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Mash / Lautering Techniques

bfred805

Apprentice
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
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Location
California
Hello,

I have recently been trying to fine tune my All Grain system. I have slowly put together the pieces and now have a setup with the following tools:

- (MASH TUN) 10 Gallon Rubbermaid Orange Cooler with false bottom
- (HOT LIQUOR TANK) 10 Gallon Rubbermaid Orange Cooler
- Basic 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Pot for heating water
- (BOIL) 8 Gallon Stainless Steel Kettle

Currently, my technique is to heat just enough water in the basic 5 gal. stainless pot for the mash to the desired temp. I usually aim for about 15 deg. higher than my target temperature to accommodate for loss during transfer. Then, in the basic 5 gal. pot I will heat small amounts of water incrementally until the entire pot is boiling. I poor that water into the (Hot Liquor Tank) 10 Gallon Rubbermaid Orange Cooler. By the time this is ready, I am ready to step my mash up from a protein rest or B-amylase rest.

I use a 1.5:1 (water (qt):grain (lb)) ratio for the mash. When introducing a stepped mash to my process, I'm uncertain if this still holds true. Should I be starting the early steps of my mash with the 1.5:1 ratio and just adding more water as I step up? Is having too much water in the mash tun going to negatively impact my beer? Or should I use less water in the early steps (maybe a 1:1 ratio) so that my infusion mash (154 degrees) is stepped up to reach the desired ratio of 1.5:1? Maybe the answer lies in decoction mashing, but I would like to manage my brew day and not let time slip away.

I would appreciate any tips or recommended methods from the audience which utilizes a similar system either past or present. I have experienced an extreme inefficiency in my Mash where I continue to miss target temps by as much as 15 degrees, even when infusing boiling water. Inevitably I end up filling the entire Mash Tun trying to reach my target temperature. I would prefer to stick with a gravity fed system as it is much more economical and I know great beer can be made with it. I would just like to hear some tips on how to make my current system most efficient.

Thanks!
 
Do you have the weight and Specific heat set in the profile?

Do you have adjust temp for equipment checked in the recipe?

Perhaps exporting a recipe and posting it here would be helpful.

You could start lower ratio. I would try skipping the protein rest if you haven't already. Too much water won't hurt all that much. Decoction mash sounds like a great way to step mash.
 
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