DrummerBoySeth
Well-Known Member
I have been an extract brewer for more than a year with several extract batches under my belt. I got a 2 gallon fermenter for Christmas this past year, and I am excited to try my first BIAB/all-grain batch. Before I commit time, money and ingredients to my first BIAB, I decided to do a "test-mash" to see if I could hold mash temps for one hour in the oven.
I have a fairly modern "digital" oven. The lowest setting is "warm", which is supposed to equal 170 degrees.
I preheated the oven to "warm" and heated 1.5 gallons of water in my regular brew pot to 148 degrees. I then put the pot in the oven with my brew thermometer in it, and checked the temperature every 15 minutes for one hour. My results were as follows...
148 degrees @ 0 minutes (start test)
148 degrees @ 15 minutes
149 degrees @ 30 minutes
150 degrees @ 45 minutes
151 degrees @ 60 minutes
Does anyone have experience with a mash schedule like this? Would temperatures like this even work? Should I turn the oven off at the 30 minute mark to keep the temps from rising too much during the mash? Would the added volume of the grain bag change the rate at which the wort temperature increases, negating the whole problem? I am familiar with the general effect of mash temp on the wart fermentability, but what effect would this slight increase in mash temps over the course of the mash have on the resultant beer?
Anyone with experience/ideas that relate to this, PLEASE feel free to set me straight. I really want to try this all-grain thing, but only if I can do it well. I already know how to make REALLY GOOD extract beer, so I am not willing to go backwards with quality just to say I am an all-grain brewer. Help me make this transition the right way!
I have a fairly modern "digital" oven. The lowest setting is "warm", which is supposed to equal 170 degrees.
I preheated the oven to "warm" and heated 1.5 gallons of water in my regular brew pot to 148 degrees. I then put the pot in the oven with my brew thermometer in it, and checked the temperature every 15 minutes for one hour. My results were as follows...
148 degrees @ 0 minutes (start test)
148 degrees @ 15 minutes
149 degrees @ 30 minutes
150 degrees @ 45 minutes
151 degrees @ 60 minutes
Does anyone have experience with a mash schedule like this? Would temperatures like this even work? Should I turn the oven off at the 30 minute mark to keep the temps from rising too much during the mash? Would the added volume of the grain bag change the rate at which the wort temperature increases, negating the whole problem? I am familiar with the general effect of mash temp on the wart fermentability, but what effect would this slight increase in mash temps over the course of the mash have on the resultant beer?
Anyone with experience/ideas that relate to this, PLEASE feel free to set me straight. I really want to try this all-grain thing, but only if I can do it well. I already know how to make REALLY GOOD extract beer, so I am not willing to go backwards with quality just to say I am an all-grain brewer. Help me make this transition the right way!