I've been reading threads about BIAB brewing for months and haven't seen anyone mention this technique so I thought I'd share. Sorry if it's here somewhere, I just haven't seen it.
Temperature control while mashing is an inherent challenge in BIAB brewing. Adjusting temperature of the mash by applying heat directly to the mash pot creates a hotspot at the bottom of the kettle and trying to maintain a constant temp is a pain in the ass without wrapping in blankets and even then it's not uncommon to have a 3-5 degree difference in temp across the rest period.
Anyway... if you happen to have 2 different sized kettles so that one fits inside the other, I highly recommend using them as a double boiler. This not only insulates the mash kettle with a surrounding layer of hot water but it also protects the mash kettle from direct heat should you need to apply heat for temp adjustment.
I just finished a 90 minute mash of 10 lbs of grains with this method and basically set it and forgot it. The temp didn't change a bit over 90 min and when it was done, I pulled the mash pot out of the larger pot and heated the larger pot to 170 in 10 minutes for a 10 min dunk sparge.
Hope this helps other BIAB brewers out there. Again, if this is info that is already out there, I apologize for the redundency.
Cheers!
TM
Temperature control while mashing is an inherent challenge in BIAB brewing. Adjusting temperature of the mash by applying heat directly to the mash pot creates a hotspot at the bottom of the kettle and trying to maintain a constant temp is a pain in the ass without wrapping in blankets and even then it's not uncommon to have a 3-5 degree difference in temp across the rest period.
Anyway... if you happen to have 2 different sized kettles so that one fits inside the other, I highly recommend using them as a double boiler. This not only insulates the mash kettle with a surrounding layer of hot water but it also protects the mash kettle from direct heat should you need to apply heat for temp adjustment.
I just finished a 90 minute mash of 10 lbs of grains with this method and basically set it and forgot it. The temp didn't change a bit over 90 min and when it was done, I pulled the mash pot out of the larger pot and heated the larger pot to 170 in 10 minutes for a 10 min dunk sparge.
Hope this helps other BIAB brewers out there. Again, if this is info that is already out there, I apologize for the redundency.
Cheers!
TM