Mash temp went way down

[nwbrewing32]

So I started with a temp of 153 degrees and after 75 minutes it dropped to 141/142. Any final product worries??

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I wouldn't worry about it, worst case scenario its a little bit dry for the style. Who you knows you might like it.

 

[dmtaylor]

It will turn out wonderful. No worries. If it turns out a little thin, just shorten your mash to 40 minutes next time -- good enough. 75 minutes is unnecessarily long for most beer styles -- won't hurt anything too badly but really won't help anything either unless you wanted it to ferment dry.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Well I did BIAB in a megapot, had 8lbs of malt to 6.5 gallons of water. I figured I'd lose a few but not more than 10 degrees. Maybe I should be splitting it up and do a thick mash in my cooler and sparse the remaining. Or could I insulate the megapot with something?

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Id think about insulating and not splitting it up personally. Or...what I do sometimes I just add a little heat halfway through and you don't have to do anything extra to your setup or process... Its a mega pot so im assuming its SS not a cooler so you should be fine.

 

[nwbrewing32]

It is stainless steel. Just want to try and maintain temp more

 

[nwbrewing32]

What would you insulate with? Reflective?

 

[casualbrewer]

Biab tends to lose heat quickly unless insulated. This is why I do a continual mash and mash at "Target temp" much shorter. For an idea I mash in about 120 degrees and bring it up to my mash temp usually about 150. I then let it sit about 45 minutes making sure to keep temps consistent. Then I mashout at around 165 degrees..

 

[RedlegEd]

@nwbrewing32. You didn't say if you are using a propane burner, electric, stovetop, etc. Even with a fairly large thermal mass of 6.5 gallons, stainless steel pots will lose some of the mashing temperature due to cooling. As long as your heat source is turned off, you can insulate the kettle with a blanket, jacket, sleeping bag, old towels (or whatever SWMBO allows.) You should not expect more than 1-2*F per hour if properly insulated and covered (I stir every 15-20 minutes to equalize the temp throughout the mash.) I also use Reflectix b/c I have an electric kettle, with no worries about external heat causing damage, and it helps the boil. Ultimately, what TexasDroughtBrewery and dmtaylor said holds true, it might not turn out exactly as planned...it'll still be beer, and it'll still be yours, and it'll still be good!

 

[nwbrewing32]

It is on a propane burner but I could just take off the reflective insulation

 

[RedlegEd]

I think the trick is to insulate it well after you have reached your mash-in temp. I was only worried about the potential fire danger of applying direct heat to whatever insulation you might put on the kettle. My first kettle was a turkey fryer pot that I slipped into a Reflectix "sleeve" once it hit the right temp. I never put heat (flame) on it while it was in the sleeve.

 

[slym2none]

I wrap up my thin-walled SS pot in an old mattress pad. I think I lost 3 degrees over 75 minutes last time.

 

[RedlegEd]

+1 to what slym2none said, or better yet, steal SWMBO's yoga mat and bungee it onto your BIAB kettle. That'll hold the temp in!

 

[Kerrbrewer]

I use a child's 0° sleeping bag that my son outgrew. Works great on my 13gal kettle!

 

[carloscede2]

I just put my pot in the oven, holds the temperatjre for the whole hour and sometimes raises the temp of the mash to 1 more degree

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I guess it has to do with our Texas weather I use SS megapots and I typically don't lose more than 1-3 degrees of the mash temp if I keep it covered. Sometimes during our mild winters I might hit it with a quick blast in the middle of the mash and it stays pretty good. But apparently a lot of ppl insulate so pick your poison!

 

[PADave]

I insulate with an old winter coat, keeping an eye one the temp throughout the mash. I usually remove the coat and hit it with some heat halfway through.