To stir or not to stir

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Toy4Rick

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The Mash that is

I have read many times where once you start the mash using a cooler, you leave it alone for 60+ minutes. A recent Beer Smith newsletter said to stir the mash every 15 minutes to even out the temp... makes sense however wouldn't temp loss be a bigger concern?

What are you doing?

Toy4Rick
 
I stir until I hit my desired mash temp and then I leave it alone for 60-90 mins...
 
I stir for a few minutes and seal it up. In 5 minutes I take my temp readings all over the place. If they aren't uniform I stir the crap out of it again and check. I leave it alone when I am within a degree everywhere.

I usually mash in a few degrees higher than where I want to end up. It's just easier that way.
 
Now I have only done 2 all grain recipes but so far I stir till I reach my temp, then I leave it alone for 60 min.
 
As far as evening out the temperature, your mash will equilibrate temperature wise without stirring. Stirring will speed up the process at first but once you grain is saturated with water, the temperature will be pretty uniform throughout. I would agree with your thinking of temperature loss when opening the cooler as a much more crucial factor. Stirring might help the starch conversion speed but probably not a substantial amount. So I would say don't stir once your grain is saturated with water and your target temperature is reached.
 
I think it also depends on your mash thickness. In a thinner mash (2+qt/lb) I might want to stir more often to help the enzymes find their gold. I like to stir 20 min after mash in; loss of temp doesn’t seem to be noticeable as long as I preheat my mash tun (vessel) and ambient air temp outside is Vegas. This stir also ensures water/grain equilibrium.
 
I like to stir 3 or 4 times during the mash. I open the lid just a crack, and stir quickly for about 5-10 seconds then close. The temperature basically doesn't change and I'm a believer that it helps you get another percentage or three of efficiency. When I first started mashing I didn't stir, but I've noticed my efficiencies are just slightly better when I do.
 
Stir regularly. It'll help extraction. If you're grain absorbs plenty of water the top of the mash can dry out and you won't get conversion.
 
I stir at dough in, wait 5 minutes, stir again, then take a temp reading. If that checks out, it doesn't get touched until vorlaufing. I've never had a problem with fermentability or efficiency compared to when I used to stir all the time.
 
I use a 1.5l to 1# grain ratio. Maybe considered on the thin side. I vigorously stir at dough in and then once more after 15min then let rest for 60min. Just set it and forget it.
 
I stir very well when I mash in. I check the temp in at least four places, and if they temps are different, I stir some more. Once the temperature is equalized throughout, I cover and walk away.
 
maddad said:
I use a 1.5l to 1# grain ratio. Maybe considered on the thin side. I vigorously stir at dough in and then once more after 15min then let rest for 60min. Just set it and forget it.

Correction: 1.5qt to 1lb grain
 
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