I just brewed a BIAB 2.5 gal batch using the Northern Brewer 7.5 gal pot and strainer bag kit. The beer came out pretty good (stone ipa clone) But I recall having a hard time getting mash temp where I wanted and keeping it there. I think on average it wound up pretty high at 158 and would have been better around 150 152. Anyone else have issue like this ? Maybe would just be better off mashing in a small 5 gal cooler. Could still use the mesh bag instead of false bottom
BIAB mash temp control
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I have just done 2 BIAB batches. On the first I set my strike temp and doughed in and then just covered my pot with an old sleeping bag and a couple of blankets. I think I lost about 4 degrees on that batch. For my second batch I made a jacket for my pot out of left over hot water tank insulation. You can also head to Home Depot and get Reflectix to do the same thing. I used stick on velco strips to secure it around the pot.
My last batch on a 1 hour batch I lost only 2 degrees (the second one in the last 10 minutes). So I target my strike to be 1 degree too high, then it drifts down to the exact target.
I have read that some do BIAG mash in a cooler, but that defeats the purpose of BIAG is to need/clean less vessels.
My last batch on a 1 hour batch I lost only 2 degrees (the second one in the last 10 minutes). So I target my strike to be 1 degree too high, then it drifts down to the exact target.
I have read that some do BIAG mash in a cooler, but that defeats the purpose of BIAG is to need/clean less vessels.
AnchorBock
Well-Known Member
If you heat up your strike water too high and end up at 158 in the kettle after doughing in how do you think a cooler will help? A cooler might maintain your mash temp slightly better than a kettle, but it won't change your initial temp much (it will drop some if you don't preheat the cooler). Are you using some sort of strike temperature calculator? There are several that would work for your purpose, many of which are free.
I do 5 and 2.5 gallon BIAB batches and typically dough in about a degree over my strike temp and check after a half hour usually adding heat as the mash drops about a degree every 15 minutes for me for my 2.5 gallon batches. My 5 gallon batches don't always require heat after 30 mins, they hold their temp better due to the higher water volume I would assume. I cover the kettle with a sleeping bag as well.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
I wrap my mash tun in two blankets and fasten them with bungees. Typically holds the mash temps within about 1 degree in the summer and 3 degrees in the winter.
I got my mash temp instructions wrong. For some reason or other I got 158 in my head.... Then without a blanket or other insulation I had to either fire up the stove or add cold water to keep it above 156-158. I know now I was wrong in the temp target. The main point I guess is temperature control once you have your target temp. And there is't much temp drop in BIAB when you dough in? I guess this is because the water volume is much higher than regular cooler mash method ?
As an aside...my IPA came out pretty good...but the first thing I noticed was that the alcohol content was a tad low. And no, I didn't take an OG reading (another mistake I will not make next time). But reviewing what I did during the brew process, it occurred to me that the mash temp was too high resulting in less fermentable sugars. It's not too far off though... My guitar picking buddy enjoyed my IPA yesterday and that was a great complement. So I'm on to fine tuning the process...
As an aside...my IPA came out pretty good...but the first thing I noticed was that the alcohol content was a tad low. And no, I didn't take an OG reading (another mistake I will not make next time). But reviewing what I did during the brew process, it occurred to me that the mash temp was too high resulting in less fermentable sugars. It's not too far off though... My guitar picking buddy enjoyed my IPA yesterday and that was a great complement. So I'm on to fine tuning the process...
ColbyJack
Well-Known Member
I use a strike temp calculator, dough in, lid on, and slip an old sleeping bag over my keggle. Keeps me within a degree for 90 minutes!
^ Same.
For me, strike temp tends to be 6-7 degrees hotter than my target mash temp (strike water 159 for a 152 mash for example). I don't have an old sleeping bag though so I just tend to take a blanket and wrap it up good.
