Mash - To stir, or not to stir

[stuknkrvl]

I use a ten gallon cylindrical cooler for my mash tun. My standard MO is heat my strike water, pump it in, give it a good stir to make sure there's no dough balls, then pop the lid on, checking on it once at twenty minutes to pull a sample for pH. Other than that, I let it ride for the remainder of my mash, usually sixty minutes total.

Thing is, I've been consistently way under my estimated gravity.

I've seen videos where people are stirring their mash fairly frequently, and I've been wondering if that's my issue.

Do you stir your mash, or is it best to just leave it alone?

Thanks!

 

[tgolanos]

You want to stir so that you ensure all the grain/sugars come in contact with the water. My guess is this is the reason your boil gravity is lower than you anticipate.

I'm not sure if there's a general stirring rule, but I stir for 5 minutes every 20 minutes. My mash ends up being just longer than one hour as a result, but I can get some very decent (80-90%) extraction efficiency by doing this.

Best of luck. Hope this helps.

 

[brew_darrymore]

I use a ten gallon cylindrical cooler for my mash tun. My standard MO is heat my strike water, pump it in, give it a good stir to make sure there's no dough balls, then pop the lid on, checking on it once at twenty minutes to pull a sample for pH. Other than that, I let it ride for the remainder of my mash, usually sixty minutes total.

Thing is, I've been consistently way under my estimated gravity.

I've seen videos where people are stirring their mash fairly frequently, and I've been wondering if that's my issue.

Do you stir your mash, or is it best to just leave it alone?

Thanks!

Just like you, I also use a cylindrical cooler as a mash tun and stir once at 20' just before I take a sample for pH. I get around 78-82% efficiency. I don't think stirring matters that much, at least not as much as grain crush does.

While I used to stir every 15 minutes, I realized that I lose 2F every time I do it. So, I only stir once at 20'.

 

[Sadu]

I do different sized batches and have tried a few different methods of mashing - I'm not sure that stirring during the mash has that much effect other than losing heat. I like to give a real good stir at dough-in and again at the end. Sometimes I will check the temp at 30 mins if I think it's cooled down and give it a quick stir, but that is more about getting the probe reporting evenly than about soaking the grains.

I generally get good efficiency (low 80's) on my process unless I'm trying something new. The batches where I have had efficiency under 70% were due to bad crush, mash too thick, and experimenting with new processes eg decoction mashing.

 

[Hanglow]

I underlet, stir for about twenty seconds, then stir once more again with about twenty minutes of the mash to go. Always have good efficiency that way.

 

[unionrdr]

There really isn't much need to keep opening it to stir the mash all the time. Stir it/fold it at the beginning to break up dough balls & wet them evenly. then close it up & leave it be. Not much need to play mad scientist so much. It'll also hold temp better. The only time I noticed frequent stirring was necessary was the mash for the Mumme. You mash a pound of Northern European beans in it, mashed slightly before adding. The beans make the grains sink to the bottom. so then it needs a lot of stirring to keep it all in suspension. Otherwise, no.

 

[dmtaylor]

I don't stir during the mash, and I see efficiencies in the 80s every time and even the 90s occasionally. The more you stir, the more heat you lose. Leave it alone. If your efficiency is suffering, then you need to crush the grains harder / set the mill gap tighter, or if at your LHBS, do a double-crush. Also be sure to collect every dang drop of wort, don't leave any behind in dead spaces beneath the grains. Do those things, problems solved.

 

[Homercidal]

If you overthink it, you might drive yourself crazy.

I wouldn't say stirring is really important as long as it's mixed good to start.

But if you care to stir and see if your efficiency changes, then why not? See how much your temp drops and determine if it's worth it to you once you have the data you need. You won't know what works best for you unless you try a few things.

