Salt additions: do y'all add your salts to the entirety of your brew water and then bring to temp and mash as normal or can I add everything into the mash grains directly and then add water and let it do it's thing? I've been combining all my water, heating and adding salts then separate out the water for what I need for mash and sparge
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Last: 5 mo ago by Chipotlemonger
I add everything to the strike water.
I calc what I need for 12 gallons and add it all to the MT.
Hi, I was wondering if you could share all of your tried and true techniques for hitting your mash temp.
I use a 52 qt rectangular Coleman Xtreme cooler for a mash tun. I have only done 5 gallon batches in it.
I thought I had solved my mash temp woes by following the advice below. But my last brew day I spent 2 hours chasing my mash temp and never fully hit it.
[url=https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/can-my-cooler-be-more-temp-efficient.82707/][/url]
What I did different this last brew day, is that after put my strike water in the tun, I elevated the tun on a metal wire shelf to get ready for the next step in the process. I'm thinking that the heat dissipated from the bottom of the cooler quickly because of the wire shelf (not a solid base) it was on. Past brew days, I have kept the mash tun on the ground.
Does this sound plausible?
Thanks for any feedback or tips.
I use a 52 qt rectangular Coleman Xtreme cooler for a mash tun. I have only done 5 gallon batches in it.
I thought I had solved my mash temp woes by following the advice below. But my last brew day I spent 2 hours chasing my mash temp and never fully hit it.
[url=https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/can-my-cooler-be-more-temp-efficient.82707/][/url]
Quote:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/can-my-cooler-be-more-temp-efficient.82707/
You mentioned that you don't preheat but that is one the best things you can do to help maintain your temperatures during the mash. The reason is because your cooler will sap heat away from the mash as will the grains. If you preheat the tun, less heat will be sapped by the cooler during the mash and you will be better able to maintain your mash temps. I preheat my mash tun (52 quart cooler) by heating my mash water twenty degrees above my mash temp and adding it to my cooler and closing the lid. I let it sit with just the water inside for ten minutes and check the temp. By then, the water should be just a little over my strike temp and I then stir it while checking my temps until it reads my strike temp then I add my grains to the water and mix them in being careful to break up any doughballs that might form. After this, I close it up and mash away. Doing this, I lose only a single degree over the course of my mash.
What I did different this last brew day, is that after put my strike water in the tun, I elevated the tun on a metal wire shelf to get ready for the next step in the process. I'm thinking that the heat dissipated from the bottom of the cooler quickly because of the wire shelf (not a solid base) it was on. Past brew days, I have kept the mash tun on the ground.
Does this sound plausible?
Thanks for any feedback or tips.
I use this to get first estimate of what temp the strike water should be. https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/ I also know that for my equipment (pump + hoses from kettle to mashtun) I lose about 3F. My cooler only loses about 2F during a 60 minute mash, provided I only stir every ~10 minutes.
I don't preheat mashtun. I usually run all but 1-1.5 gallons of the strike water from the kettle into the mashtun, stir vigorously, give it a few minutes come to temp, and then take a measurement. If it's high, I swap that last gallon of strike water for a jug I keep in the fridge; similarly, if it's low, I superheat that last gallon and add it boiling.
Just don't do like my brew on Monday and use a broken thermometer... It said my strike water temp was 162F, so I ran it into the tun. When checking with an infrared gun, it said the temp was 132F..... Well ****, my $6 thermometer is broken. Ended up adding 3 whole extra gallons of boiling strike water to get to 151F. Made the efficiency suck too.
Side note: Any recommendations for a mashtun thermometer? Preferably something on a cord so that I can keep it outside the tun, and that's calibrate-able?
I don't preheat mashtun. I usually run all but 1-1.5 gallons of the strike water from the kettle into the mashtun, stir vigorously, give it a few minutes come to temp, and then take a measurement. If it's high, I swap that last gallon of strike water for a jug I keep in the fridge; similarly, if it's low, I superheat that last gallon and add it boiling.
Just don't do like my brew on Monday and use a broken thermometer... It said my strike water temp was 162F, so I ran it into the tun. When checking with an infrared gun, it said the temp was 132F..... Well ****, my $6 thermometer is broken. Ended up adding 3 whole extra gallons of boiling strike water to get to 151F. Made the efficiency suck too.
Side note: Any recommendations for a mashtun thermometer? Preferably something on a cord so that I can keep it outside the tun, and that's calibrate-able?
My current rig is a HERM system, so that isn't much help, but I started with a coleman cooler. I never preheated it, and never had a problem hitting temps, so long as strike water temp is calculated accordingly. Try getting your strike water another degree or few hotter.. it's easy to cool it down (add cold water, or just leave lid open a bit)
I use an old wireless meat thermometer I got as a present a few years ago. Has the probe with a wire that I can set outside with the transmitter and have the wireless deal. Probably an expensive solution but works great. Double check with an IR thermometer.
