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I did an ElDorado pale ale last year with El Dorado hops from the Homebrew Company and it was really good....definitely tropical fruits rather than citrus so mellow but really good.
 
Made time, Todays Brew is an Irish Red Ale,
ive added second element to my peco boiler as a found it took an age to heat up, first time ive used it since, i asked the wife to flick it on when she came down to make the tea,
and i was suprised to see it boiling by time i came down to join her, really pleased, should reduce the waiting around time,:lol:
 
so today im learning, heat differences, :(
after an hour the middle of my mash was still 67°c the outside area was 57°c thats a huge difference,
and then heat loss through pouring water.
i had liqour @ 80° im hlt,then drained it via the tap into a bucket for ease of transfer, checked the bucket temp,70°
i expected some heat loss but not that much for 15ltrs.
every days a school day :-?
 
oh, and lovely new shiny stirrer from santa, brilliant :thumb:,,,just dont hold the bottom of it when you finished doughing in :nono:
 
and then heat loss through pouring water.
i had liqour @ 80° im hlt,then drained it via the tap into a bucket for ease of transfer, checked the bucket temp,70°
i expected some heat loss but not that much for 15ltrs.
every days a school day :-?
Did you definitely measure the temperature at the level that the tap is (rather than much higher up, closer to the surface)? I did the same thing on my first brew this weekend (and being so green, probably shouldn't be offering advice), measured the temp as far as my small thermometer would reach, said 78, by the time I had mashed in I was at 61. Later remembered that heat rises and bought a longer thermometer!
 
after an hour the middle of my mash was still 67°c the outside area was 57°c thats a huge difference,

i expected some heat loss but not that much for 15ltrs.
every days a school day :-?

What type of mash tun do you use??...I've got a colemans cool box tun and only lose a degree at the sides...did lose a couple of degrees at the top until I filled the lid with vermiculite.
 
If you are using the Peco boiler to mash in then you will need to insulate it. I've got old camping roll mats around my boiler. People use towels, sleeping bags, winter coats anything to keep the heat in. It's also worth stirring the mash a couple of times during the hour to even out any temperature differentials.

10°C difference does sound like a lot to me. Where you brewing somewhere very cold?
 
Did you definitely measure the temperature at the level that the tap is (rather than much higher up, closer to the surface)? I did the same thing on my first brew this weekend (and being so green, probably shouldn't be offering advice), measured the temp as far as my small thermometer would reach, said 78, by the time I had mashed in I was at 61. Later remembered that heat rises and bought a longer thermometer!

All advice is useful.
10C is still a huge amount.
 
What type of mash tun do you use??...I've got a colemans cool box tun and only lose a degree at the sides...did lose a couple of degrees at the top until I filled the lid with vermiculite.

Mine's a thermos. But there is gap where the lid meets. So heat escapes.
 
If you are using the Peco boiler to mash in then you will need to insulate it. I've got old camping roll mats around my boiler. People use towels, sleeping bags, winter coats anything to keep the heat in. It's also worth stirring the mash a couple of times during the hour to even out any temperature differentials.

10°C difference does sound like a lot to me. Where you brewing somewhere very cold?
using a converted cool box.
 
using a converted cool box.

That seems like a huge temperature drop for a cool box. Do you warm it first to reduce the cooling when you dough in? Also how well insulated is the actual cool box. Some of the cheap ones just rely on an air gap, others have proper insulation and should stop that kind of temperature drop.
 
That seems like a huge temperature drop for a cool box. Do you warm it first to reduce the cooling when you dough in? Also how well insulated is the actual cool box. Some of the cheap ones just rely on an air gap, others have proper insulation and should stop that kind of temperature drop.

i thought that too, its a thermos one, one piece polystyrene tub,
yes i warm it first,
 
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