target mash temp

I have been having a lot of trouble reaching my target mash temps. I use a square 40-45 qt square ice chest as a mash tun. It seems like no matter how high put my strike temp (I stay below 189 bc I heard that will extract tannins when it comes in contact w the grain), I cannot get over 150(150 is high, I normally hit somewhere around 145-148). What can I do differently to hit my temps? Thanks

(180, not 189)

pre heat your cooler. Throw in a gallon or so of 180 water and let it sit to heat up while you prepare your mash water.

That should prevent a significant amount of heat loss from your initial water addition.

Take your grains out of the freezer a couple days before you brew. Hot water and cold grains will make a frustrating day as you can't get your mash temp right.

Thanks guys, but I have tried those things. I wonder if I am losing too much initial heat by gradually doughing in my grain and water, as John Palmer instructs. This process takes a few minutes and involves plenty of stirring which probably helps heat escape, then because I already have 3.5 gals of water or so in there, I think any additional water I add to bring up the temp is just not enought to raise the overall temp (no matter what temperature the additional water is--I have actually gotten frustrated and added nearly a gallon of boiling water and the temp only raise from 145-148). Does anyone simply add all the mash water and then just dump all the grain at once and then just give it a quick stir, take the temp n shut the lid? Does this work? Would this help with heat loss or is gradually doughing in crucial? Finally, do you think my theory on the gradual doughing in as the cause of heat loss is accurate? I really can't think of anything else. I have tried several different calculators for figuring strike temp (taking into account grain weight and temp, etc) and they are nowhere close to getting me up to target mash. Advice? Thanks.

I use this calculator and always hit within 1 degree of the temp I want.

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

I pre-heat my mash tun with about a gallon of near boiling water while the strike water is heating up. Plenty of time to get the tun warm. Then pour out the water, add my strike water, slowly stir in the grain, making sure it is well mixed. Take the temp, which is almost always right on. Close it up.

A couple other simple ideas that you may already utilize... If your floor is cold (like a garage floor in the winter) put something between the floor and your MT. Use blankets to help insulate your tun during the mash. Don't over-expose your mash to cold air - i.e., stir as you feel necessary, but keep the lid on tight otherwise.

The other ideas already posted are excellent. The preheat in particular. Just make sure you dump that water before you begin.

Are you using the same thermometer to measure strike water as you are to measure mash temp? If not, are they calibrated the same?

nolabrew85 said:

Does anyone simply add all the mash water and then just dump all the grain at once and then just give it a quick stir, take the temp n shut the lid? Does this work? Would this help with heat loss or is gradually doughing in crucial? Finally, do you think my theory on the gradual doughing in as the cause of heat loss is accurate?

Click to expand...

Your theory about heat loss is likely part of the issue, but its important to make sure all your grain is wet. Dough balls will impact your efficiency, so not stirring thoroughly isn't a terribly good idea IHMO. Of course, that doesn't mean you need to stir or add your grain slowly... My $0.02.

I use the calculations on BrewSmith and always hit my mash temp dead on. I used to go through quite a ritual with heating the mash tun and all sorts of other things, but I have simplified. I enter the temperature of my grain into BrewSmith, but tell it not to adjust for the temperature of my equipment (it is a check box) so it doesn't matter if I heat it or not. I also have it set not to adjust water volume for tun deadspace, since using a braided bazooka screen has no appreciable deadspace. I then heat my strike water to about five degrees above my temperature (my target mash in temperature, not the target mash temperature). I then stir the water with my paddle to speed cooling and wait for it to drop to my mash in temperature--usually about five to ten minutes. Once I hit that temperature I dough in and stir the grains in. Once the grains are well mixed, I cover and let sit for two minutes. At that point I check the temperature. Since I have started doing this I have never had to make water additions to pull down or push up my temperatures.

I also have a calibrated thermometer, which is the first thing someone missing mash temps should check.

It's the same therm.

nolabrew85 said:

I have been having a lot of trouble reaching my target mash temps. I use a square 40-45 qt square ice chest as a mash tun.

Click to expand...

Looking at the size of your cooler, are you doing 10 gallon batches or no?

I am doing 5 gallon batches. I jauat used a cooler I already had.

Here's what I do: using a 54 qt Coleman extreme, I'll preheat the cooler with the entire volume of strike water 10-12 degrees higher than my dough in temp. Run down to the basement & mill my grains. Check the temp, stir if too high, then dough in. You don't want to wait too long to dough in, as the thermal mass of water is much less than that if a mash. I also will dough in a degree or two high & stir to equalize, if it seems to be taking too long. Hit my temp every time & only lose 1/2 to 1 degree in an hour.

logdrum said:

Here's what I do: using a 54 qt Coleman extreme, I'll preheat the cooler with the entire volume of strike water 10-12 degrees higher than my dough in temp. Run down to the basement & mill my grains. Check the temp, stir if too high, then dough in. You don't want to wait too long to dough in, as the thermal mass of water is much less than that if a mash. I also will dough in a degree or two high & stir to equalize, if it seems to be taking too long. Hit my temp every time & only lose 1/2 to 1 degree in an hour.

Click to expand...

This is with either 5 or 10 gal batches.

Thanks logdrum, will try

Dudes, nailed the mash temp on first try tonight thanks to yalls help! Thanks!