Stir the Mash on an All-Grain Brew?

[Dave77]

Ok, a question from a first-time all-grain brewer:

Should you stir the mash or just let it sit (or does it matter?)

The reason I ask....I was watching it very carefully, and it was holding at 152-153F as the recipe called for, which made me think 'Yes! I'm a pro!'

But, then at about the 40 minute mark, I got bored and decided to stir the pot (not sure if I should have or not, but...I did...). After stiring, I took a temperature reading and it dropped to 147F! (using an electronic thermometer)

So, I added heat and got it back up, but I guess the temperature then isn't consistent throughout the pot? Should I worry? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance...

 

[AlexKay]

I usually give a few gentle stirs, along with double checks for dough balls, every 15-20 minutes. And I don’t worry about mash changing temperature, even by 5 degrees or more.

 

[Teufelhunde]

I don't stir, but I am using a Brewzilla and am continually recirculating the wort back through the grain bed during the mash....

 

[wsmith1625]

Don't worry, you didn't ruin your beer. Most starch conversion is completed in the first 15-20 minutes of the mash. As starches convert at lower temperatures, you get more fermentable sugar in your wort resulting in a beer that typically finishes dryer as opposed to sweeter. No damage done unless trying to perfect a beer style.

If your equipment allows for recirciliation then by all means do that. I do BIAB and don't have pumps. After I mash in (adding the grains to the strike water and stirring good) I cover and insulate my kettle and let it ride for an hour. My typical temperature drop is 1-1.5 degrees. Then when the hour is up, I stir the mash again before pulling out the grain bag. My efficiency is very good using this method as far as BIAB goes.

If you can hold the temperature well, within a few degrees, I don't think you need to stir during the mash schedule.

 

[Dave77]

Don't worry, you didn't ruin your beer. Most starch conversion is completed in the first 15-20 minutes of the mash. As starches convert at lower temperatures, you get more fermentable sugar in your wort resulting in a beer that typically finishes dryer as opposed to sweeter. No damage done unless trying to perfect a beer style.

If your equipment allows for recirciliation then by all means do that. I do BIAB and don't have pumps. After I mash in (adding the grains to the strike water and stirring good) I cover and insulate my kettle and let it ride for an hour. My typical temperature drop is 1-1.5 degrees. Then when the hour is up, I stir the mash again before pulling out the grain bag. My efficiency is very good using this method as far as BIAB goes.

If you can hold the temperature well, within a few degrees, I don't think you need to stir during the mash schedule.

Thanks for the reassurance. This was my first all-grain recipe as well as my first time using the BIAB method. And, I basically brewed it as you described (covered, let it sit, kept an eye on the temperature, strired it before taking the bag out). I can sleep easy now! LOL

 

[passedpawn]

Don't stir. However, when you first dough-in (add water to grist), you need to use a mash paddle to ensure there are no large doughballs. These balls can actually stay dry the entire mash period if they are not broken up. If you're worried about the temperature changing during the mash, insulate your pot. I have a commercial insulated mash tun (1" of insulation all around, even the lid). Or, you can simply wrap it with a blanket, or make a Reflectix sweater for it. I've done all the above.

But as the folks above say. Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Homebrew. RDW HAHB. I had the plate below for years!

 

[IslandLizard]

If you're worried about the temperature changing during the mash, insulate your pot.

That! ^
The better the insulation the more it reduces heat loss during the one hour mash. Don't forget to insulate the lid too! After the initial, thorough stirring, there's no need to stir again.
If you batch sparge in a different vessel such as a large bucket or tub, stir it up again to "knock" the sugars clinging to the grain into solution.

 

[Dave77]

But as the folks above say. Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Homebrew. RDW HAHB. I had the plate below for years!

LOL - have been reading "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" by Charlie Papazian. Seems like that line is in every paragraph. I am learning to just have fun with this new hobby!

 

[MaxStout]

If you have trouble with dough balls, a big wire whisk does a good job of breaking them up.

Don't worry if your mash temp drops during the sacc rest. Unless you have a lot of adjuncts in the mash, most of the conversion happens in the first 20 minutes or so. If your pot is insulated, you won't lose much temp in that short period of time.

 

[passedpawn]

LOL - have been reading "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" by Charlie Papazian. Seems like that line is in every paragraph. I am learning to just have fun with this new hobby!

I interviewed him a few years ago for HBT. If you're interested, here's the article.

Legends in Brewing: Charlie Papazian​

We can thank one person for almost single-handedly lifting the obscure and primitive activity of homebrewing to the artform it is today: Charlie Papazian. Charlie organized a small, nascent corps of intrepid DIY brewers into a cohesive group, formed the AHA in Boulder, Colorado, and encouraged...

www.homebrewtalk.com

 

[Jim R]

Not sure what you are using for your "pot." I use a cheap Igloo cooler with a false bottom and first add 1-2 gallons of hot water to the cooler at about 160-170 degrees for 10-15 min to heat up the cooler before I add my strike water and grains. Then after the initial stirring to prevent any dough balls, I close the cooler and leave it alone for my typical 1 hour mash. The temperature maybe drops a couple degrees at most.

 

[BeerHolic]

Give it a good stir when adding grains and making sure no dough balls.
I then add may brewing salts half way through and give it a stir.