Crockpot mash?

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gannawdm

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Has anybody tried a crockpot mash? I'm doing a partial mash recipe which only calls for 1.5 lbs. of grain. This amount easily fits into my crockpot. I was thinking that a crock pot would keep a mash's temperature steady since it's insulated well and the "keep warm" temperature is probably just about right.
 
Far, far too impatient to let a crockpot warm up. But, that's me.

Do a simple experiment; check the temp on the "keep warm" setting and report back. It'll either be in range or not. I'd imagine that different crockpots may define "keep warm" differently, so it may or may not be viable for different brewers.
 
I've done partials and steeps with a crockpot. I did check the low setting temperature and it was about 160 as I recall ('twas a few years ago). It worked fine for me. I would heat it up first by putting some hot water in before I did the mash. And check the temp from time to time. You can always turn it off for a while if it starts getting too hot.
 
I've had many many crock pots over the years. No two seem to cook at the same temp. It must be tested before you use it.
 
even the low setting will be much higher than 150F, probably closer to 190F, but I think hes just talking about using it for insulating purposes.
 
I've done partials and steeps with a crockpot. I did check the low setting temperature and it was about 160 as I recall ('twas a few years ago). It worked fine for me. I would heat it up first by putting some hot water in before I did the mash. And check the temp from time to time. You can always turn it off for a while if it starts getting too hot.

If you're preheating the water and babysitting the temperature, what's the point? Build a proper cooler-based mini mash tun, won't cost much $$ snd it'll maintain temps properly.
 
I have one of these--I do partial boils for small batches; heat water to dissolve honey for meads; and heat water for general cleanup. I brew in my workshop which doesn't have running water. I haven't checked it at mash temps but the specs say it can go down to 150*F


fryer.jpg

Presto Multi-Cooker/Steamer:
This handy multi-cooker roasts, braises, blanches, boils, stews, simmers, steams, and makes soups and casseroles. Maintain accurate cooking temperature using the Control Master heat control. Made of heavy cast aluminum, this versatile unit heats evenly and resists warping. And the Diamond Coat deluxe nonstick finish inside and out means you'll spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the company of family and friends. Cooker is completely immersible with the heat control removed. Includes see-through glass cover and basket. (Item #188754) w7

Product Characteristics:
Model No.: 06000
Width: 13-in. (handle to handle)
Diameter: 9.5-in.
Height: 7.5-in.
Capacity: 6-qt.
Auto Shut Off: No
Adjustable Thermostat: Temperature range-150-400 degrees
Cleaning & Care: Dishwasher-safe
Volts/Watts: 120-volts / 1300-watts
Origin: USA
 
The point was it worked for me when I was using it, and didn't require that much effort. Less than building a mini mash tun. I went to all grain soon after I started using it, and it's now history.
 
I left some water in my crockpot and left it on the "Keep Warm" setting overnight. This morning, the temperature was steady at 160.

So I'm thinking I might try adding my water long before I plan to brew, so when I'm ready, it will be at 160. Adding the grain should bring the temperature down. Then I'll put the lid back on and let the temperature climb up through the 150s.

Or, when I'm ready to brew, I can add water at well below 150 and then periodically check the temp. Once it's at 145 or so, add my grains and then remove once it's climbed past 155ish.

Thoughts?
 
I left some water in my crockpot and left it on the "Keep Warm" setting overnight. This morning, the temperature was steady at 160.

So I'm thinking I might try adding my water long before I plan to brew, so when I'm ready, it will be at 160. Adding the grain should bring the temperature down. Then I'll put the lid back on and let the temperature climb up through the 150s.

Or, when I'm ready to brew, I can add water at well below 150 and then periodically check the temp. Once it's at 145 or so, add my grains and then remove once it's climbed past 155ish.

Thoughts?

Velly Intelesting :mug:
 
I left some water in my crockpot and left it on the "Keep Warm" setting overnight. This morning, the temperature was steady at 160.

So I'm thinking I might try adding my water long before I plan to brew, so when I'm ready, it will be at 160. Adding the grain should bring the temperature down. Then I'll put the lid back on and let the temperature climb up through the 150s.

Or, when I'm ready to brew, I can add water at well below 150 and then periodically check the temp. Once it's at 145 or so, add my grains and then remove once it's climbed past 155ish.

Thoughts?
Why not just heat the water to strike temp, dough in and place in a 150ish oven?
 
Are there any issues with the temperature going slowly from room temperature to 155 degrees? The process would be nice and easy if I could just wake up, throw my grain bag in my crockpot, toss in a few quarts of water, set it to "Keep Warm", make some breakfast, check the temp every now, and then once it's in the upper/mid 150s, turn off the crockpot and let it sit until I feel like brewing.

