Problems hitting mash temps?

[Sir Humpsalot]

I've been having problems big time. I haven't brewed in about a month as a result.

To fix my problems, I figured out how to remove a variable. I am adding my water to the MLT first and I let it sit for 20 mins. Then I take a temp reading, hopefully it's a little high. I take out a quart of hot water and add a quart of tap water or whatever until the strike temp is perfect.

THEN I add the grain.

This way, I remove the MLT from the equation and just deal with the grain. No more worries about heat soaking into the MLT. Just a little tip I thought I'd pass along....




I accidentally no-showed at work today. They start their work calendar on monday and even after 6 months, I always assume it starts on Sunday. So I was a day off. I'm supposed to be off tuesday, not monday. So I guess that means an extra day off for me. Woohoo!

I think I'll brew a double batch to celebrate!!!!


The first batch is attempt number 2 at a honey hefeweizen. I think I'm really getting close to an awesome recipe. The second will probably be a pale ale. I have some dry yeast to use up...

 

[Glibbidy]

There may be an easier solution. Heat your strike water up 11 degrees hotter then your target mash temp, and dump the H2O into or mash tun. I'll bet you hit your temp.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

There may be an easier solution. Heat your strike water up 11 degrees hotter then your target mash temp, and dump the H2O into or mash tun. I'll bet you hit your temp.

I have to disagree with you here. That may fit your process every time, but you've dialed it in based on your process, setup, and experience. The strike temperature really depends on your water/grain ratio and the temperature of the grains.

For example, if you're using 1.5 qt/lb with grain at room temp and Damn Squirrels is using 1 qt/lb with grain he stored in the refrigerator, he will WAY undershoot his mash in target.

It's much better if people try to use the infusion equations, based on their equipment, process, and experience. When I changed my equipment, I had to re-learn how to hit my mash temps because I was way off my first few times. What I had been doing went right out the window.

 

[Glibbidy]

I have to disagree with you here. That may fit your process every time, but you've dialed it in based on your process, setup, and experience. The strike temperature really depends on your water/grain ratio and the temperature of the grains.

For example, if you're using 1.5 qt/lb with grain at room temp and Damn Squirrels is using 1 qt/lb with grain he stored in the refrigerator, he will WAY undershoot his mash in target.

It's much better if people try to use the infustion equations, based on their equipment, process, and experience. When I changed my equipment, I had to re-learn how to hit my mash temps because I was way off my first few times. What I had been doing went right out the window.

Try it. I bet you get close

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Sorry, but using my old equipment and procedures it wouldn't even get me close.

I used to use a cooler and mash thick (1 qt/lb), pulling grains out of the refrigerator at 40'. In that case the strike water has to be 176' to hit 155' (21' over target!). Strike water at 11' over target wouldn't even be close, somewhere < 150'.

Now I use a SS keg MLT that's direct fired. The strike temp has to be a lot lower because the MLT retains so much heat. If I go by what used to work for me and heat the strike water to 176' then I would way overshoot the mash in target. If I'm mashing thinner at 1.5 qt/lb, then the problem would be even worse.

I'm not trying to make this personal, but your 11' rule simply won't work for everybody and in some cases is really bad advise. There are just too many variables and you don't know what they are for Damn Squirrels.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I needed 14 extra degrees to hit my mash temps.

The crush looked good, but I only got 67% efficiency on the two batches. Guess I'd better tighten up the crankandstein a bit more.

You know though, when I add the grain to the water, it takes about 10 minutes for the temps to come down and stabilize. I wonder just how many sugars are converted before I even get down to the target temp. Maybe if I went back to a two step and let the grain rest for a bit and soak up water before hitting it with strike water, it might hit the right temp faster. What do you think?



In other news, it was an interesting brew day. I crushed the hefe grains, tossed it into the MLT with the strike water, then went to the LHBS for the WLP 300 hefe yeast.

They were out of it!!!! So, I bought a Belgian yeast, since I was already committed to the grain bill. Then it occurs to me... I've got hefe yeast sitting on the bottom of a carboy full of hard cider that is ready to be transferred to secondary!

So I rack my hefeweizen cider to a secondary and added a pound of black cherries per gallon. It's already got a gorgeous deep cherry color...

Then I used that yeast cake for my honey hefe.

Then I brewed a Pale Ale, 8# UK Pils; 1# carapils; 1# wheat; 0.1# Special B. 3.5oz hallertau split between FWH, 15, 5, and flameout.

