Hi,
So - now that I am not on my mobile / trying to dealing with the problem, I have the opportunity to be more specific.
The story is simple, I had a friend who wanted to learn the process of brewing beer. We did everything up to the mash as described by the recipe but as I attended to the dinner I was cooking and "shouting" instructions to my friend as I was confident in his abilities. About 20 mins into the mash, I asked what temperature the mash was at, in which the reply was "It is 140F". I asked him to put it back on the propane burner and get it back up to 156F, which is the required mash temperature for this brew. In an attempt to bring it up to 156F, my friend, turned up the propane burner and placed a lid on the mash - roaring it from 140F -> 180F. I could not believe it and never having this problem before I was not sure how to deal with it or the outcome. I immediately took it off the burner and stirred it but the temp stayed solid on 180F, which sucks. I tasted the wort, it did not taste burnt and it was very sweet. So for the f*** of it, I mashed it 30 minutes longer, sparged, pitched and carboyed the beer.
I am hoping for the best but I do see some bubbles within the airlock, nothing active yet, plus I am seeing a formation of a "krausen layer". I hope it does not sputter out.