I preheat with 120 degree water from the tap, let that sit for a bit while I get my strike water up to 4 degrees above temp. Drain the water, add the grains, then add strike water and stir. Usually holds temp within 1-2 degrees over the mash, granted my efficiency has been way down so I'm about to do a 90 mash next time and see if that helps. Should hold temp though. You could always take some of the wort and heat it a bit if you need to raise it up, just don't get it too hot
I preheat with 120 degree water from the tap, let that sit for a bit while I get my strike water up to 4 degrees above temp. Drain the water, add the grains, then add strike water and stir. Usually holds temp within 1-2 degrees over the mash, granted my efficiency has been way down so I'm about to do a 90 mash next time and see if that helps. Should hold temp though. You could always take some of the wort and heat it a bit if you need to raise it up, just don't get it too hot
basically what a herms or rims is. Why the too hot warning? Assuming you're heating only a tiny percentage of wort compared to your mash, there is nothing to worry about. I've boiled some of my wort and thrown it back in the mash, for the caramelization characteristics.Seven said:
You could always take some of the wort and heat it a bit if you need to raise it up, just don't get it too hot
When my recirc pump kicks on, the mash coming out is like 170.
Before you just go to a 90 minute mash, seriously start testing for conversion.
Just thinking about killing enzymes but I guess you're right it's only a small portion
That's also on my to do for this next batch
Is he just demonstrating black vs. yellow? As I was watching I starting thinking, ok, this is a lot of work.. For an actual test, you'd just splash a bit of your mash liquid on a plate and drop iodine in it?Ornlu said:
Before you just go to a 90 minute mash, seriously start testing for conversion.
Is it all or none; ie, is there a blackish-yellow? Or is yellow only after 100% conversion takes place?
I just use a spoon to get a 2-3 drops of mash liquid (no grain, only liquid) and then put a drop of iodine into it. It's a pretty stark color change. Usually minutes 1-20 I get dark black, 20-30 it's a deep purple, and then in the 30-50 minute range it's a purple that may change back to yellow after a few seconds. If it never turns purple, you're good to go.
Only time I've NEEDED more than 50 minutes to get conversion is if the grain bill has lots of unmalted wheat or oats.
Only time I've NEEDED more than 50 minutes to get conversion is if the grain bill has lots of unmalted wheat or oats.
What if the wort is super dark? My kolsch was jet black
You can still see it. 3 drops spread on a plate will make even the darkest liquid look clear(ish). Every quad, porter, or stout I've seen is see-through when its that thin. 3 drops of motor oil is a light brown. Hell, even 3 drops of red dye #40 (intense pigment) is still light pink.
So my wife picked 10lbs of tree ripened apricots the other day and I'm thinking this would be a great excuse to get into making meads/melomels. Does anyone have good info on how I would go about creating my own recipe to use the apricots?
Where do you live? Walk into any homebrew supply store & ask this question. They'll get you outfitted with the right basic equipment (7 gallon ale pale, bottles, a capper, some sanitizer, etc.) but be prepared to drop around $75. All homebrew stores have books of prefab recipes too.
Don't think of homebrewing as a money saving technique (it's not) but rather as a culinary adventure.
Don't think of homebrewing as a money saving technique (it's not) but rather as a culinary adventure.
I've been home brewing for awhile, so I have all the equipment needed. Looking more for guidelines on creating a mead/melomel recipe. I know you typically stick to 3#/gal for fruit, but it seems like everyone is different when it comes to amount of honey per gallon.
If I wanted to add fruit preserves to a beer does it have to be the special ones made for brewing and wine or would any work?
They need to be preservative free. No potassium sorbate, aluminium dioxide, ascetic acid, etc. Even just a little of that stuff will kill your yeast.
If the ingredients just say fruit and sugar, your good to go.
If the ingredients just say fruit and sugar, your good to go.
Just sampled my second batch of the blonde ale. First batch was good but this is way better, even though I had poor conversion (abv ended up on point though which is odd but I'll take it) I started with RO water and changed the profile a bit from last time, wow what a difference. Taking it to a customer event tomorrow night
Going to brew an IPA Saturday probably
Going to brew an IPA Saturday probably
Setup the kegwasher last night. 5 five gal and 3 ten gallons kegs, 15mins each...so clean. Also easy to diy build. If you keg a lot it's such a huge time saver. Especially in the TX heat.
Pics or good walk through available?
Also, are there places around Austin to take a corny keg and get it filled with beer? Is this legal in Texas, or do you have to pay to take their kegs? Just wondering.
Thanks.
Thanks.
I don't think any brewery does that. However, any liquor store that sells 5-gallon kegs of good stuff (WhichCraft, Total Wine, Specs) will accept the old shell as deposit on a new one. Trade it in for a full keg of whatever you want.
But will they take a corny style keg is more of what I am wondering
I followed these builds:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/diy-carboy-keg-cleaner.300441/
https://quaff.org/build-a-corny-kegwasher-for-80/
It's 6 years old so who knows if that same pump is still available. The downside is a single himer bucket isn't tall enough, so I cut the bottom off a 2nd, stacked them and then used a bunch of silicone to seal them together.
