Can I use too much strike water?

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irishman646

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I'm a partial brewer and usually just top up my pot with 5 gallons to improve heat retention and stabilize the temperature during the mash. That's 5 gallons for 4-5 lbs of grain. Is there a danger or downside in using well above the recommended 1-2 quarts of water per lb of grain?
 
Yes. The downside would be a too-high pH for the mash, so you could have trouble with conversion. Up to 2 quarts per pound of grain should get you in the range just fine, but over that might be problematic.

I always use 1.25-1.5 quarts per pound of grain, and it works great.
 
Another reason for lower conversion with that much water is that you're diluting the enzymes. Go with what Yooper suggests.
 
If you use something like pH5.2 to control the chemistry, you can go up to 3-3.5 quarts per pound.
 

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