How would you handle this cooler MLT temp situation?

[Monkfish]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a bit of guidance here - this past weekend I did brew #5 (Two Hearted clone, AIPA) which was the first time I used my cooler MLT (Coleman 52QT Xtreme.)

I preheated the mash tun @ 175* for 30 minutes before adding my strike water. Ambient temp was 45*.

So was targeting a mash temp of 152* and ended up with a temp of 151* - no problem there. I checked back after 30 minutes and found that the probe thermometer showed a loss of 4* in 30 minutes (which was a lot more than I had expected given how well folks say this cooler holds temps.)
I hadn't opened the lid at all and the probe had not been moved during that 30 min. The probe wire is very thin so I was able to shut the cooler lid completely.

I had a pot of hot water at the ready and added some to the mash and stirred in - and at that point there was a rollercoaster of wildly varying temps at different spots in the MLT, double fisting thermometers and a ton of second guessing. Too much drama for 8:00 AM on a cold Saturday.

So I guess my question for you guys is - what would you do differently next time if you were in my shoes? (other than RDWHAHB)

Thanks
MF

 

[E-Mursed]

Next time....Give your mash a quick stir every 15 minutes and check your temp as it stabilizes.

 

[tally350z]

Maybe could use a wet towel as an insulator?

 

[helibrewer]

You could strike a little hotter. It takes about 10 min for the grains to get thoroughly wetted so there is time for the temp tp drop a bit as you dough in and stir.

 

[step]

I would say your reading of 151 at mash in was not accurate. You say that after adding hot water 30 mins in the temp was all over the place at different locations in the mash tun... my guess is this was the same case at mash in. You checked the temp and it read 151 and you thought wow, right on! After you mash in let everything sit for 5 mins and then see where you are at. That being said I always check immediately after mash just in case I way over shoot my temp.

Maybe all that is way off, I am just throwing what I have seen in my experience

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

e mursed and step are correct.. when you mash in stir the crap outta everything...then stir it some more....I made an imperialIIPA today and I bet I spent 10 mimnutes stirring and breaking up clumps at mash in....take your temp reading in several spots nd keep stirring until they are all the same.....if you are mashing an hour I would stir again at 20 mimnutes in and again at 40...probably wouldn't stir it after hat so the grain bed can settle back down....if you batch sparge do it again..add water and stir the crap out of it.......When it is cold, my cooler gets cover with blankets.

 

[chumpsteak]

You need to stir like crazy when you mash in. I always throw 2 different thermometers in the mash ton in different areas to try and get an accurate reading. Shoot for a couple degrees higher than you want to mash at so that you can stir for a couple minutes without dropping below your mash temp.

Also, make sure your cooler is sitting on something insulated and not just the cement floor. Put a blanket or something over it too so the wind or whatever doesn't pull heat out of it.

I have a coleman 48 qt that I use that loses less than 1 degree with 10 gallon batches and 2 or 3 degrees with 5 gallon batches. The more open space you have in the cooler the more temp you will lose too.

 

[brewski08]

for all those who are saying that they mix for 10 minutes and compensate for the temperature loss by heating a couple degrees higher, do you get good results?

i read that the majority of starch conversion occurs within the first 20 minutes of mashing. if this is the case, then this method will have you mashing at an undesirable temperature for ~50% of the starch conversion process.

this logic has always forced me to dough in, stir viciously as fast as i can, and then seal my MLT up as quickly as possible. i also always add 0.5 lbs of rice hulls to avoid dough balls regardless of my base grain.

 

[tally350z]

for all those who are saying that they mix for 10 minutes and compensate for the temperature loss by heating a couple degrees higher, do you get good results?

I do this method and get great results. My strike temperature is around 165-168 and then I add to the MT. Wait a minute or two and then dough in. My temps get to around 156ish at dough in and then I stir for a few minutes. Hit 154* and let sit.. I am rarely every above the desirable range for mashing for more then a minute..

 

[Monkfish]

Thanks guys very much - I think I was stirring enough to break up any doughballs, but not even close to 10 minutes (I was a bit paranoid about keeping the cooler open since I was already at the desired temp.) Next time I'll strike a bit higher and stir with gusto.

Much appreciated.
MF