Doughing in alone.

Hi all.

I have been lucky in having help for 3 of the 4 Ag brews i have made. this has made doughing in really easy as they sprinkled the grain into the mash water whilst i stired.

The one i did myelf was hard going though, so my question is in the case of being alone do you add the grain to the mash water or the mash water to the grain?

IF you add water to grain how do you manage to transfer all the water into the grain fast enough so as not to cause clumping of the grain?

Thanks

I add my strike water to my mash tun first to heat it up and then I add my grain. I use a 1.5qt/lb grist ratio which makes stirring up my mash pretty easy. If I have any dough balls I just use a big spoon, my so called mash paddle, to break them up.

I have done both with the same results. Nowadays I add the strike water first maybe 10 degrees F hotter than called for, and let the water cool to the appropriate temp before adding grain. I just add maybe 1/4 of the grain, stir, add some more, stir, etc. until it's all in there.

Since I've got my system figuered out I add my grain to the water, let it sit 5-6 minutes then stir. The wait gives the grain time to re-hydrate the water and there are no dough balls.
I will state that I am confident on my tempertures, so if you are having trouble hitting your mash temps this may not work as well for you

I tends to be much much easier to add the grain to the water already in the MLT. First off adding the grain first is just asking for a stuck sparge. Other than that, I like to just add my water a little hot, like 1-2 deg over what I calculate, allow it to settle in the MLT then add a little grain, mix, grain, mix... you get the picture. I normally rock a 1.25 qt/lb grist ratio and have never had an issue. Just add like a quarter of your grain, mix it up dry to avoid dough balls, then add more, just make sure to not get any dough balls and you should be good to go.

I mill my grain the night before and toss into the mashtun. So, water last for me. Never a stuck sparge, but I use a megabraid.

I have tried both methods and found it easiest to add the grain to the water. This allows me to overshoot the strike temp of the cooler and preheat the mash tun. I then add some grain and stir and repeat a few times. No doughballs, no stuck sparge.

Powder the water, get yourself a nice mash paddle. If you get dough balls, push them against the side of the tun to break them up.

just did a 10# batch of weisenbock in 50qt cooler. With a 31# grain bill, it was a very tight fit at 1.2qt/lb. Yes, I did it on my own, and yes, I ALWAYS go water first. I know it works great for other folks to go grain first, but I have an easier time getting into the corners of my rectangular cooler/tun when I go water first.

Grain into water for me. I don't get clumps stuck in the corner and all that good stuff.

In the end it is beer either way.

I go grain to water and if swmbo isnt around to pour the grain I just add about a third of the grain bill at a time and stir in between. Never had a stuck sparge with my manifold.

Thakns one and all!

I add my grain to the tun first. Then I add all the strike water (1.25 qt/lb) from below by draining from the HLT to the MT manifold. Then I stir with a big spoon for a few seconds. Works fine. I use a stainless steel braid for mashing. Never had a stuck sparge. I usually add 2 degrees to my strike to compensate for warming the Mash Tun.