Regulating mash temperature...

[EBloom97]

Hi all,

First time poster, long time reader. This is a great forum. Often times I'll come online with a question and find that the answer is already here within the first few pages. Keep up the good work!

Recently I've become fed up with trying to hit and hold my mash temperature. I probably spend 30 minutes of a 90 minute mash trying to tweak the temperature to where I want it to be. I find myself wondering if there isn't a better way. Has anyone had any luck with setting up a temperature probe and hooking it up to a burner to automatically regulate the mash temperature? Is this cost feasible for a home brewer?

I would appreciate any input you can give me on the topic.

 

[Bumbler]

Do you currently use some formula to calculate your strike temp? or do just guess?

I find it helpful to calculate the strike temp on every batch, add the water to the mash tun, let it sit 5 min, check the temp to see if it's where it needs to be, if it's low add a bit of boiling water, wait a few minutes and check again. Add the grain, stir, check temp in a few minutes. It's usually within a degree. If your mash tun is well insulated, it should hold temp.

Formula for calculating strike temp.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Infusion_mashing

 

[geneullerysmith]

Ive learned to trust my calcualtions and to allow temps to settle before tweaking. It works. When heating the strike water dont just heat until the thermometer reads the temp you are shooting for then kill the gas and dump. Wait a minute, stir the water, then check the temp of the strike water. if its on, go for it. If it needs to be adjusted, then do that. Then when you initate your mash you should allow the whole thing to settle if for 5 min or so. Stir it quite a bit at first. Allow temps to even out.

If you closely and carefully follow your formula you will hit your temp. its science ;-)

 

[pilotdane]

I use a cooler for mashing and Beer Smith to calculate my temperatures and things work quite well, especially when I pre-heat my mashtun. Now that winter has arrived I do loose a bit more heat during the mash but a quick splash of boiling water half way through the mash brings the temp back. My mashes in a cooler are amazingly stable, loosing less than one degree f during the mash. I'm not sure I would set up a complex system unless you are doing 10 gallon or larger batches.

 

[Bartman]

I use a 48 qt Igloo Ice Cube cooler. I cut a piece of that 2" thick pink construction foam, wrap it in foil and float it on top of the grain bed. I place the thermometer probe thru the middle of the foam so when I open the cooler to check the temp I lose no heat. Two mashes this way and I did not lose 1 degree in 75 minutes.

 

[wildwest450]

Hitting and holding temps are two different problems, both easily solved. Get brewing software and a good cooler, problem solved. Brewing is easy if you take advantage of what's out there.

 

[EBloom97]

I go pretty light on the math. I guess that's probably my problem. I usually just get 4-5 gallons of water up to ~165, stir in my grains, and then tweak to my desired temperature. Not a vast difference in the final product, but you have to do more legwork.

 

[Yooper]

165 is a pretty low strike temp, at least for my system, if you're not preheating.

I use a cooler MLT, which is pre-heated. Then I use strike water approximately 11 degrees warmer than my desired mash temperature.

To preheat my MLT, I usually add about a gallon of 175 degree water to it and let it drop to 166. Then, I start adding my grains and my strike water which is about 166-168, depending on my desired mash temp.