I do tend to check on it every 15-20 minutes though but mostly just to stir. If I notice I'm hotter than expected I'll leave the kettle open for a few minutes and stir. If I'm cooler than needed I'll kick the propane on for a few minutes on low.
I do PB/PM BIAB in my 5 gallon SS BK/MT. I heat 2 gallons of local spring water to 150F with the paint strainer bag in the kettle on top of a cake cooling rack in the bottom. I stir in 5-6lbs of grains till no dough balls remain & they're evenly wetted. When temp gets up to 152F,I put two pot holders on the inside back of my winter hunting coat. Flip the hood over the lidded kettle,wrap sides around & tie sleeves around that. It has a thinsulate & synthetic down liner that holds temp real well. It actually goes up one degree over the one hour mash. Yes,I know some don't believe it,but I've checked it several times & thermal dynamics def works. The big kettle with steam in the head space seems to be doing it.
Works perfectly for me. I heat 1.5 gallons of sparge water to 165-168F. This gives me 3.5 gallons boil volume to account for 1/2 gallon boil off.
Works perfectly for me. I heat 1.5 gallons of sparge water to 165-168F. This gives me 3.5 gallons boil volume to account for 1/2 gallon boil off.
I don't have the refletix on when the pot is on the stove. I heat to my desired temp, dough in and then remove the pot from the stove and put the refletix wrap on it. it holds the temp well enough that I do not need a heat source. I use a spare piece of refletix as base on the floor and set my wrapped pot on top of it.
What I have is basically the same as refletix. I have a single layer wrapped around the outside and then a double layer on the lid.
It moves only one degree in the first fifty minutes and maybe one more in the last ten minutes of the mash.
It moves only one degree in the first fifty minutes and maybe one more in the last ten minutes of the mash.
mb82
Well-Known Member
Double layer of old moving blankets for me attached with bungie cord.
Perhaps I missed it, but do all y'all have very little headspace in your kettle?
I do BIAB in an 11gal bayou classic, using 7.5 gal of strike water, plus my grainbill (usually around 10-12lbs) and my mash temp drops from 152ish to probably around 147 by the time I finish the mash. I usually have about 2-3" headspace. I dough in, lid on, put an old puffy coat around the kettle, put the sleeves over the top neckhole area, and put an 8lb dumbbell on top.
The last batch I did, I actually fired up the burner for a few seconds to bring the temp back up, right around 20min left in the mash.
I do BIAB in an 11gal bayou classic, using 7.5 gal of strike water, plus my grainbill (usually around 10-12lbs) and my mash temp drops from 152ish to probably around 147 by the time I finish the mash. I usually have about 2-3" headspace. I dough in, lid on, put an old puffy coat around the kettle, put the sleeves over the top neckhole area, and put an 8lb dumbbell on top.
The last batch I did, I actually fired up the burner for a few seconds to bring the temp back up, right around 20min left in the mash.
When I mash 5-6lbs in 2G of water in my 5G kettle,I still have a few inches of head space. It stays full of steam the whole time,wrapped up in my poofy winter hunting coat. It actually gains one degree over the hour mash due to thermal dynamics.
Hmmm,could be how your wrapping it around the kettle? My winter hunting coat has a thinsulate liner with synthetic goose down surrounding that to trap air. I set the coat inside open on the island across from the stove. I put two pot holders down on top of that to set the hot kettle on. I pit the lid on it,then pull the hood over the top & down the side facing me. I then wrap the sides of the coat tightly around that & over each other. Then tie the sleeves around that to hold it all in place.
This & the head space traps heat & steam inside. You have to think of it as trapping the heat,not just insulating it.
^gotcha. I was hoping the 8lb dumbbell on top would do that, but I'm not so sure it's working. I'm actually gonna keep track of my temps better over the next couple brews. Have only done 3 AG brews, and the first one was with an incredibly inaccurate $4 thermometer from eBay, LOL.
Here's my setup:
Here's my setup:
Looking at your picture with the orange coat....
