Strike water temperature reading

[wsmith1625]

I'm a BIAB brewer and have been making some very good beers, but the one thing that always has me a bit miffed is how to get an accurate temperature reading for my strike water. Typically I start heating the strike water and leave my Thermoworks 12" probe in the water. When I start getting near my strike temperature, I stir the water to try and even the temperature. This is where I see the temperature drift up and down a few degrees and I'm not sure what reading to grab. Should I trust the temp on the non-stirred water, or the temp on the stirred water? How are you getting an accurate temperature reading?

 

[duckredbeard]

My system is a bit advanced, in that I have multiple pumps and thermometers. During heating of my strike water, I use a pump to recirculate the water. I have a thermometer where the water is taken from the HLT. I am able to monitor the temperature as I am recirculating, or more importantly, as I am taking it from the HLT for mash-in or sparge. If I do have to add heat to bring the temp back up, I route the hoses to recirculate during the heating.

Check the photo here.

 

[Golddiggie]

How are you heating up the strike water (stove, propane burner, electric element in the kettle)?
I had good results using a thermometer with a remote sensor submerged in the MT to get the strike temperature as well as mash temperature. You could also install a thermometer in the side so that it's in a fixed location.

I'm not doing BIAB, but three vessel using PT100 sensors in all three that connect up to a single panel (controls everything). With the sensors in fixed locations, variations are small when they do happen.

You could also pick up a March, or Chugger, pump to recirculate the strike water as well as during the mash to get things more stable (temperature wise) for the duration. The eBIAB systems I've seen out there include a pump for such things (as well as running the wort through a chiller post boil).

Personally, I find the three vessel system to be easier to get my batches done than a BIAB setup. I did brew BIAB early on, but abandoned it due to it's limitations. Including needing to lift the bag out of the kettle at the end of the mash and limited ability (if any) to sparge. With my setup, I can do a mash then sparge either once, or twice, depending on batch size (if the batch has more sparge volume than will fit in a single run). Pumps play a rather important (basically critical) function in this setup. While they might not be critical for the BIAB brewers, they DO help a lot.

 

[wsmith1625]

My system is a bit advanced, in that I have multiple pumps and thermometers. During heating of my strike water, I use a pump to recirculate the water. I have a thermometer where the water is taken from the HLT. I am able to monitor the temperature as I am recirculating, or more importantly, as I am taking it from the HLT for mash-in or sparge. If I do have to add heat to bring the temp back up, I route the hoses to recirculate during the heating.

Check the photo here.

Thanks and nice setup! Recirculating is exactly the reason I'm asking this. It made me aware that the water is not the same temperature throughout the kettle. I know that stirring is not nearly as effective as recirculating, but I though it would help.

Anyone else have a solution to this without adding pumps?

 

[DBhomebrew]

I brew on a gas stovetop in a 5 gallon All-Clad very thick-bottomed kettle. No pumps, permanent thermometers, etc.

Every once in a while I'll dip my instant read thermometer to see when I'm getting close. Once I'm 3-5° away I start stirring with one hand with the thermometer in the other. It's important to stir vertically in addition to around. You're trying to get the water up off the bottom. Within a few moments the thermometer reading will steady and I'll turn the flame off as soon as I hit target.

Pretty low tech in this brewhouse. But I get in a sparge and multiple mash steps as needed/warranted.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I don't do biab either but it would make sense to me to stir the water every couple minutes while heating to get as much as of an even temp as possible. Before I went to an eherms system I always stirred my strike water fairly often before dumping it into my cooler style mash tun.

 

[wsmith1625]

How are you heating up the strike water (stove, propane burner, electric element in the kettle)?
I had good results using a thermometer with a remote sensor submerged in the MT to get the strike temperature as well as mash temperature. You could also install a thermometer in the side so that it's in a fixed location.

I'm not doing BIAB, but three vessel using PT100 sensors in all three that connect up to a single panel (controls everything). With the sensors in fixed locations, variations are small when they do happen.

You could also pick up a March, or Chugger, pump to recirculate the strike water as well as during the mash to get things more stable (temperature wise) for the duration. The eBIAB systems I've seen out there include a pump for such things (as well as running the wort through a chiller post boil).