Some of it you have to figure out in the store depending in the pump as to what size PVC you need to get. I also use silicone tubing for the post connections as it doesn't crimp when hot.
There may be better builds on homebrewtalk.com in the DIY section. Ive had mine for years with no issues.
You can also swear copper to make it a carboy cleaner, but PVC is too fat to use and won't allow the carboy to drain as fast as it's being filled...might be ok for better bottles though.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/diy-carboy-keg-cleaner.300441/
https://quaff.org/build-a-corny-kegwasher-for-80/
It's 6 years old so who knows if that same pump is still available. The downside is a single himer bucket isn't tall enough, so I cut the bottom off a 2nd, stacked them and then used a bunch of silicone to seal them together.
Some of it you have to figure out in the store depending in the pump as to what size PVC you need to get. I also use silicone tubing for the post connections as it doesn't crimp when hot.
There may be better builds on homebrewtalk.com in the DIY section. Ive had mine for years with no issues.
You can also swear copper to make it a carboy cleaner, but PVC is too fat to use and won't allow the carboy to drain as fast as it's being filled...might be ok for better bottles though.
Specs in CS has taken my corny keg before.
Why do you need them to take it?Chipotlemonger said:
But will they take a corny style keg is more of what I am wondering
Just pay deposit, and get deposit back when you return their shell.
If anyone uses it, Beersmith 3 was released for NHC. Major upgrades for wine/cider and new tools for Whirlpool hop additions based on time and temp per hop and it'll calc IBU.
If you bought v2 within a year it's a free upgrade or if you pay for an annual upgrade it's free.
If you bought v2 within a year it's a free upgrade or if you pay for an annual upgrade it's free.
Figured out my issue. I don't think my mash temp was high enough. My thermometer was showing the right temp so I decided to use two other thermometers. One in a different spot in the mash and another taking samples coming off the bottom thru the drain. There was a 10 degree difference. So I would pull off 1-2 quarts, heat and add back in and kept repeating until I was getting a consistent temp of 152. Took about 30 minutes and 5-6 rounds. Once that was done using an iodine test I had complete conversation in 15 minutes. Finished out the hour mash and pre boil gravity estimated 76% conversation efficiency. Now I need to dial in my water because I over shot by almost a gallon.
Using the spread sheet someone gave me on here it called for 8.8 gallons of water. 3.5 for mash and 5.5 for sparge. Ended up with 7.5 in the kettle for a 5.25 target batch. Going to boil for 45 minutes before I start the hops and the 60 minute timer
Grain bill was 9 pounds 2 row and 1 pound carmal 40. Any ideas on how I should adjust it? My rough numbers says .7 gallons over
Using the spread sheet someone gave me on here it called for 8.8 gallons of water. 3.5 for mash and 5.5 for sparge. Ended up with 7.5 in the kettle for a 5.25 target batch. Going to boil for 45 minutes before I start the hops and the 60 minute timer
Grain bill was 9 pounds 2 row and 1 pound carmal 40. Any ideas on how I should adjust it? My rough numbers says .7 gallons over
Here's the problem, your mash is converting the entire time starting when water hits it, not just when you reach ideal temp. So if it takes 30mins to hit idea mash temp...you've been converting the entire time at a temp much less ideal than your target.
Food for thought. If your off by 10 degrees just start with water 10 degrees hotter for a single infusion mash.
Food for thought. If your off by 10 degrees just start with water 10 degrees hotter for a single infusion mash.
Ya I knew it had been converting some. So I guess it was done in 45 minutes so I did an hour and 3/4 mash. Still think it turned out fine. Next time I think I'll add my mash water first, make sure it's at temp then add my grain. Not sure if that's the best way to do it or just over shoot by 10-15 then add like I have been. Over all brew house ended up at 70%. I boiled too long and ended up with 5 gallons instead of 5.25. After dry hop will have 4.75 in the tank which is fine. Expected OG was on the money though so I'm happy with that. Played with my equipment profile on brewers friend and got my needed water where I think it should be. Just going to need to tweak it.
Yeah, it can be a lot of trial and error as you dial things in. You'll learn your system and then be good to go.
Soaked a used wort chiller in a warm PBW mix for a bit yesterday. Cleaned off most the small tarnish, but it exposed some of the more major trouble spots.
How to proceed:
1. Soak in a stronger, hotter, PBW solution for a longer time (I have never used PBW and was unsure how powerful it was going to be, could definitely increase how much I used)
2. Soak in a hot vinegar solution
3. Tough luck, get a new chiller. Not worth it to remove all the trouble spots (some other spots like this one in the pic and some green)
All in all, what has worked best for y'all in reconditioning chillers?
How to proceed:
1. Soak in a stronger, hotter, PBW solution for a longer time (I have never used PBW and was unsure how powerful it was going to be, could definitely increase how much I used)
2. Soak in a hot vinegar solution
3. Tough luck, get a new chiller. Not worth it to remove all the trouble spots (some other spots like this one in the pic and some green)
All in all, what has worked best for y'all in reconditioning chillers?
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