Sous Vide mash anybody?

I read the New York Times article about the wonders of cooking with sous vide this morning, a fascinating technique that allows you to cook meat at a precise temperature of approximately medium rare for long periods of time, which will tenderize it, breaking down tough fiber, etc, while not destroying the texture, color, or flavor. Medium rare all the way through, you then sear your cheap cut of meat to brown it, and have a perfect steak or whatever.

The topic of mashing with sous vide has come up before here briefly, and I'm interested to hear if anybody is actually using it on a regular basis. The item discussed was the Annova Sous Vide at the time. Now I see Walmart has a Sous Vide cooker with a 9 quart capacity. I plan to look at it next time I get to the city to see if it is constructed in a way that could easily be used for mashing. I've been doing brews that are about 1.5 gallons on an irregular basis, and this could be perfect, depending on how the water is heated and circulated..... or it could be worthless for mashing. Most folks don't do tiny brews, but for those of us who do, this could be a nice dual purpose device perhaps???

H.W.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwRJDLWagCs[/ame]

Here is a video

TexasDroughtBrewery said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwRJDLWagCs

Here is a video

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Are you doing mashes this way? I was aware that it had been done, but was curious as to how many folks are actually doing this??? The real point of my post was that a tool that can yield amazingly tender meats through long cooking while retaining the color and flavor of a medium rare product, a tool I hadn't even imagined a few years ago, can also be a useful brewing tool. With Sous Vide for example, you can take that tough gamy venison for example, and instead of swissing it or stewing it for hours to where it retains no flavor or texture to speak of, cook it at 135F for several days after marinating it, leaving you with a delicious melt in your mouth tender piece of meat after a brief session on the barbeque or under the broiler. With the same tool, you can brew with unheard of precision. It's really a "no brainer". It's on my list. It's a way to make chuck rival tenderloin.... and an easy way to mash with precision.

That said, I'm not a precision brewer. Unlike some people here, I don't brew the same recipe again and again, in fact I brew something different every time, and I craft my recipes on Brewer's Friend each time, using previous efforts as a reference, not a "recipe". With over 100 brews behind me, my methodology is a bit unconventional. I often just go out and crush the amount of grain I need, deciding on the spot if I want to include some wheat, or munich malt, or some crystal, or a bit of that dark DME someone gave me.... I know how much I need more or less. I often sit down during my mash and decide which of the hops I have on hand to use, what flavor balance I want, and what IBUs I want. I may mash hot and fast, or low and slow, and I am liable to decide that as I strike. A quick hot mash and a bit of AG300 in the fermenter will yield about the same product as a cool slow mash. I have lots of tools and am not afraid to use them.........

The sous vide offers another arrow in my quiver........ I can even see the potential of using a large zip lock bag with my grain and strike water held at a specific temp for a specific time, then sparging....... who knows??

H.W.

Owly055 said:

I read the New York Times article about the wonders of cooking with sous vide this morning, a fascinating technique that allows you to cook meat at a precise temperature of approximately medium rare for long periods of time, which will tenderize it, breaking down tough fiber, etc, while not destroying the texture, color, or flavor. Medium rare all the way through, you then sear your cheap cut of meat to brown it, and have a perfect steak or whatever.

The topic of mashing with sous vide has come up before here briefly, and I'm interested to hear if anybody is actually using it on a regular basis. The item discussed was the Annova Sous Vide at the time. Now I see Walmart has a Sous Vide cooker with a 9 quart capacity. I plan to look at it next time I get to the city to see if it is constructed in a way that could easily be used for mashing. I've been doing brews that are about 1.5 gallons on an irregular basis, and this could be perfect, depending on how the water is heated and circulated..... or it could be worthless for mashing. Most folks don't do tiny brews, but for those of us who do, this could be a nice dual purpose device perhaps???

H.W.

Click to expand...

I don't see why it shouldn't work for small batches with BIAB technique. Go for it!
Once you scale up, the power output of sous vide heater is not going to be sufficient to heat up the strike water to ~150F or so temperature in any reasonable amount of time. I would also worry a little about caramelization if you are inserting a direct electric heater into the wort - as did the person in youtube video.

No, I don't use this method for mashing, I am a lot more how you described I do a different brew every time, haven't brewed anything twice yet. (well correction, I do a hard lemonade every summer b/c its a huge hit.) but that dosen't require any type of grain or mashing.

