Will it be hard to hold my mash temp?

[dooman333]

After waiting waaay too long to get my pot she's finally here! Got me a 62qt ss pot and steamer basket! I'm gunna try my first biab this weekend and the only step I'm a little unsure of is holding my mash temp. My setup is going to be the typical propane turkey fryer with a ceiling mounted pulley system to pull the basket/bag out. Is keeping the mash temp hard? Do u need to keep the flame on low or do u guys typically have to kill it a few times? The thermometer I have is a probe (need to get the corded style so I can leave it in). Checking it often then?

 

[cricky101]

I shut the flame off and wrap the pot in an old comforter after mixing in my grains. Usually drop about 2 degrees over an hour. I've never had it drop enough for me to want to put it back on the heat.

 

[bolshoifish]

You really shouldn't have that much of a problem. Wrapping it in something will help (I glued together an xps foam box that fits around my pot), but the larger the pot, the less of an influence the surrounding air will have. If you are worried, it is easier to to add slightly less water than you think you will need (adjusting the mash-in temperature accordingly) and then add the additional water half way through (like 3-6 quarts).

I usually put 30-40 lbs of grain in my 20 gallon pot and find that usually the internal temp of the grain won't budge (even in the 5F weather Ontario had last weekend). You may need/want to stir occasionally to even out the temperature of the water that is outside the steamer basket.

If you are using a large amount of grain, it can be less than ideal turning the burner on since attempting to even out the temperature is a bit of pain.

 

[Doed]

dooman333 - sounds like we have the same pot? Bayou Classic? I brewed my first BIAB in it on Monday. I only put a blanket on the lid and it held temps pretty well. Though it was about 50*F on Monday where I live.

 

[enkamania]

I do the same thing, except without the pulley system. I lost 3 degrees last batch in an hour. I've decided to go with a smaller 44 qt fryer basket, so it sits lower in the pot and I can put a lid on that and a lid on the pot.

 

[Dok]

I like to use a hot water heater insulator with a bungee cord.

Amazon.com: WATERHEATER BLANKET: Home Improvement

 

[dooman333]

Sounds good to me! Guess I'll kill it and wrap it. But is that 2-4 degree loss a big deal?

 

[dooman333]

dooman333 - sounds like we have the same pot? Bayou Classic? I brewed my first BIAB in it on Monday. I only put a blanket on the lid and it held temps pretty well. Though it was about 50*F on Monday where I live.

Yup! So how'd you like it?

 

[Doed]

The pot is great. Basket fits nice, a lid to close everything up. Seems really well made.

During my boil, I lost almost 2 gallons to boil off and a little bit to a boil over. The boil overs are starting to annoy me, so I am going to order some FemCapS and give it a try.

I guess my next investment will be a weldless bulk head and valve. It makes me a little nervous cutting a hole in a brand new pot, but my father-in-law is an electrician and he thinks he has a 7/8" conduit punch so that should make the job easier.

 

[dooman333]

Boil overs? You must be doing some big 10gal batches. I'm going to be using this pot for mostly 5gal batches with the hopes of doing 10s down the road. The research I did made me think it was plenty for 10gal batches. Maybe not. Do u wish u had more room? I also saw on a few posts that the rivets on the handles leak. Is that the case? What were u making that boiled over, if u don't mind me asking?

 

[dooman333]

And what's a fem cap?

 

[Doed]

I have only made one batch in the new pot and yes I did have a boil over. It was a 5 gallon batch. It didn't boil over much but even a little is still messy. I'm sure that the much bigger 62qt capacity helped keep the boil over to a minimum.

The last couple of batches that I have made have boiled over and I am starting to get a little tired of it, hence the FemCapS. Do a search on the forum for femcap and it will explain it but basically it is a compound that combines little bubbles into bigger bubbles so that cooking things, like wort, don't foam up.