First Partial Mash

[ShermanTank]

Gentlemen,

Today is my first partial mash brew, and while I've already done most of my brews as soaked specialty grains, this one gave me some troubles. I use an outdoor propane burner for heat and I had a hell of a time keeping the temp steady at first. The instructions said, "keep between 148 and 152, but not over 155."

My question is: If the temp went to 158, but I brought it down in a few seconds with a splash of cooler water, should I expect problems? After about 8 min of juggling between the propane control and my emergency "cool down" water, I have been able to hold the temp steady at 148-149.

Also, any tips for better heat control? 45 minute soaks might give me a heart attack in the future.

 

[KeithMoonsLiver]

Convert a cooler into a mash tun. I just recently started doing partial mashes and decided to completely skip the stovetop method. Glad I did, even seeping specialty grains in a pot was a pain. Yesterday I brewed and my temperature fell from about 153 to 150 in 60 minutes.

I have heard of people putting the pot into a preheated oven during the mash to maintain temperatures. Search and there's probably a lot of posts on the subject.

 

[ShermanTank]

I like the oven idea, but my oven's lowest setting is 170. I'll do some research on converting a cooler into a mash tun. I gave up after 20 minutes of having the temp go up and down from 140-160. I dumped the grains and will try again another day. I just wasn't enjoying today's brew session.