55x11 said:

I don't see why it shouldn't work for small batches with BIAB technique. Go for it!
Once you scale up, the power output of sous vide heater is not going to be sufficient to heat up the strike water to ~150F or so temperature in any reasonable amount of time. I would also worry a little about caramelization if you are inserting a direct electric heater into the wort - as did the person in youtube video.

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I think the key here is to be at strike temp using a separate heating source so the sous vide only has to maintain temp. Note that in the video this was done.

H.W.

55x11 said:

I don't see why it shouldn't work for small batches with BIAB technique. Go for it!
Once you scale up, the power output of sous vide heater is not going to be sufficient to heat up the strike water to ~150F or so temperature in any reasonable amount of time. I would also worry a little about caramelization if you are inserting a direct electric heater into the wort - as did the person in youtube video.

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I forgot to note that I'm scaling DOWN not up........... I've moved from 2.5 to 3 gallon brews down to 1.5 to 2 gallon brews. I seem to be "out of step"... but I always am. The idea is to move from a 5 gallon to an 11 gallon to half barrel to 15 barrels and a microbrewery. I'm going down the up staircase. I briefly flirted with 4 to 4.5 gallon brews, but have chosen to drop back to 1.5 to 2 gallon brews........ Go figure. I'm out of step, and always have been. Guess my wires must be crossed ;-).

H.W.

TexasDroughtBrewery said:

No, I don't use this method for mashing, I am a lot more how you described I do a different brew every time, haven't brewed anything twice yet. (well correction, I do a hard lemonade every summer b/c its a huge hit.) but that dosen.'t require any type of grain or mashing.

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So I'm not alone............ That's comforting ;-) Like you I brew my "Mosaic Delight" on a fairly regular basis..........but it's never the same. I might throw in some nugget or some Nelson Sauvin, or who knows what......But it always has Mosaic and Willamette, and the IBUs are generally in the mid 50's to mid 40's. Sometimes it's really "hop forward" and others it is more subdued. Variety is the spice of live ..........

H.W.

The sous vide process looks neat for mashing but....what's the point. If the grains are milled finely, the conversion will be done in 20 minutes. If milled more coarsely, the mash will take longer but at some point conversion will mostly stop because the same temperature that causes the enzymes to convert the starch to sugar also causes them to breakdown and cease operating.

For the record I still want one of theses devices I've heard nothing but raving reviews on how perfect they cook.

TexasDroughtBrewery said:

For the record I still want one of theses devices I've heard nothing but raving reviews on how perfect they cook.

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Agreed - totally going to be one of my gifts to myself this Christmas if the wife doesn't get the incredible amount of hints I've been dropping.

On Mashing i worry slightly about caramelization , but don't people do electric kettle mashing with the element exposed directly to the mash too?

Owly055 said:

With Sous Vide for example, you can take that tough gamy venison for example, and instead of swissing it or stewing it for hours to where it retains no flavor or texture to speak of, cook it at 135F for several days after marinating it, leaving you with a delicious melt in your mouth tender piece of meat after a brief session on the barbeque or under the broiler.

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If your venison is tough and gamey, cooking method won't fix it, and in fact, can make it worse.

It got that way because of how you handled it WAY before you got around to cooking it. (field dressing/skinning/butchering)

VERY common misconception with wild game. It's not the meat's fault.
It's the hunter's/handler's.

, I know, but this line of thinking drives me nuts.

A sous vide circulator is a pretty cool brewing tool. I don't use mine for mashing though, because I've been worried about two things. One, scorching. They are made to work in water. Two, getting it gummed up. It still might be fine, I haven't tried. It may also vary by model.

You could avoid those concerns with a 2 vessel method where you heated an outer jacket of water, with an inner pot holding the grain. I've never bothered to try because at 5 gallon scale, i don't have the right kind of vessels already.

A brew-specific sous vide gadget that was made to stir and safely maintain mash heat heat would be a cool alternative to other temperature control methods.

I use my sous vide gear on brew weekend mainly for pasteurizing. For example, if I am making a starter, I can put water and DME in a vacuum bag, hold it at 150F for a while, then cool the bag on the countertop. I find that to be easier than attending actively to boiling and chilling DME.

First off, I love my Anova sous vide. I've had it for a while now and consider it an essential kitchen tool (for me...not for everyone). I'm not a person who needs all kinds of gadgets, I'm more of a person who wants minimal tools to do a job. With the sous vide, no other tool does what it does. A medium rare sous vide chuck roast turns out like a wonderful slow roasted prime rib...it's really a nice tool.

