Lid on or off for cooler-based mash?

[skifast1]

AG-n00b question for all the closet organic chemists out there: If you're mashing in a cooler and there's very little headspace (say, for a beefy barleywine), does it make any difference in the enzymatic(?) process as to whether you leave the lid on or screwed down tight? Assume for the sake of the question that any heat loss from a lid-off can be made up through RIMS/HERMS recirc.

 

[FlyGuy]

Not sure what you are getting at here -- are you concerned about promoting gas diffusion into the wort? I am sure it is negligible regardless of the lid.

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

I take my lid off and stir every 5-15 mins anyway...so I don't think gas exchange is a problem, nor do I think mashing produces/requires any gasses.

 

[Dude]

Wow...I leave the lid on for the whole 60 minutes, I never stir either. I'd be afraid of losing too much heat doing that.

 

[knipknup]

I never stir after doughing-in. Leave the lid on and spend the hour or so sanitizing kegs and such...

 

[chainsawbrewing]

Wow...I leave the lid on for the whole 60 minutes, I never stir either. I'd be afraid of losing too much heat doing that.

i just started AG, only done two batches, but both of them i used a 5gallon cooler, and checked the temp, and took the lid off every 15 minutes and stirred for a 60 minute mash, and i only lost 2 degrees of heat for both sessions.

 

[Desert_Sky]

Wow...I leave the lid on for the whole 60 minutes, I never stir either. I'd be afraid of losing too much heat doing that.

I stir after 15 minutes and 30 minutes then let it rest for the last 30. I dont loose temp at all.

Not a vigorous stir either.

But yea, lid is on the whole time otherwise

 

[the_bird]

I stir after twenty minutes or so, sometimes again at forty. But, the design of the Coleman Xtreme lets me just pop the lid open easily, do a quick stir, and get it closed back down without messing around too much. I can also close the lid on the braid to the thermometer's probe, so I can suspend it mid-mash and keep running tabs on its temp.

DAMN, am I jonesing to brew! Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest - it's been a good month now!

 

[skifast1]

I figured the lack of discussion on this topic implied it really doesn't matter. For me it's purely laziness; I'll be drilling a hole in the screw-on top of my 10-gal MLT to hold a thermowell and unless I go right down the middle, I'll need to lift out the thermowell before unscrewing the lid. If open/closed has no real effect, I'll just drop it in and forget about for an hour.

 

[FlyGuy]

I figured the lack of discussion on this topic implied it really doesn't matter. For me it's purely laziness; I'll be drilling a hole in the screw-on top of my 10-gal MLT to hold a thermowell and unless I go right down the middle, I'll need to lift out the thermowell before unscrewing the lid. If open/closed has no real effect, I'll just drop it in and forget about for an hour.

If you have the same 10 gallon round cooler that I do, no need to drill a hole. Just invert the lid. There are ridges on the top side that will allow for the cord to run down. This isn't a great picture of what I mean, but maybe it will help:

I have done this twice, and didn't notice any appreciable heat loss from the cooler with the lid set on top, not tightly screwed down.

 

[skifast1]

If you have the same 10 gallon round cooler that I do, no need to drill a hole. Just invert the lid. There are ridges on the top side that will allow for the cord to run down.

Once again you win the MacGyver award of the day Next box of nymphs is on me.

 

[FlyGuy]

LOL. But I am running low on nymphs -- too much brewing and not enough tying! Try to do both once, but sticky hands and tying #18 nymphs didn't work so well.

 

[skifast1]

LOL. But I am running low on nymphs -- too much brewing and not enough tying! Try to do both once, but sticky hands and tying #18 nymphs didn't work so well.

I can't wait to see how many ways that post will be taken out of context by the rest of the board

 

[BierMuncher]

Mmmmmm...nymphs.....

This mash tun says do not disturb.

Couldn't resist. I gotta drill holes in everything.

 

[boo boo]

I can't wait to see how many ways that post will be taken out of context by the rest of the board

Soon be time for may flies.

 

[user 574]

Why do you that stir, stir? Just curious. I went to a morning AG school when I 1st started and that guy said stir during dough in to get to your desired temp and after 5 minutes leave it alone until sparge time. Always done what the guy stated is'all...

 

[Desert_Sky]

Why do you that stir, stir? Just curious. I went to a morning AG school when I 1st started and that guy said stir during dough in to get to your desired temp and after 5 minutes leave it alone until sparge time. Always done what the guy stated is'all...

everyone is going to have a different approach for everything. there is no one way to do anything in brewing. I stir once after the first 15, then once at 30 and leave it alone. Does it make a difference? who knows.....does it give me piece of mind? you betcha, I want those enzymes everywhere. but whatever, I get good extraction, which in the end is all that matters.

maybe Ill try it without stirring and see if my efficiency stays the same

 

[boo boo]

It lessens the chances of temperture fluctuations within the mash, giving a more even conversion.

 

[FlyGuy]

It lessens the chances of temperature fluctuations within the mash, giving a more even conversion.

Right - but now it has me thinking whether subsequent stirring is actually necessary in a well insulated cooler. My temp doesn't budge at all over a 60 min mash.