Mash thickness

I'm wanting to try a new kit from Midwest that has about 12.4# of grain, but I've only got a 5 gallon cooler tun. Calculator here tells me that for 1.25 qt/lb, I need 4.86 gallons of tun space, which is cutting it a bit too close for me. If I were to reduce the mash thickness to 1 qt/lbs, how would this effect the beer?

The recipe has 7# of Rahr Pale Ale and just over 5 lbs of specialty grains, chocolate, victory, smoked, crystal 80 and munich.

I'd mash as high qt/lb in that tun as possible. Add grains a couple of pounds at a time and stir stir stir. Keep adding and stir. It's a mash tun not a boil kettle it wont spill over. Add grains slowly and keep stirring so no dough balls. If you are really nervous go with 1.2 or 1.15 qt/lb. The bonus is that you shoild have great temperature control. Go for it!

The last time I had this problem, I heated enough water for 1.25 qt/lb but I only put 1 qt/lb in the mash tun for the mash-in. As the grains soaked up water, I added more water a little bit at a time to make sure there was room for it all.

Do it that way and you'll have at minimum 1 qt/lb, most likely more, and maybe even your full 1.25.

To answer your question, though, a thicker mash usually will produce a slightly less fermentable wort, but the effect is very minimal. You could probably expect your FG to be higher by as much as .002. Mash temperature is much more important than thickness where fermentability is concerned.

Up to 13.5 lbs of grain @ 1.25 qts/ lb will fit into a 5 gallon beverage cooler. It's tight, but it'll fit!
Mix it in 3-4 additions to be safe.

CKing said:

Up to 13.5 lbs of grain @ 1.25 qts/ lb will fit into a 5 gallon beverage cooler. It's tight, but it'll fit!
Mix it in 3-4 additions to be safe.

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With a false bottom? I guess I should have mentioned that in the original post. It's one of the NB domed ones, so it doesn't take up a huge amount of space.

I like shawnbou's idea of heating enough for 1.25, but staring with 1.0 and topping off after the grain is added to thin out the mash if there's room.

It'll fit! Stick it in there!!!

kygooglenerd said:

it'll fit! Stick it in there!!!

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+1

KyGooglenerd said:

It'll fit! Stick it in there!!!

Click to expand...

Between this and the just created "all kinds of wood" thread, I'm starting to think I'm on some kind of weird sex forum.