It's outdoors and the underside is still open to the elements (sitting on top of the burner with it shut off). It would seem to me indoors and having the coat surround the entire pot (ie set on a counter top). Would let much less heat escape.
It's outdoors and the underside is still open to the elements (sitting on top of the burner with it shut off). It would seem to me indoors and having the coat surround the entire pot (ie set on a counter top). Would let much less heat escape.
mb82
Well-Known Member
The blankets I use go to the ground so that might be it. With two blankets over my mash pot I lose about 1 deg per hour in 40deg F and 10mph winds.
schockstrap
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I would also eliminate the dumbell on top of the orange coat. It's compressing the insulation and acting as a giant heat sink in the warmest area of your kettle. There's got to be a better way to hold everything in place.
That's why I wrap my BK/MT completely surrounded by the coat.It sits on two pot holders inside as well. Seems to hold the heat better.
Here's a couple more questions....
1) How many degrees above your target 60 minute mash temp, do you dough in at for full-volume BIAB mash? I assume that the grains should be at room temp and not pulled right out of the the refrigerator.\?
2) After you hit your temp to dough-in, and then bundle up your kettle in the blankets, coat, insulation or whatever....do you just leave it there for the entire 60 minutes or do you open the whole thing up to stir it?
That was one of the things I was doing... I sort of followed a Northern Brewer BIAB video where he kept opening the lid to stir every fifteen minutes and if the temp dropped he would fire up the burner and if it got too hot he would add cold water. With this frequent interaction with the mash I found it really difficult to keep it at a constant temp....couple that with uncertainty in the temperature measurement, i have pretty low confidence in the accuracy of what I was doing.
this is the thermometer I used. I manually placed it in different spots when I had the lid open to stir...
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...easuring/large-dial-frothing-thermometer.html
1) How many degrees above your target 60 minute mash temp, do you dough in at for full-volume BIAB mash? I assume that the grains should be at room temp and not pulled right out of the the refrigerator.\?
2) After you hit your temp to dough-in, and then bundle up your kettle in the blankets, coat, insulation or whatever....do you just leave it there for the entire 60 minutes or do you open the whole thing up to stir it?
That was one of the things I was doing... I sort of followed a Northern Brewer BIAB video where he kept opening the lid to stir every fifteen minutes and if the temp dropped he would fire up the burner and if it got too hot he would add cold water. With this frequent interaction with the mash I found it really difficult to keep it at a constant temp....couple that with uncertainty in the temperature measurement, i have pretty low confidence in the accuracy of what I was doing.
this is the thermometer I used. I manually placed it in different spots when I had the lid open to stir...
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...easuring/large-dial-frothing-thermometer.html
That thermometer is ok. But I use a common floating thermometer that fits in the BK/MT while BIAB mashing with the lid completely closed.
I do partial boil/partial mash myself. But the grains are warmed to room temp outta the fridge for a couple hours first. My method of wrapping the BK/Mt works so well,I get the water to 150F to stir the grains in. When it gets to 152F,I wrap it up & don't touch it for the 1 hour mash. This holds the heat in so well,it goes up 1 degree every time.
Well,it's diameter is large enough to read fairly easily. But I view it right before wrapping up,& then after the 1 hour mash. gotta leave it alone to keep the heat in for this method.
For your first question, I always use a strike water calculator. I have an app on my droid called brewzor, but they're all over the internet as well. You can account for grain temp, so fridge grain should be OK, but you'd have to make your strike water a bit hotter to hit mash temps after dough-in. I personally would not use grain from the fridge, just because I'd be scared doughing in with too hot of water could have undesirable results. (In the back of my head, I'm thinking tannins or enzyme denaturing, but have no scientific basis to say it would/wouldn't happen)
I use a wired thermometer so I can put the probe in the pot and put on my lid and insulation and have the digital readout on the outside of the pot. I can monitor the temp and never end up opening the pot during the mash
bfriend54 said:
Actually I had a cheap one that I BBQ with but it just died. There are some good reviews of a few of them on my favourite BBQ ribs site.
http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/thermometer_buying_guide.html
I am thinking about the Maverick 732 but would be interested if anyone else has any recommendations
Chris
I went with the Maverick ET732. There is a couple things I like about it.
