Problems with strike temps

[cxp073]

I use a 10 gallon igloo cooler for a mash tun. When beersmith 2 provides me with a strike water temp, should that be the temperature of the water that is INSIDE the mash tun prior to the addition of grains, or does beersmith's strike water temp take into account heat loss during transfer?

Essentially, I want to minimise all variables. To me, the easiest way is to add water to the tun at X temperature, let it even out to Y temperature ('strike temp'), and then add grains, resulting in my rest temperature.

How can I ensure that beersmith 2 is set up to accommodate my procedure noted above?

Happy holidays!

 

[Yooper]

It is for the temperature of the water adding to the grains.

What I do is preheat the cooler with 180 degree water, and let it drop to strike temps. It happens FAST- the cooler absorbs a ton of heat, but then holds it very well.

So, say my strike temperature is 164 for my mash temp of 152. I'd add 180 degree water (boiling water will warp the cooler, but 180 is ok, from my experience) and let it sit for a few minutes. It'll cool really fast to 168 or so, and then I'll give a total of about 10 more minutes and it's right at 164. You may need to experiment with that a little, as if your cooler is outside, it will suck more heat than mine (stored in the basement).

Once you figure out how much temperature you'll lose, you will hit your mash temp every time. It just takes a bit of practice.

You can set Beersmith up to account for this, but you really can't add water over 180 degrees to your cooler so it didn't work for me.

 

[spark_plug]

Usually your strike temp is 11-12 degrees higher than your mash temps. You should always pre heat you mash tun before hand with a gallon of hot water so heat loss isn't so bad. If you are shooting for 155F, make your strike 167 to make up for the heat loss when you add your grains. Everybody has a bit different setup, but one you know what your loss is, you should be able to hit your target mash temp every time.

 

[davehenry]

When I first started brewing I had similar problems. Missing my mash temp by about two degrees. At first I just heated my strike water a little hotter than beer smith suggested. Later I realized that beersmith also takes into account the grain temperature and is preset at 22 Celsius. Now I measure my grain temperature(usually 17-18 Celsius) and change that in my mash settings on brew day and hit my mash temp dead on.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yooper's method is really good, let the temp drop until it's there.

Don't forget to add a couple degrees to your calculated strike temp. None of the calculators (I use 365) take into account the heat loss when mashing in, the stirring for 2 minutes while the lid is off. I add 4°F and come out spot on when I close the lid. Cover the mash with a layer of aluminum foil, it really helps.

 

[cxp073]

Thanks everyone - yooper, your approach is similar to what I want to do. If I do it this way, do I need to change the thermal mass to 0, because presumably nothing should be lost to the equipment (only temp loss attributable to the grain addition) - right?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks everyone - yooper, your approach is similar to what I want to do. If I do it this way, do I need to change the thermal mass to 0, because presumably nothing should be lost to the equipment (only temp loss attributable to the grain addition) - right?

No, there seems to still be more of a drop than setting it to 0. But if you set your grain to 65 degrees, it seems to come out ok. I'm not sure you can still do that in Beersmith 2.1 (or whatever version you have), though.

 

[Bobby_M]

How about unchecking the "adjust temp for equipment" so it only takes the grain temp into account.