Temp drop from HLT to MT - difficulty with mash temps

[muddy1015]

I imagine this will just end up being a trial/error solution, but I thought I'd see if anyone had some thoughts/intel on this issue. I just recently put together a cooler HLT with a controller electric heater (love it btw, highly suggested!)

Generally I heat the water up around 163-168 depending on the mash temp I want. My process for mashing in is to let a couple inches of the strike water gather in the MT and then put in the grain while the rest of the strike water comes in. I don't have a superfast thermometer (probably part of my problem) so it takes a while before it will settle, but it seems like I get wildly inconsistent mash temps and obviously it's constantly changing as I mix up the mash and then starts to drop fairly quickly and usually starts out too low (but it's tough to get a solid reading off thermometer)

I think maybe I'm losing a lot of heat in the 2 foot hose from the HLT to the MT and then just losing more heat as it takes a bit to fully drain and is open to the air that whole time.

Do ya'll fully mix the mash up and wait 30 seconds or something before taking a temperature reading or are you doing it right away? I get nervous about waiting too long because then I start to lose heat. And any suggestions for somehow cutting down the heat loss while I mash-in? I use ~2 ft silicone hose. I'm guessing it's probably a matter of heating the strike water up to 170+ to account for that, but any insight?

 

[thekraken]

You can just do what I did and say "Screw it! I'm building a RIMS tube"

Are you talking about dial thermometer or a fast read digital thermometer? Also, my first thought is that maybe just a couple inches to preheat the tun may not be enough. I used to overheat my entire volume of strike water in the MLT and let it gradually fall back down to strike temp.

 

[wilserbrewer]

It takes several minutes and a lot of stirring for the grain and strike water to reach a stable temperature. Taking a temp immediately after doughing in will yield a false high IME.

 

[pwnshop]

try to heat your strike water to like 10 degrees higher than your target strike water temp and then transfer the full amount of strike water to your mash tun. Put the lid on and walk away for a few minutes to let your MLT preheat. When you come back the temp of the water probably dropped close to your target strike temp. Add in all your grain and stir until you are at your desired temp and then put the lid on.

 

[MagicMatt]

I believe your method of adding the grain is not the best approach. You shouldn't add the grain until all of the strike water is in the MLT, and has sat for at least a minute to allow the cooler's internal temp to equalize.

I use a 10 gallon round igloo cooler with false bottom, and for me my strike temp needs to be about 10°F higher than my desired mash temp. So if I'm mashing at 150°F, I cut the flame to my kettle at 161°F. (I lose about 1°F during transfer).

Once the full volume of strike water is in the MLT, I then add my grain while stirring vigorously. I drop in a floating thermometer and shut the MLT. I open to read the temp every 5 minutes or so until the temp stabilizes.

In my experience, it will take about 10-15 minutes for the temperature of the mash to stabilize. What's more, I find the opposite effect as some have mentioned: for me, the temp is always lower than desired, and slowly rises to the correct mash temp as the heat from the water transfers throughout the grain. I make sure to stir once or twice once the temps seem to stabilize to ensure I'm not reading any warm/cold spots.

This has worked great for me and each time I've hit my mash temps and held them to within 1°F for the duration of the hour.

 

[muddy1015]

Thanks for input! That's great idea to get it all in there a little high and then wait for it to drop down to my strike temp - also like the floating thermometer.

Have certainly been tempted with the screw it I'm building a RIMS...

 

[wilserbrewer]

Have certainly been tempted with the screw it I'm building a RIMS...

Mashing in a cooler takes a little practice, so does using a far more complicated RIMS system.

If I thought building a RIMS was the gateway to better brew, I would have built one years ago. The key is learning to use the tools, regardless of their complexity. I like the expression, "a talented brewer could make nice beer in his hat"

You know, there are some that build a sophisticated system, then revert back to simple basic methods....just sayin.

 

[muddy1015]

Fair point!