Your Method For Hitting Target Mash Temp - Igloo Cooler?

[Jiffster]

Just curious what your method is for consistently hitting your target mash temp without having to use hot/cold water to correct temp?

 

[mongoose33]

I first pre-heat the cooler by pouring a gallon or so of boiling water in it, swishing it around, then leaving it closed for 20 minutes or so.

Then I go about 12 degrees above the desired mash temp with my strike water. Dump that water in there and then add the grist.

I don't think there's a foolproof way to do this--the amount of the water, the amount of grist, the degree to which the mash tun is preheated, the temperature of the grist prior to mashing--all interact to get the final temp. I'd rather cool down a slightly too hot mash than try to raise its temp.

Depending on the ambient temps, I might wrap the mash tun in blankets to help maintain temp.

 

[Yooper]

I use a bigger keg now for my MLT, but when I was doing 5 gallon batches, I used a 10 gallon round cooler (I still have it and use it occasionally).

I would preheat the cooler by adding my strike water at 180 degrees. Any higher, and the cooler warped a little (oops). Let it cool to my strike temperature, about 11 degrees warmer than my desired mash temperature (usually 164 degrees), and stir in the grain.

The cooler holds mash temperature very well (I lost something like 1 degree per hour) doing it this way.

 

[Sammy86]

I use a bigger keg now for my MLT, but when I was doing 5 gallon batches, I used a 10 gallon round cooler (I still have it and use it occasionally).



I would preheat the cooler by adding my strike water at 180 degrees. Any higher, and the cooler warped a little (oops). Let it cool to my strike temperature, about 11 degrees warmer than my desired mash temperature (usually 164 degrees), and stir in the grain.



The cooler holds mash temperature very well (I lost something like 1 degree per hour) doing it this way.

This right here all you need to know! :beard:

 

[wshinn2]

I use a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler and Beersmith software. I regularly hit my mash temperatures within +/- 0.5 degree F. In the Beersmith setup options there is a heat coefficient number for the mash tun materials, I think it is 0.3 for plastic. I set the coefficient number to zero (from 0.3). I heat up my entire volume of strike water to about 5 degrees higher than Beersmith provides and add the total to the mash tun. I stir the mash water until the temperature cools to strike temp (from Beersmith) and then dough in. As long as you measure your water volume accurately, you should have good result using this method too. Good luck!

 

[pvpeacock]

Ditto about preheating and starting approx. 10-15 degrees high. However, I also keep a gallon of cold water on hand. If my mash temp is too high after I dough in, I slowly add cold water, stir and recheck the temperature until I hit my perfect mash temp. I don't worry about the extra volume of water and have never had any problems doing it this way.

 

[micraftbeer]

I'd just add that after doughing in you should make sure it all gets stirred up good to avoid air pockets or dry pockets of grain and then let it set about 10 minutes before checking the temperature. It takes time for the grain to soak up the water and your 70 degree grain to figure out the equilibrium temperature with your ~160 degree water. I've panicked before seeing temperatures be too high or too low and I'm chasing it adding water. I find if I use BrewSmith calculations for strike water prediction, be patient for those 10 minutes, it always comes in good, rarely having to adjust.

 

[Yooper]

Ditto about preheating and starting approx. 10-15 degrees high. However, I also keep a gallon of cold water on hand. If my mash temp is too high after I dough in, I slowly add cold water, stir and recheck the temperature until I hit my perfect mash temp. I don't worry about the extra volume of water and have never had any problems doing it this way.

One thing I've found that instead of cold water, one or two ice cubes is often all that is needed. Add one, stir well, and check temp. Add other if needed. Sometimes that's it, and you don't have to add more water than you desired (although that won't hurt) and then end up going too low on the temperature.

 

[brewcat]

Strike water temp calculator.

Heat strike water to desired temp. I let it stabilize in the pot. Then dump it in the cooler and add the grains. That gets me right on. I haven't found a need to preheat since I account for the loss.

