Electric Element too high?

[cod3ck]

So this is my BK I normally use in my 3 vessel 10 gallon setup. I want to do a quick 5 gallon IPA and have always been intrigued by BIAB.

I'm concerned the element in the kettle is too high though @ ~3.5 gal to run a heated mash recirculation... am I wrong? Is there another solution besides getting a better kettle?! [emoji13]

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[Gonefishing]

How high up from the bottom is it? Is it covered well if you put the amount of water in there that you will be using?

 

[cod3ck]

Yes -- roughly 4 gallons is the high point. From there I have it bent down. The water won't be the issue, it's the grain bag I'm concerned about since it'll have to sit just over the element (and not on), correct?

It's a 5500 ULWD running on 220v if that helps

 

[wilserbrewer]

You could certainly do simple biab without recirculating, just mash in and insulate the kettle.

No need to fire the element with the bag and grain in the pot.

If by mistake you strike and mash too low, you could add heat by either raising the bag, or powering the element in a low setting and constant stirring.

The bag in contact with the element is only an issue if the wort / grain is stagnant, if you have movement (stirring) I doubt you'll scorch.

 

[cod3ck]

@wilserbrewer thank you for the insight!

Somewhere along wanting to do the BIAB method, I had a serious brain fart that I have a RIMS tube hanging off my standard MT... so I went ahead and punched a hole in the top of my BK and decided to go with the RIMS to keep temp during the mash.

Now I can do BIAB for quick brews, or switch back to my classic 3 vessel for bigger beers!

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[wilserbrewer]

Or you could just try striking several degrees high and walk away for an hour....

I wonder the difference between a beer that was initially mashed at say 154 and allowed to cool to 144 over the hour mash, vs a beer that was held perfectly at 150 or 152 for the entire mash....???

FG might be slightly different, I doubt substantially different?

Do you think you could taste the difference?

 

[cod3ck]

Or you could just try striking several degrees high and walk away for an hour....

I wonder the difference between a beer that was initially mashed at say 154 and allowed to cool to 144 over the hour mash, vs a beer that was held perfectly at 150 or 152 for the entire mash....???

FG might be slightly different, I doubt substantially different?

Do you think you could taste the difference?

I actually did just that for a long time before I got my hands on the RIMS...

The beers came out great, but consistently lighter and dryer then I'm able to pull off with a dead on stable temp.

This lines up with what I've read regarding comparing mashing at low temps (148 or less) to higher (156 or slightly more).

Basically 148 is a target for light and dry, 156 would be "chewy" and sweet. This is a big simplification, but hopefully the idea comes through...

 

[processhead]

I think I would just put in a perforated metal false bottom on legs over the element.

The bag/grain rests on the false bottom so there is never any contact with the element.

Your element looks like it is close enough to the bottom to still hold a large amount of grain in a bag and have a lot of free board at the top of your kettle.