I'm just putting together my electric brewery now, but before this I would brew at my buddies house. He's got a three vessel system, with induction burners and a sous vide machine to maintain mash temperature. The way we do this is a little different though, in order to ensure the most gentle process. We have the sous vide heater in a separate, covered container of water. The heater heats the water, goes through the pump, into an immersion chiller placed in the mash. The heated water returns from the immersion chiller back into the sous vide reservoir.

It works good at maintaining mash temps on 5 gallon batches, but it does take a bit of work to dial things in. With the 800W element in the Anova heater, I'm now wondering if placing the immersion heater in a hop spider, to keep the grains out of contact with the element, would be good enough to prevent scorching...just allowing that bit of extra space.

On to cooking venison with a sous vide. It would be counter productive to use an immersion heater on venison for prolonged times. You don't have fat or the connective tissues that you're trying to break down. However, you can use the heater to ensure an edge to edge rare, or medium rare, cook...then sear it off. Even cooking vension in a crock pot for a prolonged time doesn't really do us any favors, it's more akin to people cooking chicken breast in the crockpot. You end up with wet strings of shredded (not in a good way) protein. Bbq and long cooks aren't for these super lean meats (in my opinion). But, sous vide does awesome at assisting long cooks, or short precise cooks. It's a great tool

I've used the annovo on multiple batches with good success. Seen my efficiency go from 70 to 75-77. I use it for 2.5 up to 5 gallon batches stove top BIAB. In the picture you can see I use a stainless steel utensil holder with the bottom removed to separate the unit from the bag. I then use binder clips to hold the bag on the pot. The pot stays on the stove and I heat the water with the stove. I have to baby sit it during the mash and stir occasionally but I can maintain pretty constant mash temperatures. It definitely is not a set and forget setup but it works for what I do.


View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1476469256.087710.jpg

I just bought an Annova today for about $150 at Target. I'm already doing some cheap steak with it at 135F, which I will refrigerate in the bags and grill later. There are 4, and they are seasoned. The first will come out in 12 hours, the second will come out in 24 hours, and the last two will go 48 hours just to see the difference.
I am quite impressed with the quality of the unit, and I can have some ideas on different ways to use it mashing.

H.W.

Cooking Alchemy

I had a tenderloin steak for breakfast this morning............ Well it started out as a tri tip, and spent 12 hours in the Sous Vide. Truly Amazing!! If I told you it was a tenderloin, you would have believed me! This little $150 gadget is going to save me serious money. Well perhaps not. Instead of saving money, it will improve the quality of the fare I enjoy on a daily basis. Chuck will be a treat instead of a last resort. Medium rare all the way through, with a seared outer surface, and tender as a ribeye after a long residence in warm water. This won't just change the way I brew, it'll change my life!!

H.W.

****! Owly the last thing I need to do is drop $150 dollars but you are making this really hard for me lol.

TexasDroughtBrewery said:

****! Owly the last thing I need to do is drop $150 dollars but you are making this really hard for me lol.

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It was hard for me.......... but it truly is alchemy in the kitchen. Turning "base metal" into gold!! You like rib eye for example........ at $9 + per pound, sous vide chuck is said to come in very close, but you'd better plan ahead. I've used it every day since I bought it. Tri tip cooked 8-12 hours comes out like tenderloin. The other pieces that were not given the treatment are tough and chewy, and much drier. The beauty of it really is that you can pull the meat out in it's sealed bag and throw it in the freezer pre-cooked and seasoned, then thaw and bring it up to temp with the sous vide, open the bag, and throw it on the grill for 30 seconds a side after patting it dry and seasoning the surface.
The net is full of recipes. I have some lamb from one of my local rancher friends that I'm dying to try, a couple of legs and a couple of chops. I plan to do a dry run with some other kind of roast to get the seasoning right, then do both legs and both chops, and take them 800 miles to my Mother's house frozen, and finish them under the broiler.

This thing is NOT going to save me money ;-) At least not initially, because I'm going to be buying more meat and experimenting and sharing. In the end it probably will. No more high dollar meat. I'm eager to see what I can do with brisket, chuck roast, etc.

H.W.

