2nd brew with new cooler mashtun - temp probs

[ninkasi2012]

so i went to my LHBS and bought a MLT.

i brewed my 2nd beer however i ran into the problem with my mashtun temp getting too cold.

as advised on this forum i did heat it up prior with boiling water. then i added the appropriate strike water (according to the calculation). my temperature came a bit low 142 as oppose to 144. however in the hour it dropped about 12 degrees!

i had closed my cooler tightly and put a towel over it (again as advise). it might be due to the fact that my apartment is cold (can't control it), and perhaps i'm using a 5G mash tun to brew 3G of beer. i also opened it twice to stir it (heard you should do this, and some people say don't because you lose heat)

anyways, if i still wanted to stick to the small Gallon size and still use my mashtun does anyone else have any other suggestions? should i aim for a higher strike water temp? how will this effect my grain?

Another question - when i sparge, i was told not to hurry, how do you guys keep your sparge water at an equal temperature. i was told to sparge 1 quarter a minute.

Lastly, the wort coming out was very cloudy - i'm assuming this is due to overall low mash temp. i know you're suppose to get some cloudiness at the beginning and put it back into the mash tun...but the wort didn't go somewhat clear until a gallon in.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[h22lude]

Opening it twice and stirring is most likely your problem especially if your place is cold. If you are using a beverage cooler, you shouldn't lose more than 2 degrees. I just did a 90 minute mash and didn't lose 1 degree. Granted it was hot outside but even when I do my mash inside I only lose 1 degree typically....2 has been the most.

 

[duboman]

12 degrees? How cold is your apt? I use a red MLT and don't drop temp, is yours blue?

Seriously though....are you sure the thermometer is calibrated? You are doing everything recommended with pre heating and wrapping. If you are really losing that much heat you need a better cooler.

As for sparging, have you tried batch sparging, much easier and faster, some complain efficiency drops a bit but I don't see it enough to change back.you can go to http://dennybrew.com

 

[h22lude]

I think the heat loss is because the OP opened it twice and stirred it. If the ambient air is cold, stirring would pull in a lot of cold air. Try doing a mash without stirring and see what happens. There really isn't a need to stir after you dough in.

Checking your thermometer is always a good idea. I try to check my equipment ever batch just to make sure. You never know what can happen to stuff especially if it is cheap.

Sparging should last 30 to 45 minutes at bare minimum. I batch sparge twice. I drain the mash slowly and once I see the grain bed I stop and do my first sparge. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes. I drain that slowly and do it again one last time. It usually takes me 45 minutes. Don't forget to vorlauf which will help with cloudiness

 

[ninkasi2012]

I have a red MLT. Apparently its a good one. I guess my problem was that I was opening it! now I know not to open!
Someone also said that it was because I wasn't doing a full 5Gbrew and perhaps I should put foil on top of the grain to help keep the heat in - thoughts ?

Thanks guys.

 

[h22lude]

I have a 10 gal cooler and do 5 gal batches. I think 5 gal for 3 gal batches if just fine. If you were using a 10 gal then you might have some heat loss.