Went to Goose Island with SWMBO, had a few beers, went back to her place, shagged, woke up in the morning, came back home, and I had the Pale Ale blowing off and the Hefe bubbling like mad. :rockin:

 

[beeraggie]

Went to Goose Island with SWMBO, had a few beers, went back to her place, shagged, woke up in the morning, came back home, and I had the Pale Ale blowing off and the Hefe bubbling like mad. :rockin:

Wow, Thats what what I call a perfect day!!!

 

[cweston]

I accidentally no-showed at work today. They start their work calendar on monday and even after 6 months, I always assume it starts on Sunday.

I'm curious--what part of the world are you (originally) from?

The idea that the week begins on Sunday always seems very odd to me, in practice. (And FWIW, I am a church every Sunday person.) De facto, it seems that everyone regards Monday as the first day of the week.

 

[Reidman]

I'm curious--what part of the world are you (originally) from?

The idea that the week begins on Sunday always seems very odd to me, in practice. (And FWIW, I am a church every Sunday person.) De facto, it seems that everyone regards Monday as the first day of the week.

Every calendar I've ever seen has Sunday listed as the first day of the week.

Monday could be denoted as the first work day of the week.

Where I work, Saturday actually starts our payroll for the week...weird..

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I'm curious--what part of the world are you (originally) from?

The idea that the week begins on Sunday always seems very odd to me, in practice. (And FWIW, I am a church every Sunday person.) De facto, it seems that everyone regards Monday as the first day of the week.

I'm originally from Chicago.


I've just never had to work for anyone else before... and I've never really had to hold down a ****ty job before, so it's all still quite new to me.

Actually, I've always worked for small companies that were very flexible. And if they needed you on a certain day at a certain time, they made it absolutely clear. At my job now though, there's just a huge list and you find your name and you look up when you are supposed to work.

On the plus side though, you are allowed 3 absences a month and 2 lates count as an absence. So that's 2 days off per month that I can take. I just no-show twice a month and when they complain I tell them that the policy is that I'm allowed to do that. And they say, "NO, the policy is that if you do it three times, you are fired." And I say, "Yes. So the policy says I'm allowed to do it twice a month". I don't even have to call in or anything. Basically, since I have no ambitions to manage anything there, I feel no need to do anything more than exactly what they ask of me. In a way, that's a lot nicer than having to be, you know, responsible and stuff...

Of course, if they asked me to work 80 hours and bust my ass and paid me accordingly, I would do it. But for a guy with a doctorate degree to make $10 per hour, well I won't say the job is beneath me. I've never felt that way about ANY job. However, when it comes to following the rules, I follow them to the letter. If they want more than that, they need to tell me. I am not a mind reader.

 

[Beerrific]

I'm curious--what part of the world are you (originally) from?

The idea that the week begins on Sunday always seems very odd to me, in practice. (And FWIW, I am a church every Sunday person.) De facto, it seems that everyone regards Monday as the first day of the week.

When I used to work in retail, the new week began on Sundays and that was fairly standard. I think it is traditional for the week to start on Sunday in the U.S., I know Monday is traditional in Latin America.

I guess for most business people the work week starts on Monday since Sundays aren't working days.

 

[cweston]

When I used to work in retail, the new week began on Sundays and that was fairly standard. I think it is traditional for the week to start on Sunday in the U.S., I know Monday is traditional in Latin America.

To clarify, what I meant is that I think in people's minds, the week begins on Monday. We call Saturday and Sunday the weekend, after all. When A person says "The week of (date)" it seems like the date that they cite is pretty-much always a Monday. etc.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

When I used to work in retail, the new week began on Sundays and that was fairly standard. I think it is traditional for the week to start on Sunday in the U.S., I know Monday is traditional in Latin America.

I guess for most business people the work week starts on Monday since Sundays aren't working days.

But our business is open 24/7. And they *still* start the work week on Monday. And the schedule as 300 people on it, and the only place they place the dates is at the very top. So you just have to kind of remember, as you get all the way down the list, that it starts on Monday and you have to count the days from there.

I'm not saying their stupid schedule layout is an excuse for me being confused. I'm just saying that in a way it's their own fault. As I see it, if it were really important for this cog to be there on the scheduled days, they would do more to make sure it happened. But they have a laissez-faire attitude towards absences, so obviously it's not all that important to them either.. just so long as you're trying sort of hard.