1. It has 2 sensors so I can tell if my mash temp is even. (I don't like to remove the lid to stir as I think it just lets out heat)
2. It has the wireless receiver. I mash in in my kitchen and then put my insulated pot in the laundry room and now I will not have to keep walking to the laundry room to check the temp while I prep my fryer and stuff in the garage for the boil.
I have not brewed with it yet but hope to on Sunday and will update how it works out.
1. It has 2 sensors so I can tell if my mash temp is even. (I don't like to remove the lid to stir as I think it just lets out heat)
2. It has the wireless receiver. I mash in in my kitchen and then put my insulated pot in the laundry room and now I will not have to keep walking to the laundry room to check the temp while I prep my fryer and stuff in the garage for the boil.
I have not brewed with it yet but hope to on Sunday and will update how it works out.
I've been having issues getting my BIAB mash temps to stabilize properly.
I've been setting my strike water about 16 deg over my targeted mash temp before I add my grain. What ends up happening is that temp doesn't drop into my target range quickly, so I'm assuming that 16 deg bump is too high.
The grain is at room temp, I use a 15 gall kettle and I'm brewing 5 gal batches.
Without having to resort to ice is there a more standardized equation to follow when setting strike temps for BIAB?
I've been setting my strike water about 16 deg over my targeted mash temp before I add my grain. What ends up happening is that temp doesn't drop into my target range quickly, so I'm assuming that 16 deg bump is too high.
The grain is at room temp, I use a 15 gall kettle and I'm brewing 5 gal batches.
Without having to resort to ice is there a more standardized equation to follow when setting strike temps for BIAB?
Pointyskull said:
16? That seems excessive for sure. Easy enough solution: lower strike temperature.
I heat my strike water up 8 degrees over my target mash temp and am usually just a little hot. Try going down to 10 and work your adjustments from there +/- a degree or so.
And I like to keep some hot water on the stove going while I'm mashing so If I drop too low after grains are added, I can raise the temp up. Ice is a pain and I'm cheap so I'd rather just focus on going up in temp.
Note if you're adding water to your mash that was previously unaccounted for, you're going to need a way to measure your pre-boil volume and post-boil volume (actually you should know this anyway). I like notches on my stirring spoon. Crude but like I said I'm cheap.
BadDeacon
Well-Known Member
I did my first BUAB last weekend had temp trouble. Until I get it stabilized, what about running it out to 90 min to get the sugars out? I am learning and am not sure about this.
Some people do a 90 minute mash, definitely. I've done it once and only noticed a bump in original gravity points. I'm not too worried about extra OG points though as I'm usually on the higher end of my estimated OG. But to answer your question, sure you can do a 90 minute mash. I just stick with 60 though.
happypanties
Well-Known Member
I struggled through my first dozen or so BIAB batches keeping my mash temperature constant, until it dawned on me, turn the burner on low. This works pretty well on my stovetop for 2.5 gallon batches. Not sure how this would work for those of you using propane burners.
Since doing that the last few batches, and keeping the pot covered, my mash temperature stays constant. I just stir it around about every 10-15 min and check it. No need to put a sleeping bag or towel over it or anything.
Since doing that the last few batches, and keeping the pot covered, my mash temperature stays constant. I just stir it around about every 10-15 min and check it. No need to put a sleeping bag or towel over it or anything.
One must realize that it takes a good 5 minutes or so for the grain and strike water to stabilize...often I feel people dough in quickly and check the temp.... Then a minute later it has fallen...patience grasshopper, wait at least 5 minutes for the grain and water to stabilize!!!
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