Personally, I find the three vessel system to be easier to get my batches done than a BIAB setup. I did brew BIAB early on, but abandoned it due to it's limitations. Including needing to lift the bag out of the kettle at the end of the mash and limited ability (if any) to sparge. With my setup, I can do a mash then sparge either once, or twice, depending on batch size (if the batch has more sparge volume than will fit in a single run). Pumps play a rather important (basically critical) function in this setup. While they might not be critical for the BIAB brewers, they DO help a lot.

I heat on a propane burner that came with a turkey fryer many years ago. It does a good job heating the strike water and gets to a full boil pretty quick. With BIAB, I don't want to install a side temp probe since I've heard they snag and rip the grain bags. I use a 12 inch digital probe which I clip to the side of my kettle. I'm also not looking to add pumps. I like the simplicity of BIAB and try and keep it as simple as possible. When I drink my beer, I'm still amazed how easy it is to make good beer. I haven't entered any contests nor do I plan to. If I did, a degree or 2 could make a big difference, but to my palette it's good beer either way. I'm really curious if anyone else has a simple method to get a more accurate reading.

 

[Golddiggie]

Here's what my kettles and pumps mostly setup looks like. I don't have my plate chiller, or wort strainer, mounted on the stand. Plus the BK isn't connected as if it was in use. The pumps are plumbed for the continuous recirculation test (for the MT) I performed on Sunday. I was able to keep it within +/-1F of mash temp for the entire hour. I plan to do another test run this coming weekend to see if I can get a tighter reign on the mash temp.


IME, pumps make things easier on the brewer. Be that for maintaining temperatures, recirculating, or transfers.

I used propane burners for several years. Issue I developed using that is actually maintaining temperatures easily just wasn't possible without adding more complexity to the setup. With the electric setup, it's easy to get it to hit my desired temperature, maintain it, and then increase it to whatever I want it to be. I no longer have to babysit the thing for the entire time to make sure it doesn't go over. I know I've heard of/from other people using electric setups and how they can hit their desired temperatures every time, and then maintain them easily. I think I'll be in that same position by next brew day.

 

[hotbeer]

I double bag my grain mix in some stretchy hop socks. At least I think that's what they are.

Since the weave is so loose, I can just stick an instant read temp probe through the material and inside the grain as well as just the wort outside the bag. If I find a cold spot or a lot of variance, then I squeeze or mash on the bag with some tongs to get the wort circulating through it and even up the temps.

I only do gallon batches though. If I was to ever get a pump and start circulating wort, or do bigger batches, I'd probably use something else besides the hop sock. And probably change up the way I mash quite a bit.

To me it seems that when mashing, you'd want to keep the temps of everything you can check the temp of as close as possible to your desired mash temp.

Or just never mind... after I got out I see your question is strike water temp. For that I just stir the pot and see what it is. If I use a probe I stick it down a few inches under the water while it's still swirling. Or sometimes I'm happy just to use an IR thermometer pointed at it while its still swirling.

 

[cbier60]

I brew on a gas stovetop in a 5 gallon All-Clad very thick-bottomed kettle. No pumps, permanent thermometers, etc.

Every once in a while I'll dip my instant read thermometer to see when I'm getting close. Once I'm 3-5° away I start stirring with one hand with the thermometer in the other. It's important to stir vertically in addition to around. You're trying to get the water up off the bottom. Within a few moments the thermometer reading will steady and I'll turn the flame off as soon as I hit target.

Pretty low tech in this brewhouse. But I get in a sparge and multiple mash steps as needed/warranted.

This is all that is necessary. Simply stir thoroughly as you get close to your strike temp.

 

[hottpeper13]

Insulate the F!@#$%^ kettle! If you don't recirc and add heat you need to wrap the MK/BK in reflectix .

 

[wsmith1625]

This is all that is necessary. Simply stir thoroughly as you get close to your strike temp.

Yeah, I think that's all there is to it. Thanks!

 

[wsmith1625]

Insulate the F!@#$%^ kettle! If you don't recirc and add heat you need to wrap the MK/BK in reflectix .

Once I hit my strike temp, then I add the grain and stir to eliminate dough balls. Then I take another temp reading to see if I hit the correct mash temp, and cover and insulate the Sh@# out of it. I just use old blankets and it works well.