Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
Do you pre-heat your mash tun before adding grain and strike water? If so, what kind of MLT do you have, and how do you pre-heat it?
I have a 48qt Igloo Cube, and I pre-heat it by adding the strike water at around 180F (if it's cold in the garage). I'll let it sit in the tun for about 10 mins, and it usually settles around 169F to dough in for 154F mash.
I never understood the point of using separate water to preheat. I just heat the strike water up like 10-15 deg more and let it sit until it cools down to actual strike temp.
I never understood the point of using separate water to preheat. I just heat the strike water up like 10-15 deg more and let it sit until it cools down to actual strike temp.
If you look into the Igloo Cube, here's the data that I can repeat almost to the degree by now (if I don't change anything drastically):
Mash tun temp: 60F
Grain temp: 60F
Mash water: 4 gal
Grain amount: 10-11lb
Strike water: 180F
Dough-in temp: 169F
Mash Temp: 154F
I feel heating the water 10-15 degrees more is too much is like a shot it the dark.
My cooler only loses 1-2 degrees in an hour so I don't want to wait until it hits the proper temperature.
I preheat with hot water, dump it out and heat the strike water to the calculated temperature. I have missed at the maximum by 4 degrees high, once.
29thfloor said:I never understood the point of using separate water to preheat. I just heat the strike water up like 10-15 deg more and let it sit until it cools down to actual strike temp.
Beersmith has a field for MLT and grain temp.
It uses those to help compute the strike temp, and for me they have been dead on..
brew2enjoy said:I posted a similar question a few weeks ago. Basically what I was finding is that most brewing software does not accurately calculate strike temperature due to mash tun temp and heat absorption. If I had followed the software I would have missed my mash temp big time. I was given the advice to simply add the water at 180 degrees and let it slowly cool to the desired strike temp. This worked like a charm and I will continue to use this method. I could not believe how much heat my cooler absorbed within just a few short minutes.
Beersmith has a field for MLT and grain temp.
It uses those to help compute the strike temp, and for me they have been dead on.
It's pretty important for me, as my MLT is a sanke keg, which can soak up a lot of the heat from the strike when it's cold.
29thfloor said:It probably is a shot in the dark but it's worked ok for me so far. I'm sure sometime it won't work out and I'll try the separate water method. I guess if you reuse the preheat water as your sparge water it's not a big deal.
This is all a bunch of great food for thought! I'm currently doing AG with BIAB, but I plan on moving to a mash tun soon, and I want to be well educated before giving it a try. I have a SS sanke keg that I could turn into a MLT. I like the sounds of the Igloo cube, though. I'm not sure which one I will use yet.. I'm guessing if I make one out of the keg it can double as a kettle.. Choices, choices!
Well you can fit a 10 gallon batch of grain in an igloo cube no prob, and then boil it in that sanke. Sounds like a plan to me. Now I'm jealous.
Judochop said:I came here because i"m having major issues with my mash temps. Not my strike temps, mind you. [As others here do, I heat my mash water 10-12 degrees beyond my target strike temp and let the cooler preheat about 10 minutes. Then I wait and/or stir until the water reaches strike temp, and I dough in.]
I use a 52 qt rectangular Coleman XTREME, and I'm losing 6-7 degrees over a 60 minute mash! WHY?!!?
Er... I mean, why? Please?
I thought I was getting the cream of the crop with this coleman xtreme. I didn't think it'd take that long.I'd try preheating for longer. Fill the cooler with tap water as hot as you can get it and let it sit for 1/2 hour or so. If you're losing that much heat I'd also wrap it in a sleeping bag or two.
I feel pretty good about my seal. It takes a good hearty push just to close.One thing i noticed with my cooler, the part of the lid with the handle indentation didnt seal too well so i put a large heavy object the length of my cooler on top of the lid to help seal. I also throw a sleep bag doubled up over the cooler. It now holds temps great.
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