BBL_Brewer
Well-Known Member
My apologies up front for such a long post.
So, I've been rethinking my mashing methods here lately. I typically brew 30 gallon batches. That's a lot of water and grist that needs to get mixed and it takes some time to get the temp stabilized. What I've been doing is basically a two step mash. For the first step, I shoot for 131F and then quickly do an infusion to jump up to conversion temp. I use my BK and HLT to heat water at the same time. I don't rest at 131 for very long. It's basically just a safety measure to ensure that I don't destroy enzymes while I'm getting the temperature even throughout the mash tun. It takes about 10-15 minutes of mixing and recirculation to accomplish this and I'm afraid that if I do a single infusion that the enzymes in the hot spots will get denatured before I can get things evened out. I've also been loosing heat during this process, so I've been overshooting my mash temp a little to compensate. About half to two thirds of the mash ends up at about 157-160F and cools over the course of mixing and recirculating to whatever I want my rest temp to be. Usually 150-154 somewhere. I've been pumping my water onto the top of the grain bed and then mixing/recirculating. But, I can't mix and recirculate at the same time because I'll clog the manifold and stick the mash. So I have to alternate. I don't know why I never thought of it, but I'm thinking that it would be better to pump my water through the drain port into the bottom of the grain bed. At least for the infusion anyway. Since heat rises, I'm thinking that I could stabilize temps faster this way and reduce the extra heat I've been adding since I won't lose as much in the process. It would also allow me to stir like a mad man while I'm actively pumping water since grain will not be able impact the manifold as water rushes in. I might even be able to eliminate the recirculation step altogether.
I've thought about going RIMS, but I'm still trying to avoid it. My MLT is well insulated and I have no trouble holding temps. My problem lies in quickly and efficiently achieving stable temps throughout the mash without destroying enzymes.
For those of you who mash 20 gallon batches or larger without a RIMS or HERMS, what are your methods and how have they been working for you? Are you doing a single infusion or a step up?
So, I've been rethinking my mashing methods here lately. I typically brew 30 gallon batches. That's a lot of water and grist that needs to get mixed and it takes some time to get the temp stabilized. What I've been doing is basically a two step mash. For the first step, I shoot for 131F and then quickly do an infusion to jump up to conversion temp. I use my BK and HLT to heat water at the same time. I don't rest at 131 for very long. It's basically just a safety measure to ensure that I don't destroy enzymes while I'm getting the temperature even throughout the mash tun. It takes about 10-15 minutes of mixing and recirculation to accomplish this and I'm afraid that if I do a single infusion that the enzymes in the hot spots will get denatured before I can get things evened out. I've also been loosing heat during this process, so I've been overshooting my mash temp a little to compensate. About half to two thirds of the mash ends up at about 157-160F and cools over the course of mixing and recirculating to whatever I want my rest temp to be. Usually 150-154 somewhere. I've been pumping my water onto the top of the grain bed and then mixing/recirculating. But, I can't mix and recirculate at the same time because I'll clog the manifold and stick the mash. So I have to alternate. I don't know why I never thought of it, but I'm thinking that it would be better to pump my water through the drain port into the bottom of the grain bed. At least for the infusion anyway. Since heat rises, I'm thinking that I could stabilize temps faster this way and reduce the extra heat I've been adding since I won't lose as much in the process. It would also allow me to stir like a mad man while I'm actively pumping water since grain will not be able impact the manifold as water rushes in. I might even be able to eliminate the recirculation step altogether.
I've thought about going RIMS, but I'm still trying to avoid it. My MLT is well insulated and I have no trouble holding temps. My problem lies in quickly and efficiently achieving stable temps throughout the mash without destroying enzymes.
For those of you who mash 20 gallon batches or larger without a RIMS or HERMS, what are your methods and how have they been working for you? Are you doing a single infusion or a step up?
