Strike\Dough in with RIMS...

[benzesp]

I have managed some successful runs (water only) on my new RIMS rig. So my question is:

Do I dough in @ my mash temp (say152 deg) or do I need to dough in @ a higher temp like striking for a single infusion mash with a insulated cooler with no reticulation?

 

[Yooper]

I have managed some successful runs (water only) on my new RIMS rig. So my question is:

Do I dough in @ my mash temp (say152 deg) or do I need to dough in @ a higher temp like striking for a single infusion mash with a insulated cooler with no reticulation?

The temperature of the water will drop when you add grain, so you will want to have a higher strike temperature.

 

[benzesp]

That's what I was thinking. So it will be similar to striking without re circulation.

So it's better to let the temp ramp down to mash temp? I always thought ramp up to temp was better as not to immediately be at mash out temps then ramp down.

 

[Yooper]

That's what I was thinking. So it will be similar to striking without re circulation.

So it's better to let the temp ramp down to mash temp? I always thought ramp up to temp was better as not to immediately be at mash out temps then ramp down.

When you strike, the idea is to be right in the mash temp range. You definitely don't want to be at mash out temps when you dough in!

For me, I have a HERMS, not a RIMS, but it's sort of the same process. I put 180 degree water in my MLT to preheat the the mashtun (it's a stainless keg). When it gets down to 165, I add my grain if I'm mashing at 152 or so. Yours may be different, of course. I make 10 gallon batches, so it's usually about 8 gallons of water and 23ish pounds of grain. I calculate my strike temperature with Beersmith. If you aren't preheating your mash tun, then you can dough in right away with your water at strike temperature.

For my HERMS, I "lose" 3 degrees so if I want to maintain my mash at 152, my HERMS is set for 155. When I ramp up to mash out, I set it for 172.

 

[benzesp]

Thanks for the info. I was curious because with re circulation heat loss or calculating for heat loss over the entire mash time is not a issue. I'll do the math and get my strike water temp dialed. Appreciate the help.

 

[smithmd4]

I heat my strike water in my mash tun to preheat it as well. I plug the temps of grain (72) and mash tun (150) into Beersmith and it spits back a number. In my first non-water brew, it was spot on yesterday.

 

[atoughram]

On my rims, I usually dough in at around 163-165 to get those temps - Beersmith figures it out for you and is accurate.