Winter brewing outdoors...keeping mash warm

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Painter

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I'm going to be moving my brewing operation outdoors, partly to keep spouse happy (she dislikes the smell) and partly because I'm going to use a propane burner. My plan is to do BIAB (5 1/2 gallons before boil) and wrap the pot with insulation while mashing. Will the mash stay at ~152 for the 60 to 70 minutes when the outdoor temperature is in the 40's? How about when outdoor temp is in the 20's? I could probably haul the pot indoors during the mash.

The insulation that I am using has plastic that would be in danger of melting if I add heat with the propane burner.

Any suggestions?
 
I just heat the strike water in the kitchen, dough in inside, and leave the mash tun on the kitchen floor while I get the outside stuff set up.

Alternatively, put the mash tun on a square of styrofoam and put an old sleeping bag over it.

EDIT: whoops! You're doing BIAB so ignore me.
 
Use a jacketed mash tun:

20131124_111953_zpscoyw85v9.jpg


That's a Gott cooler under there.
 
I wrapped several blankets/towels to keep my mash in a temp range, but had to hit up some heat at about the 30-minute mark just to be okay. It wasn't a big deal.
 
I wrap my BIAB in a big moving blanket. I just wrap it around the pot and the burner all at once. It generally does a good job of holding temps like this. Additionally, the large thermal mass of a BIAB mash really does help keep your temps up. The less you unwrap and open the lid, the better.

That being said, the colder you try and brew, the harder it will be. I usually brew in my garage. Door is open while the burner is on, closed when it is off. This helps to retain heat and limit loss due to wind.
 
I have a 10 gallon Igloo MT and I have yet to experience any heat loss, even if I want to. I've taken the lid off and stirred the mash like a mad man and it still won't drop. It might be the best piece of gear I have at this point.

edit: Damn...sorry, I apparently missed the BIAB part as well. Disregard.
 
I ended up making a jacket out of bubble insulation from Lowes that I bungee around the pot. I brought it indoors to mash (about 64 degrees ambient temp) and it lost about 4 degrees over 70 minutes. Since this is my first all grain brew, I don't know how much of a difference that will make.
 
I ended up making a jacket out of bubble insulation from Lowes that I bungee around the pot. I brought it indoors to mash (about 64 degrees ambient temp) and it lost about 4 degrees over 70 minutes. Since this is my first all grain brew, I don't know how much of a difference that will make.

That's probably your best option. It sucks to move around a heavy kettle. But you'll lose a lot of heat if you aren't using a cooler for mashing and just leave it outside. Losing 4 degrees over the course of the mash isn't ideal, but it won't have a huge effect on your final beer. Might just end up at a slightly lower FG than you had planned.
 
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