Problem with mash temperature

[Millsteg]

K guys I need some help. I'm currently 20 min into my first all grain mash and I'm having some significant temp drop. I'm brewing an orange coriander pale ale and it says to mash at 155 for an hour. Well I preheated the mash tun and dropped the grain in with 3.5 gallons of 165 degree strike water. It successfully dropped to 155 but now 20 min in I'm sitting at 145.

1. What gives?

2. Is there any way I can add more strike water roger it back up? I'm using an igloo cooler tun.

 

[E-Mursed]

Did you stir up the mash before taking your temp reading?

You can add more water....but you will have to subtract it from your sparge water volume. If you over fill water, you can always increase your boil time to compensate for the extra volume.

 

[duboman]

Go ahead and add more water to raise it back up just remember to deduct that volume when you sparge so you get the correct amount of pre oil wort in your kettle, not a big deal

 

[Millsteg]

I stirred it up just now an I'm reading 150 now. But still a little low.

When you say to boil the wort a little longer to compensate for over filling with water, are you referring to simply boiling off the extra water?

 

[E-Mursed]

I stirred it up just now an I'm reading 150 now. But still a little low.

When you say to boil the wort a little longer to compensate for over filling with water, are you referring to simply boiling off the extra water?

Yes....but only if you don't subtract the extra water you add to raise your temp from your sparge water.

 

[Millsteg]

Ok and the other question is, would it really make a difference at this point? I have 25 min left on the rest and waiting for my strike temp to come back up. Would it make that much of a difference mashing at 150 instead of 155 besides mouth feel?

 

[forstmeister]

Ok and the other question is, would it really make a difference at this point? I have 25 min left on the rest and waiting for my strike temp to come back up. Would it make that much of a difference mashing at 150 instead of 155 besides mouth feel?

I would think that mashing at 150 for a pale ale is perfectly fine. I do most of my mashes around 150-152

 

[Piratwolf]

I would think that mashing at 150 for a pale ale is perfectly fine. I do most of my mashes around 150-152

This.

Generally, lower mash temp = more fermentable wort = lower FG = drier beer = delicious, hop-forward pale ale. (Please note that started with a caveat: there are many other factors involved also!)

 

[Millsteg]

Well I added a half gallon of 170 degree strike water but didn't seem to make a difference. It ended the hour at about 145 degrees. I'm hoping this isn't too low.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Conversion still happens at those temperatures, sometimes it just takes a little longer. You should still be fine. I suggest pre-heating your cooler with 170f water while your strike water is heating. Mash in about 3 degrees higher than your software says and stir well and keep stirring while you get down to temp. Then close the cooler and cover with a blanket and just let it sit without stirring until you mash out or sparge. You should not drop more than one or two degrees doing this.

 

[Brulosopher]

I've mashed pales at 146, so you're fine... worry more about good fermentation! Also, I disagree a little with the above post from OClair- to increase efficiency, I stir mash 3-4 times during the process and lose maybe 2F after an hour. Cheers!

 

[TreeBridge]

I use a home depot cooler. My mash temperature drops at about 1 degree every 10 minutes. I noticed that the lid is most likely the offender. It did not screw on and seal tightly and i don't think it's insulated. I did add a foam weather strip along the lip of the cooler where the lid screws on. This did help a bit, but i plan to drill and fill the lid with foam insulation.

 

[Millsteg]

You know I've heard of people doing that. I have the same orange cooler from home depot. I think I'm gonna try filling the lid too.

 

[Brando_i]

If you're going to fill the lid use low expansion foam. If you use the high expansion stuff you will destroy the lid.

 

[duboman]

You know I've heard of people doing that. I have the same orange cooler from home depot. I think I'm gonna try filling the lid too.

I switched to a blue cooler and it works better...........

 

[tre9er]

Personally my method for strike is to overheat the strike water and add it to the cooler, then cover and let it sit for a few minutes, check temp, if hot, cover, wait, etc. until it's at strike temp (actually, a little above strike temp). THEN I dough in and stir until I reach mash temp. Easier to stir down than hurry up and boil some water and do the math and what not.

I think since you had a good 20 minutes in the mid 150's you probably got some good higher-level conversion there and finishing in the mid-to-high 140's isnt a problem with a pale.

 

[Millsteg]

Well I appreciate all the replies guys. But.... the batch was ruined either way. I was using a "high-temp" pick up tube for the bottom of the boil kettle and well, it wasn't high temp like promised. It melted into the batch of wort so the whole thing needed to be tossed.

Which brings up yet another question... what do you guys use for your pick up tubes?

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I've mashed pales at 146, so you're fine... worry more about good fermentation! Also, I disagree a little with the above post from OClair- to increase efficiency, I stir mash 3-4 times during the process and lose maybe 2F after an hour. Cheers!

I have done both ways and the last batch I brewed was the first batch that I stopped stirring to avoid losing temps and had 5% higher efficiency than I have been getting. I hear both sides of the argument, but my equipment loses too much heat if I stir throughout the mash and I don't experience higher efficiency when I do.

 

[MikeinCT]

The thing is everybody has different equipment and process. I now heat my mash water to 176 f. But by the time I combine my mash water with mash grain I am at 155 f . I really nail it. But this is different then what I think other folks are doing. It has taken me a while of trial and error and keeping good notes.

..good luck, Mike

 

[tre9er]

Well I appreciate all the replies guys. But.... the batch was ruined either way. I was using a "high-temp" pick up tube for the bottom of the boil kettle and well, it wasn't high temp like promised. It melted into the batch of wort so the whole thing needed to be tossed.

Which brings up yet another question... what do you guys use for your pick up tubes?

I just have a SS 90* elbow from BargainFittings and currently I'm experiementing with braids/screens, etc. for hop-blockers. Thinking of making a hop spider bag but with immersion chiller that means taking it out and then putting it back in...oh well.