How to Fix Your Mash Temperature
- Feb 26, 2022
- 51
- tiantai
Missing your mash’s temperature can result in thin watery beer, missed alcohol potential or missed style guidelines. However, just because the mash temperature is not correct at the start, doesn’t mean you can’t fix it.
Testing it Right
It is imperative to get a good thermometer. We like the ThermoPro brand, and have the wireless remote version. It gets used for our grill/smoker as well as homebrewing. I love the thing.
After you have the right thermometer, it is important to stir the water and grains if you are adjusting the temperatures. This is doubly important if doing BIAB as the grains inside that bag will hold on to their original temperature for way longer if you don’t stir. While this is an anecdote, there has been plenty of times my kettle has heated up to 170°F, then after stirring everything good, it has dropped back down to below 150°F. Please stir… it’s the only way to ensure you have consistent temperature in your whole setup.
Temp Too Low
By mashing low will give you more fermentable sugars, leaving the beer thin and dry. Leave the mash temp too low (below 140 °F) for too long, then you run the risk of ending up with a “watery” beer that does not taste good.
If your mash temperature is too low, you have the ability to quickly raise it by adding boiled hot water to the mash tun. Add the hot water in small amounts, and stir the kettle/mash tun after each addition. Add enough until your grain’s temperature is at the correct level.
If you are using a Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB) setup, you can directly heat the kettle with the grains still inside. This works with both propane burners and all-in-one systems. Nylon bags have a melting point of 515 °F (268 °C), so you should be more than safe heating directly in the kettle. I do usually hold up the bag slightly as I turn the burners on to prevent any chance at scorching.
Temp Too High
If your mash is at too high of a temperature (168-170 °F), you’ll run the risk of permanently killing or stalling the conversion process. However, luckily enzymes don’t get destroyed immediately at these temperatures. If you were to try to destroy (denature) the enzymes as with a “mash out”, it would take about 10 minutes to complete.
Another risk of mashing or sparging at or above 170 °F is the extraction of tannins from the grain husks. I’ve had this happen to me occasionally, so it’s definitely possible. As tannins are extracted, they make your beer astringent, which will typically not fade at all as the beer matures. Astringency is an off-flavor that tastes like a mix of bitterness and dryness. Imagine if you sucked on a teabag – that’s what it tastes like. Because of this, I never mash or sparge with any temperature any higher than 165 °F.
Add cold water or ice cubes directly to your mash container to lower temperature. It will take more cold water than ice cubes to get your temperature down, so remember this when it comes time to ensuring you hit your final volume correctly.
If you can’t afford to add extra water to your mash, then the next best option would be to use freezer ice packs or your immersion chiller to get the temperature down.
Derrick
Sales Manager
[email protected]
Tiantai Beer Equipment
Testing it Right
It is imperative to get a good thermometer. We like the ThermoPro brand, and have the wireless remote version. It gets used for our grill/smoker as well as homebrewing. I love the thing.
After you have the right thermometer, it is important to stir the water and grains if you are adjusting the temperatures. This is doubly important if doing BIAB as the grains inside that bag will hold on to their original temperature for way longer if you don’t stir. While this is an anecdote, there has been plenty of times my kettle has heated up to 170°F, then after stirring everything good, it has dropped back down to below 150°F. Please stir… it’s the only way to ensure you have consistent temperature in your whole setup.
Temp Too Low
By mashing low will give you more fermentable sugars, leaving the beer thin and dry. Leave the mash temp too low (below 140 °F) for too long, then you run the risk of ending up with a “watery” beer that does not taste good.
If your mash temperature is too low, you have the ability to quickly raise it by adding boiled hot water to the mash tun. Add the hot water in small amounts, and stir the kettle/mash tun after each addition. Add enough until your grain’s temperature is at the correct level.
If you are using a Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB) setup, you can directly heat the kettle with the grains still inside. This works with both propane burners and all-in-one systems. Nylon bags have a melting point of 515 °F (268 °C), so you should be more than safe heating directly in the kettle. I do usually hold up the bag slightly as I turn the burners on to prevent any chance at scorching.
Temp Too High
If your mash is at too high of a temperature (168-170 °F), you’ll run the risk of permanently killing or stalling the conversion process. However, luckily enzymes don’t get destroyed immediately at these temperatures. If you were to try to destroy (denature) the enzymes as with a “mash out”, it would take about 10 minutes to complete.
Another risk of mashing or sparging at or above 170 °F is the extraction of tannins from the grain husks. I’ve had this happen to me occasionally, so it’s definitely possible. As tannins are extracted, they make your beer astringent, which will typically not fade at all as the beer matures. Astringency is an off-flavor that tastes like a mix of bitterness and dryness. Imagine if you sucked on a teabag – that’s what it tastes like. Because of this, I never mash or sparge with any temperature any higher than 165 °F.
Add cold water or ice cubes directly to your mash container to lower temperature. It will take more cold water than ice cubes to get your temperature down, so remember this when it comes time to ensuring you hit your final volume correctly.
If you can’t afford to add extra water to your mash, then the next best option would be to use freezer ice packs or your immersion chiller to get the temperature down.
Derrick
Sales Manager
[email protected]
Tiantai Beer Equipment
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