Full Batch Mashing Process

[MattGuk]

If you don't mind having crappy efficiency from no sparge then this sounds like an interesting way to mash.

I can imagine you having problems holding temp, however. Think about this: your strike water is at 168, which is an attempt to mash in somewhere in the 150s. But then you'll start circulating the whole system and the water in the hot liquor tank will still be at 168. So you'll be constantly raising the temp of the mash.

Then you'll get to a point where all the moving water is causing a lot of heat loss. So you'll turn the burner on at the HLT, but it will take a long time to heat essentially 8 gallons of mash up.

I can see you running around like a madman to maintain temps on this system, where you could just be like the rest of us and mash in, and let it sit still for 60 minutes.

I do full batch mashing all the time lately, i was getting between 65-68% efficiency, now im getting 72% after altering my water on the last 2 batches with i think is perfectly accepable as some brewers achieve this when sparging.
I dont recirculate during the entire mash and i usually see a 3-4f drop over 2 hours.
My mash tun is a 3" insulated copper hit water vessle though so thay may have something to do with it lol.
I personally love full volume mashing as it easy and knocks an hour off my brew day+ there is very little risk of extracting tannins and i think the beers turn out fantastic.

 

[rgauthier20420]

Thanks for the info! I'm finishing my electrical panel this week and am going to be planning a test 5 gallon batch with the full volume mashing method. I'll be re-circulating the whole time with RIMS tube and controlling temps that way also. I hope that this will help me maintain around 75% which I'm happy with.