To Stir or Not To Stir : Mash Technique Question

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Do you Stir while Mashing?

  • Yes I stir the Mash during the Rests

  • No, I do not stir the Mash during Rests

  • RIMS/HERMS BABY!


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mmb

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I'm comfortable with my process but of course everyone does things differently.

Do you Stir your Mash after mash in or do you let it sit until Mash Out?
 
I stir to equalize temp and break apart any doughballs, then I leave it the hell alone until I take the first runnings. :D
 
I usually stir for 5-10 mins at dough in to break up all the dough balls then let it sit for 20 mins or so and stir again just to be sure. After that I leave it alone.
 
I stir to mix it all up. Let it sit for 10 mins or so, then stir again to make sure there are no dough balls, then it sits for the rest of them time.
 
I stir every 15 mins to keep the temp of the mash even. Otherwise the top cools off compared to the bottom, even in a cooler (10 gallon rubbermaid).
 
I stir every 15 mins to keep the temp of the mash even. Otherwise the top cools off compared to the bottom, even in a cooler (10 gallon rubbermaid).

Slap a piece of foam insulation on top of the mash and I think that problem will disappear. :D
 
I stir at dough in, then again about 15 or 20 min. before draining. Did this yesterday with double batch sparge method & achieved 82% brewhouse efficiency.
 
1. Mash In
2. Stir to break up any doughballs
3. Wait 50 minutes
4. Add 1 gallon 180F water for mash out
5. Recirculate for 10 minutes or until clear
6. Start draining and flysparge to volume
 
Slap a piece of foam insulation on top of the mash and I think that problem will disappear. :D

It's not that the whole mash cools off. The grain settles and somehow pulls heat down to the bottom leaving the water on top cooler. Like a temperature stratification. After a quick stir, the temp equalizes and goes back to what it was after dough-in.
 
I use a mud-mixer at dough-in to saturate all the grains and then leave it alone. I do use a pump to re-circulate while (RIMS) mashing.
 
I used to go in and give a stir every 10-15 minutes to re-distribute heat gradients and adjust if necessary (i have a keg MLT, insulation not so great).

However, I voted RIMS/HERMS because I am currently building one right now.:D
When the HERMS is operational, there will be NO stirring after initial dough-in.
 
It depends. A decoction mash will end up getting stirred more than a simple one-step infusion. I typically stir every 20 minutes or so to evenly distribute the heat (I mash in a pot).

Aside from excessively stirring...is there a problem with stirring the mash?

I don't know what HERMS or RIMS mean.
 
I lose too much heat if I open the mash tun. It gets a good stir when mashing in, making sure the temp's good and that's it until it's time to recirculate and runoff.
 
I like to play with stuff. At least once during the mash, I'll give it another stir after initially stiring the grains in. I also stir with each batch sparge. I love the smell and the feel of the mash. I want to know the texture of my mash, like when making bread. Making beer is like cooking for me, a very visceral process. I need that feedback from what I'm making.
 
Stir when doughing in and then again after first runnings when I add the sparge water.
 
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