Do you see any pitfalls with this approach?
 
Are there any issues with the temperature going slowly from room temperature to 155 degrees? The process would be nice and easy if I could just wake up, throw my grain bag in my crockpot, toss in a few quarts of water, set it to "Keep Warm", make some breakfast, check the temp every now, and then once it's in the upper/mid 150s, turn off the crockpot and let it sit until I feel like brewing.

Do you see any pitfalls with this approach?

I don't know--try it and send me a six-pack, and I'll let you know if it came out OK :D
 
Are there any issues with the temperature going slowly from room temperature to 155 degrees? The process would be nice and easy if I could just wake up, throw my grain bag in my crockpot, toss in a few quarts of water, set it to "Keep Warm", make some breakfast, check the temp every now, and then once it's in the upper/mid 150s, turn off the crockpot and let it sit until I feel like brewing.

Do you see any pitfalls with this approach?

Depending on how slowly it rises, you're going to get a lot more fermentables out of the mash than you would if you just dough in at 155, resulting in a drier, less malty beer. But it's a partial mash, so probably not a huge deal, and you could always add a little crystal malt or maltodextrine to balance the malt character if you think it's too dry/thin.
 
If I were to do this, I'd unhook my Ranco ETC temp controller from my lagering freezer, and set it to heat instead of cool, then figure out whether it overshoots by the differential and cools down to the set point, or heats up to the set point and cools by the differential .

Once that's resolved, I'd know where to set it, and just let it go.

Come to think of it, I could do the exact same thing with my current mash setup, if I had a pump and an electric heating element.
 
Has anybody tried a crockpot mash? I'm doing a partial mash recipe which only calls for 1.5 lbs. of grain. This amount easily fits into my crockpot. I was thinking that a crock pot would keep a mash's temperature steady since it's insulated well and the "keep warm" temperature is probably just about right.

We have a crock pot with a therm probe that you set to a desired temp. Once the temp is reached it switches the crockpot to warm which on this model was too low a temp. So I just set the crockpot on probe again and set to 150 to warm the batch back up. Kept doing this during the steep time (about 10 min intervals) and kept the temp 148-150 no problem. Way easier than adjusting a gas flame. It has 5 degree increments so I could have set the temp to 155 or 160 if I needed to. I added hot water from the kettle and let it cool down, which heated the ceramic pot, to under 150 then started the steep. Seemed to work like a charm but is only good for small loads (3 qt crockpot).

Glad it cleaned up after though as the wife was a little concerned that I had such a pungent concoction in her crockpot. :)
 
I found this old thread, and it helped me with my last batch. Here's my pair of pennies. I have the Rival SCE600 (6-quart) that I tested on the Warm setting all day and got a 152 deg. I used it for my last partial mash (Witbier) and it worked excellent. Here's what we did:

I filled it 1/2 with tap water and put it on High while I heated my Purified water on the stove. I was to steep 2lbs of grain (1 lb barley, 1lb oats) with 1 gal of water for 45 minutes and rinse/sparge (optional) with another 1/2 gal.

When the real water hit 150, I turned off the stove, switched the crockpot to "Warm", and lifted the crock with oven mitts and dumped the hot water into the sink returning the empty crock to the slow cooker. I put in my two loosely packed grain bags and poured the steep water gently over the grains. I put on the lid.

The lid doesn't have the fancy hole for a thermometer like some do, but I set my floating thermometer where it would measure the water temp and I could still see it without taking off the glass lid. I set the timer for 45 minutes and cooked a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs (bacon was already bakin' in the oven, #winning). Every time I checked the thermometer, it was exactly 152 right in the range for that recipe.

When it beeped, we gently removed each bag allowing to drip nicely. Rinsed each over the brew kettle using a nice colander to hold the bag, filled kettle up to 2.5 and did the boil.

If you can get a crockpot that will do this at the right temp (or an old microwave with the temp probe) this is perfect for partial mashers and maybe even small/half/partial batchers.

I'm still a noob as that was just my 5th batch over all and only 3rd partial, but it was perfect for learning the concepts and getting some technique and understanding down before before we build a MLT and go all grain.

Primary: Belgian Witbier - corriander and orange peel last 10 mins of boil
Secondary: Helleweisen - no fruit added
Bottle Conditioning: @5 weeks - WTF (Belgian Wit dryhopped with Amarillo)
@8 weeks - Decaffeinator - Oatmeal Stout w/cold press decaf Colombian
@8 weeks - Stout it Out Loud ("SOL") - Oatmeal Stout
@12 weeks - Coltlifter - Scottish Ale primed with Brown Sugar (long story involving spillage of original priming mixture)
 
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