One Burner Brewing

[Super64]

After picking up Jamil's book on brewing I've decided to try my hand at a California Common (Steam) beer.

Beside the technical problems of keeping the fermentation at 62 degrees as the book suggests, I have another issue.

I've had a heck of a time keeping my mash temps on my glass-top electric stove. Things fluctuate and I'm always moving it off the burner because I can see it overshooting the hold temp.

Is it easier to hold the temp when mashing on a propane burner versus an electric stove?

If so, I only have one burner (currently) can the mash sit, and basically begin to cool as I'm bringing the sparge water up to 170 degrees?

-Thanks.

 

[FullDraw]

I'll assume you're mashing in a pot vs a cooler. One way is to heat up the oven. Your warm setting may be very close to your mash temp. Slide the pot, covered, into the oven for the hour. If warm is too warm, ovens will usually hold heat for quite a long time with the door shut, so it very well be a warm up the oven, slide in the pot, turn off, sit back and mash.

 

[beergolf]

I'll assume you're mashing in a pot vs a cooler. One way is to heat up the oven. Your warm setting may be very close to your mash temp. Slide the pot, covered, into the oven for the hour. If warm is too warm, ovens will usually hold heat for quite a long time with the door shut, so it very well be a warm up the oven, slide in the pot, turn off, sit back and mash.

^^^^ this.

Most ovens the lowest temp is 170ish. If you heat the oven up, put your pot in there for the mash you will be fine. I usually leave it on for the first part of the mash and then just turn it off. It will hold temp to within a degree for me.

Since the oven is close to the mash temp the change will be very minimal.

 

[ktblunden]

Another option is to get a water heater insulation blanket from your local hardware store and wrap that around the pot you use for your mash tun. That should help quite a bit with keeping heat in.