Advice on how to prevent scorching on the bottom of a keggle?

[thrstyunderwater]

I'm trying to raise the temp 20 or so degrees on my keggle after initial mashing. I scorch every damn time. Aside from babying the thing the whole time or buying another pot with a thicker bottom, what else can one do?

 

[jtratcliff]

False bottom?

 

[thrstyunderwater]

I don't think that'll work for my situation. I'm stirring a lot and a lot of grain would fall through the bottom.

 

[jtratcliff]

Hmmm... Use a BIAB type mesh bag and lift it up slightly with a pulley while firing the keggle?

Wilserbrewer will make you one sized for your keggle and sell you the pulley too!

 

[thrstyunderwater]

I'm messing around with 75% rye, I don't think BIAB will work.

 

[jtratcliff]

You don't have to do full BIAB (although I don't why you think rye wouldn't work with BIAB)... Just use the mesh bag to line your mash tun. I've seen others use the bags that way in their cooler MTs.

Run off to your boil kettle as usual. You'd be using the bag as a sort of false bottom.

 

[brewfun]

I don't think that'll work for my situation. I'm stirring a lot and a lot of grain would fall through the bottom.

A false bottom is precisely what you need.

Scorching is eliminated when the heat can move through the mash without being trapped in a small space. The liquid distance from a false bottom provides more heat dissipation than the grain.

The next step is to recirculate while heating. This is a better way to move heat through the mash than stirring. It seems like your stirring isn't moving the grain past the heat source fast enough. Besides, if you beat the crap out of the grain, you lose a lot of the gas that accumulates and keeps the grain bed from compacting.

Finally, turn the heat down. A keggle is a tall, narrow cylinder. To heat quickly, you need a lot more surface area than you have. So, the only solution is to introduce heat more gently into the smaller surface area.

Expanding the effective surface area to diffuse the heat energy is what HERMS and RIMS systems are all about.

 

[kkramer56]

I'm trying to raise the temp 20 or so degrees on my keggle after initial mashing. I scorch every damn time. Aside from babying the thing the whole time or buying another pot with a thicker bottom, what else can one do?

A heat diffuser. Basically it's a plate you put between your burner and pot. They make them for gas or electric. That may do it for you.

 

[rekoob]

I have a direct fired MLT (keggle with false bottom) and recirculate my mash. It changes temps with ease and doesn't scortch the mash.
I think the key is keeping things moving. If you're not recirculating then your mash is just sitting on the hot spot. I doubt changing to a different pot will help.
Get a false bottom and recirculate.

 

[Brettomomyces]

I have a direct fired MLT (keggle with false bottom) and recirculate my mash. It changes temps with ease and doesn't scortch the mash.
I think the key is keeping things moving. If you're not recirculating then your mash is just sitting on the hot spot. I doubt changing to a different pot will help.
Get a false bottom and recirculate.

This ^^

Also, if you're using a lot of rye often you may want to look into doing a beta-glucan rest if you're not already. It will help prevent the sticky/guminess from all the rye.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-4.html

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Any recommendations on how to recirculate such a thick, sticky mess?

 

[Natdavis777]

Any recommendations on how to recirculate such a thick, sticky mess?

Best way would be a pump. If you don't have one though, you can just keep draining the wort and pouring it back I. The MLT, sort of like a continuous vourlof. I tried this once, and I hated it, not gonna lie


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