SixFoFalcon
Well-Known Member
Did a Witbier on Sunday. I have a cooler mash tun. This recipe calls for a protein rest before saccharification. Having used my heatstick (2000w water heater element) dozens of times to raise mash temps in the cooler I figured it would be no problem to take it up from 122° F to 154° F by stirring constantly with the heatstick for maybe 15 minutes.
Well, that didn't work at all. The mash burned onto the element in no time, forming a glob of burning grist. I stirred for a minute or so before I realized what was going on--hopefully not long enough to impart too many burnt toast flavors into the mash.
I ended up having to muck the mash out of the cooler and into the kettle so I could direct-fire and get to saccharification temperature, then mashout temperature. Then I mucked it back into the MLT so I could lauter. It was a real pain but it worked.
Moral of the story: the heatstick is fine for heating ordinary barley mashes, but I won't be using it for anything with significant amounts of wheat or oats.
Well, that didn't work at all. The mash burned onto the element in no time, forming a glob of burning grist. I stirred for a minute or so before I realized what was going on--hopefully not long enough to impart too many burnt toast flavors into the mash.
I ended up having to muck the mash out of the cooler and into the kettle so I could direct-fire and get to saccharification temperature, then mashout temperature. Then I mucked it back into the MLT so I could lauter. It was a real pain but it worked.
Moral of the story: the heatstick is fine for heating ordinary barley mashes, but I won't be using it for anything with significant amounts of wheat or oats.
