Mash fail please help

[HermeticHealer]

So I just added my strike water and aimed for mashing in at 150 deg F, however my temp reading was 140. I quickly brought 1 gal to a boil and added to my mash and this brought it back to 150. My concern is that my grist ratio is now off. My recipe is calculated for 1.5 ratio. This is a Munich Helles recipe from BYO magazine. Here are some more details :

5 gal batch
Total Water Needed = ~ 8.5 gal

Strike = 3.75 gal @ 161 deg F
Mash Out = 1.75 gal @ 212 deg F
Sparge = 2.75 gal @ 170 deg F

* Added 0.25 gal. to total for extra sparging if needed.

8.8 lbs of German pilsner
2.2 lbs of Vienna

Should I be concerned with the grist ratio. Or will it be fine if I just cut back the spare water by a gallon?

Thanks


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[GrogNerd]

you're fine.

adjust your sparge to arrive at your pre-boil volume

 

[HermeticHealer]

Ok thanks, on another note does anyone have any experience brewing 5 gal batches in converted keg mash tuns? I suspect that this may be the cause for my lower strike temp since there is so much surface area exposed of the grain bed, therefore the temperature dissipates more quickly. Looking for any workarounds for 5 gal batches until my whole system is upgraded. I'm thinking of a false ceiling to install inside therefore minimizing headspace. Any thoughts?


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[Bobby_M]

Yes, add your strike water at 175F, seal up the cooler for 5 minutes, then stir it until it hits 161F. Then stir your grain in. Let the cooler take its heat before you get the grain involved.

 

[HermeticHealer]

Ahhhh I see.... very helpful tip, thanks guys.


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[VladOfTrub]

Thinner mash, quicker conversion, higher attenuation. Good....The 1.5 volume isn't the cover every style umbrella. After conversion, pull only the mash liquid, boil it for 10, 15 minutes and dump it in the tun to reach mash out temp. Then, you don't need to worry about the infusion water addition. The volume of boiling water needed for mash out will be higher than what the recipe calls out since you added another gallon of water for temp maintanence.