Mash Tempurature Question

[b-boy]

With winter almost here, and me in my garage brewing, I have a question about mash tempuratures.

I have a 10-gallon cooler that holds heat pretty well during the summer. During the winter I generally see a 3F-4F drop over the course of an hour. I'm thinking that's enough to make a difference in the final product.

Assuming I don't want to be fiddling around with adding boiling water and ice to keep it perfect, am I better off:

• going in a little high and letting it finish up at my target temperature
• going in at my target temperature and letting it finsh below target?

 

[Kahler]

Can you pre-heat the cooler with hot water, near boiling, then cover with a blanket?

 

[duboman]

Can you pre-heat the cooler with hot water, near boiling, then cover with a blanket?

+1,
I brew in the garage in the winter as well. I bring my cooler into the house a few days prior to warm up and keep it there until I am ready to mash in. I add my water a few degrees above strike and add it to pre-heat. When it has settled to the required strike I mash in and wrap with a blanket and it will hold steady for an hour.

Also, be sure you keep your grain warm until ready to mash in . Cold grain will drop your temp lower than desired as well.

 

[sachsebrewer]

You can preheat the water 5 to 10 degrees over your desired mash-in temp to let it bring the cooler temp up, then stir and check with the lid on until it reaches the correct mash-in temp, for instance 168 degree, but if the temp drops below the say 152 desired temp after mash-in then add a little hotter water to bring the overall temp up to keep the desired mash temp.

 

[duboman]

You can preheat the water 5 to 10 degrees over your desired mash-in temp to let it bring the cooler temp up, then stir and check with the lid on until it reaches the correct mash-in temp, for instance 168 degree, but if the temp drops below the say 152 desired temp after mash-in then add a little hotter water to bring the overall temp up to keep the desired mash temp.

To add: this works well but keep track of any additional water you add, otherwise your sparge volumes will be off and throw off other volumes as well

 

[acidrain]

To answer your question, I would hit your target temp and let it fall slightly as opposed to starting too high.

 

[hophop]

Why can't you bring the mash tun inside the house for the 60 minute rest? Problem solved.

 

[autonomist3k]

Boil a gallon or two and put it in your cooler before anything else on brew day, then once your strike water is to temp dump that water out and add your strike water, it'll cut down on temp loss. I did this the other day and hit my mash temp perfectly, my grain was kept at 70* until ready to mash.

 

[fmr_army]

I'm not overly freakish about my mash temps (I consider a variance of 3*F or so to be good enough). I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in efficiency nor of gravity differences (original or final).

That said, I'd rather be a bit cool than a bit hot.

 

[AnOldUR]

 

[b-boy]

To answer your question, I would hit your target temp and let it fall slightly as opposed to starting too high.

This is what I've been doing. I've noticed that my beers are much less sweet, which is generally a good thing. But, I like a little sweetness in an IIPA to balance the hops. That's not happening. I'm wondering if my mash temp issues are causing this.

 

[IL1kebeer]

This is what I've been doing. I've noticed that my beers are much less sweet, which is generally a good thing. But, I like a little sweetness in an IIPA to balance the hops. That's not happening. I'm wondering if my mash temp issues are causing this.

You need a lot of sweetness if you want it to cut through a well hopped IIPA. Stylistically, IIPAs are all about the hops so maybe you would be better off brewing an American Strong Ale or a Barleywine.

If you are still pressed for a sweeter IIPA (waste of hops IMO), then cut back on the hops AND raise your mash temp to 154-155. If its still not sweet enough then up your crystal malt. You can even use a yeast with less attenuation like WLP002. If you do all of this though I'm not sure you can call it an IIPA anymore (well technically you can call it whatever you want )

 

[pannell77]

I mash in a cooler out in my garage all year round. I have been able to maintain mash temps for up to a 90min mash schedule without dropping 1 degree typically. I bought some cheap duct work insulation wrap and wrapped the body of my cooler and duct taped it tight, including the bottom of the cooler. I also put a doubled over layer of foil on top of my grain bed after I mash in because the lid of my cooler is not insulated and doesn't seal up 100%.

 

[pannell77]

Also, I usually put my water into the mash tun about 5-7 degrees higher than what I need for mash in temp to let the cooler equalize temps before adding my grains once the water temp comes back down to what I have calculated it.