Owly055 said:

It was hard for me.......... but it truly is alchemy in the kitchen. Turning "base metal" into gold!! You like rib eye for example........ at $9 + per pound, sous vide chuck is said to come in very close, but you'd better plan ahead. I've used it every day since I bought it. Tri tip cooked 8-12 hours comes out like tenderloin. The other pieces that were not given the treatment are tough and chewy, and much drier. The beauty of it really is that you can pull the meat out in it's sealed bag and throw it in the freezer pre-cooked and seasoned, then thaw and bring it up to temp with the sous vide, open the bag, and throw it on the grill for 30 seconds a side after patting it dry and seasoning the surface.
The net is full of recipes. I have some lamb from one of my local rancher friends that I'm dying to try, a couple of legs and a couple of chops. I plan to do a dry run with some other kind of roast to get the seasoning right, then do both legs and both chops, and take them 800 miles to my Mother's house frozen, and finish them under the broiler.

This thing is NOT going to save me money ;-) At least not initially, because I'm going to be buying more meat and experimenting and sharing. In the end it probably will. No more high dollar meat. I'm eager to see what I can do with brisket, chuck roast, etc.

H.W.

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Me too! What's your address and what time should I show up for dinner? :rockin:

RM-MN said:

Me too! What's your address and what time should I show up for dinner? :rockin:

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It might be easier to FedEx a frozen pre-cooked roast still sealed in the vacuum bag. All you would have to do is thaw it out and warm it up to about 130 degrees, remove it from the bag and sear the surface with your torch, or under the broiler after doing a rub. You want to pop for the roast..... only about $10 at current prices here, and freight, and wait until I get my vacuum sealer, and I'd be happy to do it. Next day air, it should keep if packed in styrafoam peanuts.

H.W.

I'm wondering about sealing grain and liquid in a large vacuum seal bag, and trying to seal it without drawing the strike water into the sealer, then mashing with sous vide for a small brew. I've been brewing about 1.5 gallons lately. It would not be a full volume mash, and would be sparged after processing it, by dumping the contents into a brew bag, and then dunk sparging in warm water. I could mash this way, and the mash would be sterile after an hour or so mash, and a mashout, and it could then be set aside for sparging and boiling at any future date. 3-4 pounds of grain isn't much. Not a practical method perhaps, but it would be fun to try. It would be a great way to achieve a bone dry brew, or a brew with lots of grains that don't convert on their own, as you could easily maintain conversion temp for a long period of time. A small amount of two row, and a lot of other stuff.

H.W.

Owly055 said:

I'm wondering about sealing grain and liquid in a large vacuum seal bag, and trying to seal it without drawing the strike water into the sealer, then mashing with sous vide for a small brew. I've been brewing about 1.5 gallons lately. It would not be a full volume mash, and would be sparged after processing it, by dumping the contents into a brew bag, and then dunk sparging in warm water. I could mash this way, and the mash would be sterile after an hour or so mash, and a mashout, and it could then be set aside for sparging and boiling at any future date. 3-4 pounds of grain isn't much. Not a practical method perhaps, but it would be fun to try. It would be a great way to achieve a bone dry brew, or a brew with lots of grains that don't convert on their own, as you could easily maintain conversion temp for a long period of time. A small amount of two row, and a lot of other stuff.

H.W.

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Interesting thoughts...not sure how it would turn out...or if having it sealed as being a good thing or a bad thing. But it certainly is interesting to think about or try. My brother has a chamber sealer which you can seal liquids without concerns...it may be good to try it with that. Hmmmm...I need to make some pickles with his sealer too, forgot about that.



If this is too off topic, please remove...but here's a sous vide chuck roast.





pork roast (SV)


sirloin steak (SV)


turkey breast (SV)



Dang, I'm getting hungry!

FWIW I use the Anova to maintain mash temp in my 15gal keggle for 10 gal batches. I use it with my chugger pump to essentially do RIMS and have no issues maintaining temp at that volume.

55x11 said:

Once you scale up, the power output of sous vide heater is not going to be sufficient to heat up the strike water to ~150F or so temperature in any reasonable amount of time.

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I actually count on the "slow" heating time. I use my sous-vide just to heat my strike water. I tend to brew early in the morning. So night before, setup my brewery (Which is just a few 2x6s thrown across saw horses..). Then right before bed plug in the sous-vide. Not sure how long it takes, but every time, by the next morning, I've got strike water in the 175 degree range ready to go! It's a great time saver. I'm actually limited on my brewing start time not on the hot water, but on whether or not my coffee's kicked in

I wrap my pot in blankets for the insulation. Cover the top partially as much as possible with the lid, and some extra foil to minimize venting. I've done single (~7 gallons of strike water) and double (~14 gallons) batches - works great.

