a Windsor yeast with an expiration of 5/2021. its crazy active now. i am looking forward to the outcome. ready for Christmas. OG=1.057.
Augiedoggy.... I have given a bit more thought to your temp problem where your mash reads differently top and bottom and I am suspicious if it’s because of a lack of stirring at dough in?
Different brewers will get different results applying the same principles on the same equipment. It’s understanding how your equipment will react. Just as plastic, copper, stainless steel all have different properties and unless you adjust you variables appropriately they will all yield...
3bbl is quite impressive are you pro now? Why do you think you get such a variation in mash temps? What is your evaporation rate in your BK, and how are you controlling your boil efficiencies? I am achieving an overall 80%. Not great but I think better than average.
Augie, are you taking a temp reading for your dry grains? It’s very important to know your dry grain temp to accurately add the correct temp strike water as that’s where the majority of the temp equalization should occur not while mashing for reasons Augie mentioned.