Stiring Mash to Improve Efficiency?

Does stirring the mash throughout the timeline improve efficiency?

When I dough-in, I use an electric drill with a plastic (dedicated to beer) paint mixer. It mixes the bejesus out of the mash.

Using Beersmith 2.x, I mash with 1.3QT per pound. Would 1.5QT per pound yield better results?

Since I mash in a bag, disrupting the grain bag doesn't matter.

I am wondering if I should mix the mash throughout the process and if so, will it improve efficiency?

Considering I mash in a bag (voile material), what else can I do to improve?

ultravista said:

Does stirring the mash throughout the timeline improve efficiency?

When I dough-in, I use an electric drill with a plastic (dedicated to beer) paint mixer. It mixes the bejesus out of the mash.

Since I mash in a bag, disrupting the grain bag doesn't matter.

I am wondering if I should mix the mash throughout the process and if so, will it improve efficiency?

Considering I mash in a bag (voile material), what else can I do to improve?

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Wouldn't that introduce a bunch of air and risk hot side oxidation?

I would differently stir your mash. My efficiency improved a lot after I started stirring my mash. I didn't stir the first couple of batches and was disappointed with my efficiency. I would say it improved about 15%.

I could stir with a slotted stainless spoon, just to get the grains moving around. How often do you stir, every 15 to 20 minutes?

I do BIAB and stir every 15 minutes.

C-Rider, do you full BIAB? I mash in a bag to keep the wort clear, then dump the runnings into the kettle.

What do you stir with?

I am almost certain everything I have read said not to stir your mash at all. You start to ruin the dynamo in the mash tun. Also I have never stirred except on dough in and I have hit 85% for a single infusion when I started grinding my own grain. You never want to stir for the last 20min though guaranteed since you really want a nice grain bed.

I do stovetop BIAB and don't typically stir too much due to the resulting loss of temperature. A good stir at the beginning, and maybe after 10 minutes if the temperature is too high, then nothing til the end of the mash. I now get 75% efficiency ("now" meaning after I started double-crushing my grains at the LHBS).

To the OP: what's your efficiency now? If you're already in the 70s or above, I'd just leave it alone and enjoy what's working for you. If you're lower, consider other simple remedies (like BIAB double-crushing, which raised mine from 60% to 75%).

ultravista said:

C-Rider, do you full BIAB? I mash in a bag to keep the wort clear, then dump the runnings into the kettle.

What do you stir with?

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I do full BIAB, but 1.75 gallon batches. I mash in approx 2.75 gallons depending on grain weight. As I add the grain I stir w/a slotted stainless steel spoon about 14" long. After (every 15 min) I still w/one of those long plastic spoons from the LHBS. Oh, by the way I mash in a 5 gallon round cooler and only loose about 2 degrees in the hour mash stirring at 45, 30, and 15 min.

You do read a lot of opposing views on this on forums and elsewhere...I stir, out of habit I guess. I do find that the front of my pot I mash in is consistently 2-4 degrees lower than the back (I think my stovetop is leaning)

I also find that the bottom of my mash is about 150 while the top can be as cool as 145. I stir to make sure that all grains receive a range of temperatures throughout the mash, but I also only stir about every 10-15 minutes.

If people stir during dough-in and during sparging, why not during the mash...I also think it helps prevent channeling during sparging, but it could in fact be creating it...who knows?

I have read about the dynamo created by those heat differences does mix the wort for you. When you stir to even out the heat it eventually forms a dynamo anyway. Also every time you stir you do release the steam and cool off the wort which might not be what you want to do. Have you tried not stirring and seeing it has any difference?

If you're mashing in an insulated vessel, opening it dumps heat. If you're pot mashing on a burner, you'll have to add heat now and then, which requires stirring anyway. I don't think you're going to see a lot of efficiency improvement. It's not like enzymes all gravitate towards one small area and need to be prodded into the rest of the mash.

I don't have any empirical evidence, but I have noticed that on brew days when I missed my mash temp on the low side and had to add additional boiling water, I ended up having a higher efficiency. Now, that could be from the thinner mash, or it could be from the stirring about 10 minutes into the mash. I am not contemplating stirring at the 10 minute mark when I hit my mash temps to see if I can bump up my efficiency. For the record, I am typically around 70% on my efficiency. When my efficiency jumps up, it is close to 80%.

For those reporting efficiency jumps, I suspect the stirring throughout breaks up any clumps or exposes any partially-crushed grain. If you crush really well, and stir really well at dough-in, I'm not sure it makes a difference.

Me, I stir every 15-20 mins because I love the smell. Part of the fun of brewday for me.

I have not noticed a higher efficiency from stirring, but I did gain some efficiency when I bumped my mash from 1.25qt/lb to 1.5qt/lb. Every system is different though.

Just a thought...but I like to stir very well at the conclusion of the mash to help "rinse" the grain...thats what it is all bout, no?

I stir at dough in and halfway. Then again at sparge. Hit 88% last time.