Hi,
After what I thought was a good amount of preparation on converted keg mash tun and boil kettle I recently did my first AG brew. I didn't want to use additional heat in the mashing process and made a nice tight fitting Poli Iso insulation jacket for mash keg (4" thick) which completely encloses it and it seemed to work very well when tested with water. (approx 1.5 dec C loss per hour). I was dismayed however to lose 12 deg C during the mash (strike water entered at 70 deg and I ended up at 58) and it was very difficult to raise the temp by adding a kettle of boiling water. My grain bill weighed approx. 10 pounds. Presumably the heat capacity of the grain was my problem? Before I redesign system, how advisable would it be to use a much higher strike temperature, say 80 - 85 deg. Advice always welcome.
After what I thought was a good amount of preparation on converted keg mash tun and boil kettle I recently did my first AG brew. I didn't want to use additional heat in the mashing process and made a nice tight fitting Poli Iso insulation jacket for mash keg (4" thick) which completely encloses it and it seemed to work very well when tested with water. (approx 1.5 dec C loss per hour). I was dismayed however to lose 12 deg C during the mash (strike water entered at 70 deg and I ended up at 58) and it was very difficult to raise the temp by adding a kettle of boiling water. My grain bill weighed approx. 10 pounds. Presumably the heat capacity of the grain was my problem? Before I redesign system, how advisable would it be to use a much higher strike temperature, say 80 - 85 deg. Advice always welcome.