Underletting

[blawford]

For me, the most annoying part about the all grain brewing process is doughing-in. I would add the required amount of strike water to the mash tun and then get SWMBO to pour grain while I stirred. It took ages, having to add things slowly enough to not get dough balls and it covered everything in clouds of dust from the flour'y part of the milled grain. That is without mentioning how annoying it was to do alone!

I didn't hear this coming up as a common annoyance for most people so I figured there must be something I was missing, I started to google and found 'underletting' as a concept. I don't know if this is just the way that everyone does it and I have somehow missed it but it is so much easier.

For the uninitiated, you add grain to a dry mash tun and then add the strike water using the valve at the bottom you would usually drain wort from. You wait until all of the strike water has been added before giving it a quick stir and you're done.

I did this yesterday for the first time, using the same strike water temperature as usual I overshot my initial mash temperature by 4 degrees, which should give an idea of how fast it is compared to my normal method. Also has the advantage that I can weigh out grain and pour everything in outside, avoiding the flour clouds, whereas doughing-in outside and carrying a tun filled with grain and water would have been problematic. No doughballs either, can't believe I am only just trying this for the first time.

As I say, this may be just how most people do it, but I just wanted to share in case it helps anyone else.

 

[BeerCat]

A balloon whisk is great for getting rid of dough balls. Just need one on a long handle. Personally I don't mind stirring. Always give it one or 2 during the mash.

 

[IainM]

I've read about this method and if I was using a traditional three tier set up I'd give it a go. As I've got an all-in-one I think I would need a pulley system to slowly lower the grain pipe slowly enough. Another approach I've been thinking about is just dumping the lot in and using a mixing paddle attached to a drill, like I do for aeration. I don't imagine many dough balls surviving a couple of minutes blitzing with one of those.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I underlet the mash on my one and only brew using a pumped system based upon the Ace mash tun/boiler. I underlet from an elevated 20l boiler using gravity, then switch to the pump to circulate the wort during the mash. I did read that there is still a chance that dough balls can form, but I didn't experience any.
I didn't stir the mash after adding the liquor as I had layered the grain with flaked barley on the bottom to encourage a good grain bed for filtering. I conditioned the grain before milling, so perhaps that helped to discourage dough ball formation.
I was doing a stepped mash, so didn't experience any overshoot on mash temperature.

 

[peebee]

A balloon whisk is great for getting rid of dough balls. Just need one on a long handle. Personally I don't mind stirring. Always give it one or 2 during the mash.

Balloon whisk? I was contemplating one of those plaster mixer motor driven jobbies (bit like IainM has posted). Guess we have a difference in scale?

In the end I got one of those huge stainless steel stirrers with holes in the paddle which are supposed to breakup dough balls (and seems to work).
http://www.angelhomebrew.co.uk/en/accessories/93-30-mash-paddle.html

Would like to try "underletting" but it would be (for me) a big change to equipment and procedures.

 

[BeerCat]

Balloon whisk? I was contemplating one of those plaster mixer motor driven jobbies (bit like IainM has posted). Guess we have a difference in scale?

In the end I got one of those huge stainless steel stirrers with holes in the paddle which are supposed to breakup dough balls (and seems to work).
http://www.angelhomebrew.co.uk/en/accessories/93-30-mash-paddle.html

Would like to try "underletting" but it would be (for me) a big change to equipment and procedures.

Yes sorry i meant a baloon whisk. When i had a shallow boiler i used one and they are great. Breaks up the dough balls very easily. Would like one with a long handle.

 

[Gerryjo]

For me, the most annoying part about the all grain brewing process is doughing-in. I would add the required amount of strike water to the mash tun and then get SWMBO to pour grain while I stirred. It took ages, having to add things slowly enough to not get dough balls and it covered everything in clouds of dust from the flour'y part of the milled grain. That is without mentioning how annoying it was to do alone!

I didn't hear this coming up as a common annoyance for most people so I figured there must be something I was missing, I started to google and found 'underletting' as a concept. I don't know if this is just the way that everyone does it and I have somehow missed it but it is so much easier.

For the uninitiated, you add grain to a dry mash tun and then add the strike water using the valve at the bottom you would usually drain wort from. You wait until all of the strike water has been added before giving it a quick stir and you're done.

I did this yesterday for the first time, using the same strike water temperature as usual I overshot my initial mash temperature by 4 degrees, which should give an idea of how fast it is compared to my normal method. Also has the advantage that I can weigh out grain and pour everything in outside, avoiding the flour clouds, whereas doughing-in outside and carrying a tun filled with grain and water would have been problematic. No doughballs either, can't believe I am only just trying this for the first time.

As I say, this may be just how most people do it, but I just wanted to share in case it helps anyone else.

Funny I've just tried this last week whilst making a red ale and found it fantastic.
I have a 52l mash tun and a 30l burco boiler and underlet with gravity and what a change it made to temps,mash time and effeciency.
Next time I have have a few pumps that I'm going to hook up to try and cycle through mash tun and boiler to see how that works.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Fil]

underletting rules tried it once and never looked back..

15kg of grain mashed in in a few minutes when underlet, a big strong paddle helps..

 

[Druncan]

This is why I am here and loving it. Thank you all, great learning for the winter BIAB big pot!

And I thought underletting was something students do to pay their rent,,,

 

[Budgie]

Under letting is something I've been thinking about for a while. I've just got myself a pump so I can keep everything on one level and I'll be under letting on my next brew. I'm sure I'll manage to balls something up along the way but that's part of the fun, right?

 

[chthon]

Isn't it so that in professional circumstances, underletting is more done after the doughing in, to raise the temperature? I.e. the doughing in is done in the normal way to be sure that there are no doughballs.

 

[BeerCat]

Hi!
I underlet the mash on my one and only brew using a pumped system based upon the Ace mash tun/boiler. I underlet from an elevated 20l boiler using gravity, then switch to the pump to circulate the wort during the mash. I did read that there is still a chance that dough balls can form, but I didn't experience any.
I didn't stir the mash after adding the liquor as I had layered the grain with flaked barley on the bottom to encourage a good grain bed for filtering. I conditioned the grain before milling, so perhaps that helped to discourage dough ball formation.
I was doing a stepped mash, so didn't experience any overshoot on mash temperature.

One thing I have noticed when recirculating on the ace is it the grain bed gets compacted after about 5mins. I have been giving it a good stir to loosen it then its fine. I also stir after 30mins.