 

[Jiffster]

I dumped 3.5 gallons of 180F water into my 10 gallon Igloo cooler and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Checked temp of water and it was at 161.5.

Target mash temp for 8.75 pounds of grain + ~4 cups of rice hulls at ~65F is 152F.

Douhg in grains and stirred well and temp was 145F!

This makes no sense to me.

Any ideas?

I added 1 gallon of boiling water to get temp up to 152.

 

[mattdee1]

I just transfer water at 172-174F over to the cooler MT, let it sit for at least 10 minutes, then dough in. I hit right in the range I want every time; although I'm one of those mavericks who doesn't give a shart if my mash temp lands at 151 or 155.

I missed temps pretty badly a few times, but experience pays off. I keep good records and can usually interpolate the available data to get very close to where I want to be based on grain/water ratio.

I'm not a fan of adjusting with additional water. I usually just go with whatever I get, unless it's way off.

One thing to note, it takes much less volume to drop the temperature than it does to raise it. This is due to the fact that the "cold" water addition will be about 100 degrees colder than the mash temp, whereas the water in the kettle is probably only about 20ish degrees hotter. The smaller temperature differential means you need more to make a given change.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

you could go all electric and buy doing this you will get very accurate

you could use a pump and a cool new product http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=53&products_id=560

holds the mash accurately and boils, video is on the bottom

 

[Stillraining]

I just transfer water at 172-174F over to the cooler MT, let it sit for at least 10 minutes, then dough in. I hit right in the range I want every time; although I'm one of those mavericks who doesn't give a shart if my mash temp lands at 151 or 155.

I missed temps pretty badly a few times, but experience pays off. I keep good records and can usually interpolate the available data to get very close to where I want to be based on grain/water ratio.

I'm not a fan of adjusting with additional water. I usually just go with whatever I get, unless it's way off.

One thing to note, it takes much less volume to drop the temperature than it does to raise it. This is due to the fact that the "cold" water addition will be about 100 degrees colder than the mash temp, whereas the water in the kettle is probably only about 20ish degrees hotter. The smaller temperature differential means you need more to make a given change.

OP....Ditto this ^ for me...except I don't wait 10 min..I just dump grains right in.
With your thread in mind yesterday due to the fact I bought a new cooler, I didnt change my normal temp program any and hit my numbers spot on, if not a little high. It held them much better then my old cooler, Which is nice....but like above I'm not spun out about that either.

Something is happening that I cant pinpoint with your system. I do not go through any per-warming of my coolers ever, even in winter, and like the quote above I shoot for 170 to 174 depending on outdoor seasonal temps, and just slide my cooler under my boil pot, open the valve and let if fly into it. Between all that free falling and splashing around starting at 171 and adding yesterdays 16 lbs of grain bill it drooped the temp to 154.4... and was only down to 153.0 after 1 hour. I loose up to 6 to 8 degrees in my old cooler which never seems to hurt anything, as I always hit my target gravity numbers regardless. I would have been happier if it started at 152 or less yesterday so I will mentally adjust this next brew and only use 166 or 168 degree water to start with this new cooler. Still the numbers are repeatable and consistent so your issue is confusing.

I see now you started another thread about your digital thermometer being inconsistent so I'm going to say your problem must lie there because I hit my target temps consistently regardless of what cooler I'm using...The new Coleman extreme just holds it way better then my old one did. FWIW it was 60 degrees here yesterday so everything was at that temp...grains were probably 65.

 

[Redlantern]

I dumped 3.5 gallons of 180F water into my 10 gallon Igloo cooler and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Checked temp of water and it was at 161.5.

Target mash temp for 8.75 pounds of grain + ~4 cups of rice hulls at ~65F is 152F.

Douhg in grains and stirred well and temp was 145F!

This makes no sense to me.

Any ideas?

I added 1 gallon of boiling water to get temp up to 152.

Did you properly factor in your grain temp before mash? If room temp was low 60's and calculation was based on 72, you will come in low.

