Can you Mix your mash to much?

[i4ourgot]

Can you mix your mash to much and if so what does that do? And how much is to much I mix for maybe 4-5 min so i dont have any hot spots left?

 

[Yooper]

Can you mix your mash to much and if so what does that do? And how much is to much I mix for maybe 4-5 min so i dont have any hot spots left?

No, you can't mix it to much. Some breweries have "mash rakes" to stir the mash continuously.

I don't stir beyond stirring at the very beginning, to make sure there aren't any doughballs, or hot and cold spots. I probably stir well for 5-8 minutes or so.

 

[i4ourgot]

thanks

 

[GreatLakesBrewer]

Yes, you can. If you over stir your mash oxidation can happen. Here is a link from BYO:

https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/1435-successful-mash-conversion-tips-from-the-pros

Although I stir quite often and have never had a problem with oxidation.

 

[Zepth]

I give it a constant stir while adding grain as smoothly as possible. Then a couple top to bottom checks to make sure there's no dough balls. Go back half an hour later and mix it up for good measure. Half an hour later I'm mashing out or vorlaufing. Simplicity works in my setup. I don't even know what I'd do with a RIMS/HERMS system.

 

[duboman]

Yes, you can. If you over stir your mash oxidation can happen. Here is a link from BYO:

https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/1435-successful-mash-conversion-tips-from-the-pros

Although I stir quite often and have never had a problem with oxidation.

Unless you actually whip your mash up into a hot foamy froth I really don't think oxidation of the mash is an issue. The article referenced is also from 1999, things have changed and so has the knowledge base. As mentioned, commercial breweries sometimes use a system that continuously mixes the mash, also even home brewers use recirculating systems in the mash as well with no reports of oxidation issues.

 

[Yooper]

Yes, you can. If you over stir your mash oxidation can happen. Here is a link from BYO:

https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/1435-successful-mash-conversion-tips-from-the-pros

Although I stir quite often and have never had a problem with oxidation.

Look at the date of that article. Much of the hot side aeration beliefs from then have been debunked.

 

[Gunfighter04]

Besides any O2 introduced while mashing is all going to be driven off during the boil.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

if you stir continuously you are going to loose more heat, which needs to be replaced.

 

[Conman13]

I have found that the consistency of my mash can change if I stir it too much. It can become almost oatmealy and thick, which makes it harder to sparge through all the grain. Perhaps it depends on how you are stirring it though - what tool you are using and how forceful you are stirring. I would imagine that gentle stirring would not have this issue, as I was vigorously stirring mine using a non-drilled large paddle.

 

[stevehardt]

I stir it like it insulted my mother

 

[GreatLakesBrewer]

Look at the date of that article. Much of the hot side aeration beliefs from then have been debunked.

It was my understanding that HSA was debunked for lower gravity beers that didn't require much aging, but that it is something to be concerned about when you venture into the realm of say an old ale or a barley wine.

If I can eliminate some steps to my brew days then i'm all for it. I realize now that the article i posted was a little dated. Got any more recent info. I could read into about it?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I give it a good 2 minute stir about every 15 minutes. It helped my efficiency by a few points.

 

[mikescooling]

I use a slow speed drill and paint mixer. Like sticking a boat motor in there.

 

[Hamaki]

I give it a good 2 minute stir about every 15 minutes. It helped my efficiency by a few points.

I do the same. I went from a rectangular ice chest MLT that was hard to get the corners well stirred to a round keggle. Between that and a few other changes made in equipment & process, efficiency went from an unpredictable 60 - 75% to a much more stable 80 - 82%.

 

[i4ourgot]

if you stir continuously you are going to loose more heat, which needs to be replaced.

Yeah I was stirring also to lose some heat, after adding water my mash was still a little higher then i wanted and thinner then I wanted.