First all grain batch

[brewmastertim]

So I brewed my first All grain batch yesterday and I had some problems with my mash. I pre heated my tun (10 gal cooler) with a tea kettle of boiling water then added my grain the slowly added my water that was at 170 f to have a final rest of around 152 f. But the mash ended up around 140 f so not even close to what I was aiming for. So I tried bring the mash up to temp by adding a tea kettle at a time of boiling water but the temp did not change. So I had to heat up about two more gal of boiling water to get it to temp. But by now the mash has Ben sitting at 140 for about an hour so I'm wondering of this changed the mash with the 140 degree rest? If so how? And if there are any tips for next time so it goes a little smoother?

 

[TahoeRy]

You need to learn how your mash tun reacts to the water addition. In my tun I lose about 10 degrees when I add my strike water and about another 10 degrees when I add my grain. So If I want to mash at say 150, I would add 170 degree water and close the lid for about 5-10 minutes to heat up the tun. This allows the tun to hold temps better as the insulation is warm. Then I add my grain all at once and still it really well to make sure I dont have any clumps or dry spots. This will usually put me within a few degrees of what my target temp is. Just keep good notes so you can learn how your system will act as everybody's is different.

As far as how a 140 degree mash will affect your overall beer, its just going to be a drier beer. Typically at that temp you would want to mash for about 2 hours to ensure a good mash but an hour will be fine. The higher you mash the sweeter the wort, the lower the mash the drier the wort as its more fermentable. I change my mash temps based on the beers I want to produce. My IPAs I mash at around 148 and my brown ales or stouts I might mash around 152 or so.

Take good notes and keep brewing, you will dial it in as long as you are paying attention and taking notes.

 

[kh54s10]

I add a gallon (summer) or 2 gallons + (winter) of 160 ish water to my tun while getting the final temperature on my strike water. When I have strike temperature (another 10 minutes or so) I dump the tun then add the proper strike volume, then the grains. I am usually within a couple of degrees.

 

[brewmastertim]

So I brewed my first Amal grain batch yesterday and I had some problems with my mash. I pre heated my tun (10 gal cooler) with a tea kettle of boiling water then added my grain the slowly added my water that was at 170 f to have a final rest of around 152 f. But the mash ended up around 140 f so not even close to what I was aiming for. So I tried bring the mash up to temp by adding a tea kettle at a time of boiling water but the temp did not change. So I had to heat up about two more gal of boiling water to get it to temp. But by now the mash has Ben sitting at 140 for about an hour so I'm wondering of this changed the mash with the 140 degree rest? If so how? And if there are any tips for next time so it goes a little smoother?

All grain I meant

 

[weaselbob74]

I am having this issue also. I have been tracking strike, 30 min mash and 60 min mash temps. I keep increasing the preheat and strike water to compensate. But still can't hit the right temp.

I think I am going to try adding my grain to the strike water after it has equalized in the mash tun. A couple people have suggested this so I thought I would give it a shot.

 

[bobby4]

Being fairly new to this myself, I quickly discovered that I was missing my temperatures because my picnic cooler mash tun cooled the water much more than expected, and over a longer period of time. My solution is to heat the water higher, and let it sit longer in the cooler (a good 15 minutes). If it is a bit higher I just stir it, much easier than bringing the temperature up. Two other discoveries - it is important to have the grain at a predictable temperature (so it stays in the house until needed), and larger batches both heat the tun more quickly, but also hold the temperature better. Perhaps not surprising, but useful to keep in mind.

 

[brewkinger]

+1 to dialing your system in.

Experimentation is the name of the game in the early AG learning curve.

I stumbled upon my method through learning on my early batches.

I put about 2-3 gallons of 178-ish water in my 5 gal cooler and screw the lid on tight.
Temper the remaining water in my kettle to get it down to 170ish

(Now is a good time to mention that my cooler lid was mostly hollow, so I drilled a couple of holes and squirted in a can of that Great Stuff insulation and then trimmed the edges. Much better insulation from my cooler now!)

After about 10 min, the water in the cooler is about 167, I dough in and add remaining strike water and stir til my arms ache. I usually end up about 154 and then stir until 152.
Easier to stir cool than to chase the dragon and try to heat it up. (Unless you go direct fire tun)

My process is dialed in enough that once I am at mash temp, I know I have stirred enough, so I just let it mash and drink another cup of coffee while I prepare for phase 2 of the brew day.