Need Help with Strike Temperatures

Hi guys. I was hoping someone could help me make some adjustments in Beersmith so I can start underletting. I can usually hit my mash temps, but in order to do that, I have to pre-heat my MLT (which is a 10 gallon cylindrical cooler) with 2 gallons of water at strike temp, for 10 minutes. I then dump out that water and proceed as normal. Even doing that, I am sometimes under my desired mash temp. So you can see, if I were to underlet with the temps I get from Beersmith, I would be way under on my mash temps. Any advice you guys/gals may have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I had the same issues and decided to do it a different way.  I take the specific heat of my mash tun out of the equation and set it to read zero.  I then put my strike water into my mash tun about 7 degrees F. hotter than what Beersmith tells me my strike temperature is.  It usually settles about 2 or 3 degrees F., above my strike temperature.  I then stir it until the temperature drops to my strike temperature and then I stir in the grains and I'm always dead on my mash temperature.  It takes no more than about a few minutes for it to drop to my strike temperature.

+1 to this method.  You'll learn how much hotter to fill the tun, and then the entire tun is preheated and ready to go.

I have always mashed inside my oven with all the racks out. I simply bring my water that I have treated to strike temperature and dump the grist in and stir. If the temp is where I want it I put the lid on and put it in the oven on warm. Different stoves will vary. I get by with minimal equipment and have always had good results. Of course you need to stir it about every 15 minutes and check the temperature.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I am going to run an experiment the night before I brew next. I think I am going to heat up some strike water. Then run it into my MLT and see what temperature it settles at. That way I'll have a better idea of how many degrees to add to what strike temp Beersmith gives me. Thanks again guys.

BuddhaNole said:

Thanks for the help guys. I think I am going to run an experiment the night before I brew next. I think I am going to heat up some strike water. Then run it into my MLT and see what temperature it settles at. That way I'll have a better idea of how many degrees to add to what strike temp Beersmith gives me. Thanks again guys.

Click to expand...

dont forget the grains will absorb heat too

I've found that the best way to get in the ballpark for strike temps is repeated brewing of a similar grist batches. Document where you start with temps of all items involved as well as final mash temps. Get a feel for what your system does, use BeerSmith to fine tune as close as possible. Then shoot a couple of degrees to the high side and adjust down with ice cubes as necessary.

I find Beersmith's calculations very close on mash temps as long as I weigh all my items in the tun as well as get a good grain temp.  Don't forget your grain raises in temp quite considerably when you crush it.  Check the actual temp of the grain if you can.  I also tend to allow my mash temp to shoot just a little high, maybe 1 extra degree, then add refrigerated water to bring it back down to perfect.  Yes, I'm altering the water chemistry at that point, but the amount I'm adding isn't a big enough change to bother me. 

Bottom line is, if you work on your equipment profile some, those temps should be within more than acceptable limits.