rico567
Well-Known Member
Brewed my 4th AG batch yesterday.....and it had been a rocky road until then, after nearly two years of completely smooth sailing with extracts. No matter what I read, what calculators I used or hints, tips & tricks I considered, my bête noir was and remained TEMPERATURE.
Specifically, it was impossible for me to arrive at the correct mash temperature without fussing, fuming, adding boiling water, adding ice, fuming some more. Yes, I preheated the tun, yes, I use a topnotch thermometer (Thermapen), yes, I muttered arcane formulæ into the hollows of rotted stumps at midnight under a full moon. I consulted brewing software, Palmer, calculators on various web sites. All of it.
So yesterday I brewed a big IPA with a 15 lb. grain bill, and after mashing in and stirring vigorously for a while, I took the temperature....and despite all my best adjustments and calculations, I was HIGH. AGAIN.
Then, I think because it occurred to me that there was a lot more stuff in the tun than previous batches, I decided to give it another thorough stirring before doing anything about it. To my amazement, the temperature came down 1.2 degrees. Inspired, I stirred the same amount again.....and there was my mash temp right on the nose. Wondering, I stirred again, but it stayed right where it belonged.
The moral to this story: Stir, stir, stir again.
Don't bother to take a temperature in the mash tun without stirring enthusiastically, and a lot, because I believe it will almost certainly be inaccurate. I think my results also illuminate other experiences I was having, i.e, the temperature falling 4 degrees in the mash in an hour. I wasn't stirring before I measured, so I no longer believe those measurements to be valid.
Brew a little, learn a little.
Specifically, it was impossible for me to arrive at the correct mash temperature without fussing, fuming, adding boiling water, adding ice, fuming some more. Yes, I preheated the tun, yes, I use a topnotch thermometer (Thermapen), yes, I muttered arcane formulæ into the hollows of rotted stumps at midnight under a full moon. I consulted brewing software, Palmer, calculators on various web sites. All of it.
So yesterday I brewed a big IPA with a 15 lb. grain bill, and after mashing in and stirring vigorously for a while, I took the temperature....and despite all my best adjustments and calculations, I was HIGH. AGAIN.
Then, I think because it occurred to me that there was a lot more stuff in the tun than previous batches, I decided to give it another thorough stirring before doing anything about it. To my amazement, the temperature came down 1.2 degrees. Inspired, I stirred the same amount again.....and there was my mash temp right on the nose. Wondering, I stirred again, but it stayed right where it belonged.
The moral to this story: Stir, stir, stir again.
Don't bother to take a temperature in the mash tun without stirring enthusiastically, and a lot, because I believe it will almost certainly be inaccurate. I think my results also illuminate other experiences I was having, i.e, the temperature falling 4 degrees in the mash in an hour. I wasn't stirring before I measured, so I no longer believe those measurements to be valid.
Brew a little, learn a little.