On brand's I can't recommend the Anova. Mine died within the first year. The replacement (under warranty) died during the second year (not covered). I'm using a new Nomiku brand now. I like that the power supply is on a "tail" further away from the heater. I think that's why my Anovas kept dying. (Even though I don't think my 1-2 uses per month was excessive)

A power supply in a hot, steamy environment is hard to design. I think Anova's design has flaws in this regard. I'm hoping the Nomiku survives better.

Regards,

Mark

Horseflesh said:

A sous vide circulator is a pretty cool brewing tool. I don't use mine for mashing though, because I've been worried about two things. One, scorching. They are made to work in water. Two, getting it gummed up. It still might be fine, I haven't tried. It may also vary by model.

You could avoid those concerns with a 2 vessel method where you heated an outer jacket of water, with an inner pot holding the grain. I've never bothered to try because at 5 gallon scale, i don't have the right kind of vessels already.

A brew-specific sous vide gadget that was made to stir and safely maintain mash heat heat would be a cool alternative to other temperature control methods.

I use my sous vide gear on brew weekend mainly for pasteurizing. For example, if I am making a starter, I can put water and DME in a vacuum bag, hold it at 150F for a while, then cool the bag on the countertop. I find that to be easier than attending actively to boiling and chilling DME.

Click to expand...

And then you could splurge (Christmas is coming, right?) and get yourself a PicoBrew Zymatic, which just happens to be able to do sous-vide cooking, as well as brewing beer . A bit more expensive that the sous-vide circulator but....

del

I had teased the idea of getting a Sous Vide cooker to try and mash with, but instead opted to go with an induction cooktop instead. I haven't had a chance to brew with it yet, but I purchased and Advanco IC1800 which has 10 degree temperature hold settings on it which will essentially do the same function of holding temperature as a sous vide cooker, just externally.

The IC1800 is only 1800watts and takes a bit to get going (who's really in a hurry on a brew day?), but I've done two 7 gallon test boils with water and got it up from 65 degrees to 150 in just about an hour. Hoping to put a write up on here once I have more to go on since there's not too much about induction brewing out there either, but thought I'd chime in since it's similar in concept for holding a mash temp, but also can expand with the same tool for the full boil as well.

We did just the opposite... Wife has a restaurant, wanted to play with sous vide, thought they were pricey. I plugged her bain marie (small portable steam table) into my PID and set it for 167° to poach some eggs.

All a sous vide is is a particularly tight & accurate thermostat with heater and circulating fan. Most PIDs can be tweaked for both set point and cutout temp. If you don't have a bain marie, think crockpot or electric range. Just be sure the PID can handle the amperage.

I've done five BIAB batches that way. Works awesome. I heat the strike water with the turkey fryer. Then use the sous vide cooker to maintain mash temp, it will even do a step mash pretty nicely if you use the burner to help. Obviously you need to keep the sousvide cooker on the outside of your brew bag and I put a strainer over it to keep even more floaties out.

I can't say that I've used a Sous Vide cooker to mash, but I have used my EHERM HLT for sous vide cooking, worked great, held 150 degrees for four hours while cooking two pork loin roast. Nothing like having a 15 gal, 5500W sous vide cooker with an Auber Ezboil controller and chugger pump for circulation.

Just got one of these for my birthday woooohoooo steak is going down this weekend.

Will wort caramelize on an Anova Sous Vide at 156 degrees is is there now worries with that. I have been using my Anova to fine tune the strike water and then dial it down to 100 so that it just helps circulate during BIAB mash. It would be nice to use it to help keep the mash temp, but I was concerned that wort would caramelize to the element. Any thoughts or feedback on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

shigadeyo said:

Will wort caramelize on an Anova Sous Vide at 156 degrees is is there now worries with that. I have been using my Anova to fine tune the strike water and then dial it down to 100 so that it just helps circulate during BIAB mash. It would be nice to use it to help keep the mash temp, but I was concerned that wort would caramelize to the element. Any thoughts or feedback on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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I have not noticed any problems. I have noticed that you have to baby sit while mashing and stir the mash. I use a separate thermometer to measure the mash temp and usually have the anovo set a few degrees higher to maintain the mash temperature. For me it is definitely not set and forget but if you watch it and stir you can keep a steady mash temp.