Do you calibrate your thermometer? I have found that my thermometer reads .8 high in boiling distilled water and 1.2 high in distilled ice water. Plotting a linear correction, I plan for my thermometer to read a degree over target in the 150 range. Your thermometer may be off. Calibrate and/or compare against a second thermometer. It could read high at higher temps and low at lower temps. Probably should check

 

[str1p3s]

http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/

This calculator has yet to fail me. I preheat my cooler MT with hottest water from the tap I can get and close the lid and let it sit while the strike water is heating up. Once I add the water and dough in, it has been right on. I've done my last 4 batches this way and they have all been spot on.

 

[Jiffster]

I think the problem may have been with my thermometer. During the boil it read lower than 212 (i.e. 209) and I calibrated it before the brew. I don't trust it so I ordered a Thermopen.

 

[brewcat]

I think the problem may have been with my thermometer. During the boil it read lower than 212 (i.e. 209) and I calibrated it before the brew. I don't trust it so I ordered a Thermopen.

How about freezing water? Elevation does affect boiling temp.

 

[rwh]

Using Beersmith I hit the numbers right on. I haven't changed any of the coefficients in the software. I keep my grains and cooler in the same spot and take the temperature of the grain using a thermapen. I use that temp for the grain and equipment temperature. I like to hit a degree higher and stir the grains to make sure all there are no dry spots. By the time I am done stirring I am usually sitting at my mash temp.

 

[govner1]

I use a bigger keg now for my MLT, but when I was doing 5 gallon batches, I used a 10 gallon round cooler (I still have it and use it occasionally).



I would preheat the cooler by adding my strike water at 180 degrees. Any higher, and the cooler warped a little (oops). Let it cool to my strike temperature, about 11 degrees warmer than my desired mash temperature (usually 164 degrees), and stir in the grain.



The cooler holds mash temperature very well (I lost something like 1 degree per hour) doing it this way.

^^^^This- plus I've added a layer of one inch foam insulation under my cooler MLT. This helps reduce heat loss through the bottom.

 

[FVillatoro]

What works consistently for me is to repeat these steps:

1. I mill my grains the day before and place it inside my 13 gallon mash tun so that the temperatures equalize with the lid closed.

2. With my ThermoWorks thermometer (without stirring the mash/sparge water), I increase the temperature by 2 degrees to whatever the BrewersFriend.com mashing calculator tells me (if 160 I go 162, etc...)

3. The mash water gets dumped into my mashtun for 10 minutes to pre-heat (I pulled out the grains before of course )

4. Dough in and stir well for about 1 minute at least, and I dip the thermometer and I'm always right on - if its a bit hot stirr more till it drops.

 

[Natdavis777]

I brew in a constant 64+ degree garage (all year long). I always heat my strike water up to 170F then transfer to the MLT. I let it sit in the keggle (with the relectix wrap on) for about 5-10 min to allow the walls of the keggle to absorb some heat. From there, I stir down to 162-166 (12 degrees above my desired mash temp) and then dough in... I almost always hit my temp within a degree..


If it were colder out, Id dough in a bit higher. Learn your system and after a few brews, you will know how much of a drop you can expect when doughing in.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Record your numbers the first time and then correct the next time. For me on a normal weather day I need about 13 degrees strike water over my mash temp. Just figure your own number out.

 

[mgortel]

I use Beersmith which has my equipment profile in there.....namely my mash tun.....specific heat and weight are used as factors and I did experiments with my mash tun to calibrate the data in Beersmith.

So in Beersmith you enter grain weight and temperature (stuff thermometer into bag of base malt and see what temp is....usually ambient temp), the temperature of your mash tun has to be entered as well for the specific brew day....I fill it with room temp water and let set for 20 mins then take temp of water....at that point the mash tun is same temp. Then Beersmith will calculate mash water temp based on how much heat the grains and mash tun will "absorb" and it calculates the required temperature of mash water. Dump the water from mash tun before mashing of course!

Puts me right on every time.