If you have to miss your mash temperature, what....

....would you pick, too hot or not hot enough?

And why?

Depends on what I'm brewing.

Made an English Mild a few weeks ago...let me just say that you are already mashing at the high end of the spectrum. Going over that is asking for trouble, so I'd rather miss low.

Saison? I typically do long mashes toward the bottom of the spectrum. If I'm over by a degree or two, I might not attenuate quite as much, but it's easy to just leave the mash tun open a bit and stir it some until the temp gets into the right range.

I'd rather hit a few degrees higher than lower because it's easy to toss a few ice cubes in the mash to equalize the temperature out quickly if you're a bit high...but if you're too low, you've got to add more hot strike water.

I prefer to be a little high. If it is, then I just scoop up mash in a quart jug and drop it back in from a height, stir and keep repeating until it is dead on temp. It usually takes no more than two minutes.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

I prefer to be a little high. If it is, then I just scoop up mash in a quart jug and drop it back in from a height, stir and keep repeating until it is dead on temp. It usually takes no more than two minutes.

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I prefer to be a little high, too. Sometimes really, really high!

To high, its easier to lower it with a couple of ice cubes or a min. or two of stirring.

KayaBrew said:

I prefer to be a little high, too. Sometimes really, really high!

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I can't believe I never spotted that when I typed it!

Low. That why they invented heat sticks.

AnOldUR said:

Low. That why they invented heat sticks.

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I was reading about them today. So you can put it directly in the mash as well for small adjustments?