Temperature or water/grain ratio

[TwoGunz]

It was real hot this weekend when I brewed and when I mashed in my temperature stabilized 3-4 degrees higher than my target. Would I have been better off mixing in cool water to dial the temperature in or is maintaining the mash thickness more important?

I ended up opening my cooler and stirring more than normal for a bit then I just left it alone and went about my business.

 

[Golddiggie]

AFAIK, you did the right thing... Better to stir to get the temp down than add cool water for just a few degrees. If you're low, then you can try adding hot water to the mash.

I brewed this Sunday and hit my mash-in and mash-out temps pretty solid. Then I let the sparge water drop lower than I should have, so I missed that temp. I only got ~76% efficiency that way.

How long did you mash for?

 

[TwoGunz]

I mashed for a good 3.5 hrs probably

I decided to split up my brew day for the first time and ran some errands after I got the mash going. I think my efficiency was around 72% but I didn't get a real accurate volume reading so it could be a few points either way.

 

[OLDBREW]

you are better off to add the small amount of cold water and hitting your target temp, then you are with changing the water to grist ratio.

4*f can and will change your worts profile, as where such a small change in the mash thickness would be negligible.

why did you mash for 3.5 hours?

 

[jfowler1]

Would I have been better off mixing in cool water to dial the temperature in or is maintaining the mash thickness more important?

Mash thickness is probably the least important aspect of all-grain brewing. Its importance only comes into play when you get to a point where your MLT can not hold the required volume. So, my quick advice is to stir for a minute, and if that does not bring temps down as the mash stabilizes, then yes, slowly add cool water.

(the long advice is to read my method for hitting mash temps every time - skip to the sections labeled "dough-in" if you are in a hurry.)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/do-not-fear-all-grain-brewing-primer-247631/

When laying out your brew day, spend 2 minutes and figure out what water:grain ratio will fit into your tun for a desired grain bill.

Use the "Can I Mash It?" calculator here.
http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

FWIW, I use a 5 gallon round cooler, and I can mash 15 lbs or grain at a 1:1 (qts:lb) ratio with no problems (and I automate a mashout through a pump for recirculation prior to fly sparging). 1.25:1 is my favorite number, but sometimes it just doesn't fit, so I adjust accordingly. Anything from 1:1 to 2:1 will work fine.

Joe

 

[TheZymurgist]

Mash thickness is probably the least important aspect of all-grain brewing. Its importance only comes into play when you get to a point where your MLT can not hold the required volume. So, my quick advice is to stir for a minute, and if that does not bring temps down as the mash stabilizes, then yes, slowly add cool water.

(the long advice is to read my method for hitting mash temps every time - skip to the sections labeled "dough-in" if you are in a hurry.)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/do-not-fear-all-grain-brewing-primer-247631/

When laying out your brew day, spend 2 minutes and figure out what water:grain ratio will fit into your tun for a desired grain bill.

Use the "Can I Mash It?" calculator here.
http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

FWIW, I use a 5 gallon round cooler, and I can mash 15 lbs or grain at a 1:1 (qts:lb) ratio with no problems (and I automate a mashout through a pump for recirculation prior to fly sparging). 1.25:1 is my favorite number, but sometimes it just doesn't fit, so I adjust accordingly. Anything from 1:1 to 2:1 will work fine.

Joe

Just read your write up, and I'll be using this method for my first AG batch this weekend. Thanks!

 

[TwoGunz]

Thanks for the great responses. My MLT is big enough for batches twice the size of what I'm making so no worries there. Hopefully this weekend I'll follow your advice and nail my temp.