Brew In A Bag - Mash Temp Worry

[othevad]

Hey guys.

So. I had never done a brew in a bag and wanted to try to do a small (3 gallon batch) of a really high gravity stout to experiment. So I had all my grain in the bag sitting between 156 and 163ish back and forth for about 35 mins and got it to really stabilize temp wise (or so I thought)
I left the house for about 20 mins, had left the heat on low and came back to my grains mashing at about 195 degrees =/
BAH!
I cranked the heat to boil it since it was close to an hour when i returned and commenced usual procedures from that point forward.

Question : This isn't optimal I know, but is this bad? Anyone wanna drop some knowledge on me (besides telling me not to leave the house with my kettle on the stove lol)

 

[gingerdawg]

Not optimum, but most, if not all of the conversion happens in the first 20 minutes anyway, so, you made beer!

 

[drumnart]

Also, a little heat goes a long ways, make sure you stir while you heat to get the temp even throughout the wort. What style of beer?

 

[Chris7687]

I wouldn't leave the stove on, maybe every once in a while kick it on 1 or 2 (out of 10) and give it a sitr, then back off. I can boil a small pot of pasta sauce on #1 setting on my stove. I mash on my stove for 2.5 gallon BIAB batches, but boil on my burner as some reason it can't get extra 4-5 degrees it needs to boil! Just heat strike water to desired temp, dough in, wrap with towel, leave burner off!

 

[acidrain]

I wouldn't leave the stove on, maybe every once in a while kick it on 1 or 2 (out of 10) and give it a sitr, then back off. I can boil a small pot of pasta sauce on #1 setting on my stove. I mash on my stove for 2.5 gallon BIAB batches, but boil on my burner as some reason it can't get extra 4-5 degrees it needs to boil! Just heat strike water to desired temp, dough in, wrap with towel, leave burner off!

This