 

[brewbama]

I don't stir during the mash, and I see efficiencies in the 80s every time and even the 90s occasionally. The more you stir, the more heat you lose. Leave it alone. If your efficiency is suffering, then you need to crush the grains harder / set the mill gap tighter, or if at your LHBS, do a double-crush. Also be sure to collect every dang drop of wort, don't leave any behind in dead spaces beneath the grains. Do those things, problems solved.

+1

I don't stir. I wet the grist ensuring all dough balls are broken up then let the enzymes do the work of converting starch to sugar. Once the mash time is complete I stir the crap out of it and lauter.

 

[guitarguy6]

I started stirring my mash for about 1min ever 15-20min during my 60min mash. It increased my efficiency and doesn't require much effort so I've continued doing that. I can't recall if it was Gordon Strong or Randy Mosher who recommended stirring the mash a few times in a recent podcast I was listening to. That being said I'd bet your issue would be grain crush. Do you have a mill or are you using the LHBS mill?

 

[mongoose33]

I use a ten gallon cylindrical cooler for my mash tun. My standard MO is heat my strike water, pump it in, give it a good stir to make sure there's no dough balls, then pop the lid on, checking on it once at twenty minutes to pull a sample for pH. Other than that, I let it ride for the remainder of my mash, usually sixty minutes total.

Thing is, I've been consistently way under my estimated gravity.

I've seen videos where people are stirring their mash fairly frequently, and I've been wondering if that's my issue.

Do you stir your mash, or is it best to just leave it alone?

Thanks!

When I started All Grain, my initial efficiency was poor; I read here that stirring helped, so I did it.

It helped. A lot. I stir about 15 minutes into a 60 minute mash, and again at 30 or 35 minutes.

Wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[stuknkrvl]

Using the mill at the LHBS. My own mill is on the list of things I need to convince my wife I can't live without.

 

[Homercidal]

Using the mill at the LHBS. My own mill is on the list of things I need to convince my wife I can't live without.

Get a mill. You won't regret it.

Or, simply spend a few dollars more each time you brew to account for low efficiency.

But really, having your own mill is awesome. You can crush when you feel like it and you can have bulk grain on hand for emergency brews, and you can set your own gap and don't have to worry about anyone messing with it.

 

[tracyk]

Yeah, stirring in the beginning is great to make sure you get everything mixed up and the dough balls taken care of. I usually mix once after that, mostly to make sure the heat is distributed evenly.

I would think the crushing of your grain could be your culprit. If you do not have a mill, then run it through the mill a second time at your LHBS.

 

[mongoose33]

Yeah, stirring in the beginning is great to make sure you get everything mixed up and the dough balls taken care of. I usually mix once after that, mostly to make sure the heat is distributed evenly.

I would think the crushing of your grain could be your culprit. If you do not have a mill, then run it through the mill a second time at your LHBS.

There's a theory that LHBS's crush grain more coarsely, in order to encourage the purchase of more grain to make up for low efficiency. Seems a cynical theory, but many people appear to have better efficiency when they can control the crush.

 

[Homercidal]

There's a theory that LHBS's crush grain more coarsely, in order to encourage the purchase of more grain to make up for low efficiency. Seems a cynical theory, but many people appear to have better efficiency when they can control the crush.

Another possible reason for milling coarsely is to help brewers not have a stuck sparge. Not everyone's system flow adequately.

It might be the LHBS's best choice of action to help those new to the hobby not be frustrated with the process, which can happen with a stuck sparge.

 

[dmtaylor]

You guys are both right on the money... except the theory is only so much a "theory" in the same respect as tectonic movement of the continents is a theory.

 

[jabba11]

For years I did mashing in a round cooler. I stirred really well as it went in and made sure there were no doughballs. Closed the lid and never opened it again. regularly got 80% efficiency. Do I think stirring is necessary? Simply put. No. I was more concerned about maintaining mash temp which is why I never fiddled with it after.

 

[unionrdr]

^^My reasoning as well. Stir/break up all the grains, set it & forget it. My efficiency is always good...until the Mumme mash with that pound of beans in the mash, but that's another story.