preheating mash tun

[robsan77]

Just wondering if I can improve my brew day and thought about asking how everyone else goes about preheating there mash tuns?

i have a 25litre mash tun and I normally just fill the kettle (tea kettle) and add the boiled water and leave for 10 mins but I have no way of knowing if that does the job. I usually lose a couple of degrees over a mash but I am confident that my mash tun is well insulated.

what would you do?

 

[Mark1964]

never pre heated the tun just added more temp to the water

 

[craigite]

For the first time in more years than I'd rather remember I did not pre warm the mash tun on Saturday. For a change I put the grain in dry and filled the tun from below.
Obviously I adjusted my water temp slightly first. Hit the mash temp fine and I had no dough balls.

Might try this way next time :thumb:

However, I am a plastic kit (insulated cool box) so the heat loss from not pre-heating this kit will be very small. Oh, and I circulate via HERMS so this reduces the risk of cold spots next to mash tun surfaces.

 

[Mark1964]

Thats what we do silicone hose from hlt tap to mash tun tap its so much easier a quick stir and its done :thumb:

 

[snail59]

I bring my mash tun in from the garage and place it next to the boiler in the kitchen overnight. It's an ASDA 24ltr cool box tun so don't take up much room. I also put the bucket with the weighed out grains in with it to warm those as well.

 

[dennisking]

I underlett, as described by craigite, but I also pre-heat before adding the grain. My general routine is to add 2 kettles of boiling water and leave while I eat breakfast and the HLT is warming up. As craigite says no clumping. Might take a go or to to find your ideal strike temp. but I find its a lot easier. Works for me.

 

[Hawks]

Another one for a kettle of water and underletting :thumb:

 

[Aleman]

I retorrify my grain (look up retorrification ) overnight in the mash tun, so that it is all at around 40C before I simply underlet with mash liquor . . . . I use the calculator in Promash to determine what the strike heat should be based on what the grain / mash tun temp is. . . .normally hit strike heat spot on . . .of course with a HERMS system missing strike heat by a degree or 5 is not really that important :whistle:

 

[ncmcdonald]

I retorrify my grain (look up retorrification ) overnight in the mash tun, so that it is all at around 40C

How do you go about retorrifying it, 40C is way more than I can achieve by sticking it in the airing cupboard.

 

[Aleman]

An old fashioned un lagged hot water tank helps . . . Just stick it next to that for 24 hours, and lag it with loads of towels.

I do know a brewer who uses the oven set to 60C for a hour or so while setting up to achieve the same effect . . .but then he still has to preheat the mash tun.

 

[craigite]

I retorrify my grain (look up retorrification ) :whistle:

OK I looked it us, although it was not :nono: in the glossary of this site. :lol: I was expecting some complicated process for such a big word but was sadly dissapointed. But now I know and feel much better. :grin:

Is there any specific reason for pre-warming the grains (grist) such as quality improvement?

 

[Aleman]

I retorrify my grain (look up retorrification ) :whistle:

Is there any specific reason for pre-warming the grains (grist) such as quality improvement?

Couple of reasons, one is reducing the thermal shock to the enzymes as there is less of a difference between the grain temp and strike temp . . .Having a heated (and insulated) grist case means the grain temperature is slowly adjusted to where it needs to be. Also you can use low level heating (in the grist case) requiring much less energy to maintain grain temp that it would cost to raise liquor temperature higher to compensate for a lower grain temp . . . If you see what I mean . . . So for the big boys it saves money in the long term . . .plus by having the grain at the same constant temperature it makes for getting an even stable consistent strike temp so much easier and more predicable.

 

[dennisking]

Makes sense

 

[craigite]

Makes sense

x2

Yes, cheers aleman. :thumb:
Just need to decide if I'll try that next time.

 

[chuffer]

Thought I'd resurrect this to see what current posters do.....some advice in this thread is to add kettles of boiling water, is this safe/the done thing then?

 

[Bigjas]

Thought I'd resurrect this to see what current posters do.....some advice in this thread is to add kettles of boiling water, is this safe/the done thing then?

I add a kettle of hot water about 15 mins before Mashing and put the lid on to warm it up (I'm using a converted plastic ice cooler).

I have no idea if this helps, but makes me feel better for doing it. In my tiny mind, I am warming up the insulation in the Tun so this warmth is already there when I add the Strike water, thus not taking warmth from the strike water to warm up the insulation....... if that makes sense:whistle:??

Jas

 

[chuffer]

I add a kettle of hot water about 15 mins before Mashing and put the lid on to warm it up (I'm using a converted plastic ice cooler).

how hot is "hot" though?.....and do you ditch that water or is it your liquor?

 

[Bigjas]

Its not boiling, probably about 80 - 90°c. No I don't use it as part of the mash liquor, I tip it away and use the correct temp mash liquor from my HLT.

Jas