Thermos mash tun temp

[Horses_n_Brew]

Ran my first AG in my new 10 gal thermos mash tun (as described on HBT - thanks). Missed my mash temp (low) even when using beersmiths parameters. Anyone have any suggestions about pre-warming the thermos or other tweaks to beersmith to get closer?

 

[Northcalais40]

A foolproof method, and there are many, is to add a gallon of water at 212F and wait for the temp to cool to your mash temp. It may throw off your calculations a bit, so be ready to adjust with boiling water or ice if needed.

I made my own brewing calculator spreadsheet and just add a variable relative to my strike volume to correct for mlt inertia. Can't recall it offhand but it works well.

 

[ajf]

Heat the strike water about 10 degrees higher than Beersmith recommends, add the water to the cooler, and wait for it to warm the cooler up and cool the water down to the required strike temperature.

-a.

 

[Northcalais40]

I like ajf's method better than mine.

 

[statseeker]

I have an app for that strike correction in my phone. I love Brewzor. Great app.

 

[mariojr]

Heat the strike water about 10 degrees higher than Beersmith recommends, add the water to the cooler, and wait for it to warm the cooler up and cool the water down to the required strike temperature.

-a.

Perfect method!

 

[eltorrente]

Beersmith calculations work PERFECTLY for me..

No need to pre heat the tun and all this stuff.

If you make sure your initial conditions are accurate (grain temp and mash tun temp), and your equipment profile is accurate (mash tun weight - including false bottom and fittings, but not including the lid (mine weighs exactly 6lbs)), and specific heat number (I use .33 on my Igloo 5 gallon) - then it WILL give you what you need to hit your temps.

I consistently hit within .5 degrees of my desired temp. No point preheating and estimating off the top of your head some error correction or whatever, when you have all the information and tools you need.

What I did when I was dialing in my system, was to just be consistent in how I poured the water, mixed in the grains, and even where I hold my thermometer when measuring temp. I like to overshoot the temp when heating by a little bit, then turn off the heat and stir slowly till it drops to my desired temp. As soon as it hits, I pick up the pot, walk over and dump it into the MT, then immediately start stirring in the grain. Same way every time. If your temp ends up too low, then you should increase the specific heat rating - too high, then you need to adjust it down.

Also, I use the same calibrated, quality, digital thermometer in each step. If you use more than one thermometer, than make sure they are perfectly calibrated.

 

[Horses_n_Brew]

Thanks for all the info. Plan to try it in a couple weekends!

 

[eltorrente]

Thanks for all the info. Plan to try it in a couple weekends!

Remember not to worry about temperature for at least 5 minutes after adding water and mixing grains. Wait 5 minutes until the temperature stabilizes before trying to correct the temperature.

I think lots of people check the temp too soon, get concerned, and end up trying to adjust the temperature before it has actually stabilized.

 

[HopheadNJ]

I always pre heat my mash tun (10gal beverage cooler) with near boiling water... Pour it in, cap the cooler, and swirl it around. I do this a few minutes before I'm ready to add my strike water @ Beersmith's recommended temperature -- So far, I haven't had too many issues hitting my temps.

 

[Horses_n_Brew]

Thanks everyone. Fiddled with BeerSmith and pretty much hit it all spot on. I'll post how it comes out.

 

[1MadScientist]

Heat the strike water about 10 degrees higher than Beersmith recommends, add the water to the cooler, and wait for it to warm the cooler up and cool the water down to the required strike temperature.

-a.

+1 on this method.

The first time I did this was on a cold day and when I got the strike water in there it was below temp; as in this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/madscientistbrewhaus/5344928790/

... had to dump it back in BK and try again...

... but once it's in there let the cooler take what it wants for about 10 mins. then bring down the water temp to what you want based on software or whatever method.