Just finished brewing BM's Centennial Blonde Ale today (a FANTASTIC beer if you haven't tried it - the best one I've brewed from these forums)
I learned quite a few lessons today, hitting an all-time high of 90% efficiency after modifying a whole bunch of my techniques after a Buddy Brew I had last week with a Homebrew Club friend.
1 - Mash Temperature Control
I had been using strictly my Blichmann Weldless Thermometer for my kettle temperatures to this point. Today I realized my kettle thermometer was about 20 degrees off. Next week, I will be plugging the hole, removing the thermometer, and moving entirely to my new ChefAlarm from Themoworks with the Pro Series Needle Probe that is submersible. It's a near $50 investment, but I found that this temperature probe is so much better than Blichmann's product. No, I don't work for Thermoworks. I just found this thing AWESOME and watched my friend's Buddy Brew being temped out in digital form throughout the mash. I liked that concept and picked up Thermoworks product. I like the ChefAlarm because it has a mash for the timer, and a temp range with alarm if the temp goes out of the range. I was able to keep my mash within 2 degrees the entire mash without having to CONSTANTLY watch the temp. My alarm went off about 3-4 times. (by the way....I did a test of my chef alarm to the old regular temperature probes with mercury in them. Chef Alarm was RIGHT on point. I could use the old thermometer but the chef alarms digital displays, range alarms and timers it's just a no brainer. But I did need to test it for accuracy because I knew my mash temps were WAY off).
2. Lots of stirring
I do BIAB and I typically do not stir - but I found that stirring every 5-10 mins during the mash really helped me from a temp control standpoint. I also turned on my propane burner a few times and kept constantly (and vigourously) stirring while the flame was applied.
3. Iodine Test
I always thought this was kind of an old-school technique and I'd use my refractometer instead, but it really does work and is easier than going and washing off your refractometer every 10 minutes.
4. Undershoot your dough in, and then bring up to temp.
One of the advantages of doing BIAB. Today I changed my process and undershot my dough in temp, and then applied heat to bring me up to the proper temp (in the past I'd always bring water up to like 153 for a 150 mash). Today I was at about 140-143 before I brought up my mash to 150 in about 5 minutes. I've been told this actually may increase head retention in a pilsner/light lager. It's always easier for a BIAB brewer to bring something up to temp vs. bringing it down. I will never pay attention to Brewsmith's dough-in temps of +5 degrees. Work up to your temp instead of trying to cool down to it!
Anyways, just a few lessons I learned. I stirred my mash more than I ever have today, but I feel like it brings a lot of value. Temp is so critical as well!
Cheers
I learned quite a few lessons today, hitting an all-time high of 90% efficiency after modifying a whole bunch of my techniques after a Buddy Brew I had last week with a Homebrew Club friend.
1 - Mash Temperature Control
I had been using strictly my Blichmann Weldless Thermometer for my kettle temperatures to this point. Today I realized my kettle thermometer was about 20 degrees off. Next week, I will be plugging the hole, removing the thermometer, and moving entirely to my new ChefAlarm from Themoworks with the Pro Series Needle Probe that is submersible. It's a near $50 investment, but I found that this temperature probe is so much better than Blichmann's product. No, I don't work for Thermoworks. I just found this thing AWESOME and watched my friend's Buddy Brew being temped out in digital form throughout the mash. I liked that concept and picked up Thermoworks product. I like the ChefAlarm because it has a mash for the timer, and a temp range with alarm if the temp goes out of the range. I was able to keep my mash within 2 degrees the entire mash without having to CONSTANTLY watch the temp. My alarm went off about 3-4 times. (by the way....I did a test of my chef alarm to the old regular temperature probes with mercury in them. Chef Alarm was RIGHT on point. I could use the old thermometer but the chef alarms digital displays, range alarms and timers it's just a no brainer. But I did need to test it for accuracy because I knew my mash temps were WAY off).
2. Lots of stirring
I do BIAB and I typically do not stir - but I found that stirring every 5-10 mins during the mash really helped me from a temp control standpoint. I also turned on my propane burner a few times and kept constantly (and vigourously) stirring while the flame was applied.
3. Iodine Test
I always thought this was kind of an old-school technique and I'd use my refractometer instead, but it really does work and is easier than going and washing off your refractometer every 10 minutes.
4. Undershoot your dough in, and then bring up to temp.
One of the advantages of doing BIAB. Today I changed my process and undershot my dough in temp, and then applied heat to bring me up to the proper temp (in the past I'd always bring water up to like 153 for a 150 mash). Today I was at about 140-143 before I brought up my mash to 150 in about 5 minutes. I've been told this actually may increase head retention in a pilsner/light lager. It's always easier for a BIAB brewer to bring something up to temp vs. bringing it down. I will never pay attention to Brewsmith's dough-in temps of +5 degrees. Work up to your temp instead of trying to cool down to it!
Anyways, just a few lessons I learned. I stirred my mash more than I ever have today, but I feel like it brings a lot of value. Temp is so critical as well!
Cheers
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