NTexBrewer said:

I have not noticed any problems. I have noticed that you have to baby sit while mashing and stir the mash. I use a separate thermometer to measure the mash temp and usually have the anovo set a few degrees higher to maintain the mash temperature. For me it is definitely not set and forget but if you watch it and stir you can keep a steady mash temp.

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I intend to try a BIAB mash with the sous vide right in the middle of the mash. I plan to cut intake ports about 3" higher than the originals, and close the lower ones off with a stainless steel band. A strainer will be made which will extend outward 6" and upward above the surface of the mash. This will put the intake farther up than normal, near the surface of the mash, discharging at the bottom. The bottom plastic flow director will be removed, and an extension tube will carry the discharge straight down through a screen, resulting in a torroidal flow. I'm attempting to obtain a replacement for the stainless tube. I'll send it to Utah Biodiesel and have them fab the screens for the job so they fit correctly. The upper screen will incorporate a support so the annova will rest in the middle of the mash tun supported on the rim.

H.W.

NTexBrewer said:

I have not noticed any problems. I have noticed that you have to baby sit while mashing and stir the mash. I use a separate thermometer to measure the mash temp and usually have the anovo set a few degrees higher to maintain the mash temperature. For me it is definitely not set and forget but if you watch it and stir you can keep a steady mash temp.

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So, you use the Anova to heat and circulate the mash and have had no issue with anything caramelizing to the element at 152-158 or so degrees? Just wanted to get the clarification. Thanks!

Yes, even just using it to circulate and heat with the stove top on low, I watched it and stirred regularly. Amazing the temperature fluctuation when stirring it and watching it drop a couple degrees.

Owly055 said:

I intend to try a BIAB mash with the sous vide right in the middle of the mash. I plan to cut intake ports about 3" higher than the originals, and close the lower ones off with a stainless steel band. A strainer will be made which will extend outward 6" and upward above the surface of the mash. This will put the intake farther up than normal, near the surface of the mash, discharging at the bottom. The bottom plastic flow director will be removed, and an extension tube will carry the discharge straight down through a screen, resulting in a torroidal flow. I'm attempting to obtain a replacement for the stainless tube. I'll send it to Utah Biodiesel and have them fab the screens for the job so they fit correctly. The upper screen will incorporate a support so the annova will rest in the middle of the mash tun supported on the rim.

H.W.

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Very interesting idea. Definitely let us know how it works out! I'm wondering if contacting Anova and talking to them about how to modify for mashing beer might lead to accessories or specialized product from them...

I've had the same thought. Home brewers are not a big market, but it would not entail any major changes, perhaps a "value added" brewer's kit. I must say however that if I were designing something specifically for home brewers, it would be significantly different. It would be robust enough to handle being immersed directly in the mash without the need for screens. The element would be "low density"... I believe that's the term for an element designed for low wattage per area. 800 watts is far more power than is needed to maintain mash temp. It would incorporate an external outlet that would allow you to control an induction hotplate, or some other external heat source so that you could go with a lot of wattage to heat the water to strike temp, then it's own internal heating element to maintain mash temp, and it would interface with brew software that would allow you to punch in weight of grain, and mash temp to calculate strike temp. The circulating vane assembly would be a propeller like a boat prop that would push straight down, and the motor would be designed to handle more load.
The BIAB sous vide would be designed first as a brewing device, and second as a cooking device, as the rigors of brewing are greater than those of cooking, though the level of precision is the same.

H.W.

shigadeyo said:

Very interesting idea. Definitely let us know how it works out! I'm wondering if contacting Anova and talking to them about how to modify for mashing beer might lead to accessories or specialized product from them...

Click to expand...

In my passion to reduce the brew day, for which I have been roundly criticized and accused of not liking to brew, which is grossly unfair as I brew more often than almost anybody here........ about once a week, and I choose to brew small because I want to brew often........ Oops That sentence went on far too long ;-) Anyway, what I was about to say is that the Annova is perfect for saving time. Set your strike temp, and go to bed. Wake up and you are ready to dough in. It's the perfect water heater for brewing if you plan ahead. Your mash tun is your HLT.

H.W.

shigadeyo said:

So, you use the Anova to heat and circulate the mash and have had no issue with anything caramelizing to the element at 152-158 or so degrees? Just wanted to get the clarification. Thanks!

Yes, even just using it to circulate and heat with the stove top on low, I watched it and stirred regularly. Amazing the temperature fluctuation when stirring it and watching it drop a couple degrees.

Click to expand...

Correct, I have not noticed any carmelization on the element