heat spikes during the mash

cmadd · Post by **cmadd** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:37 pm

newbie question: I'm starting my first brooklyn brew shop kit (IPA), and during the mash I would try to heat it up to 152, then turn the heat off. I would turn it back on at 144F. I noticed, however, that sometimes some regions of the pot would spike to above 170F. I would quickly mix it to try and cool it down. This seems like it would be a big problem as it would deactivate the enzymes breaking down the carbs. Should I be worried? Is the batch ruined?

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:59 pm

It will still make beer. Relax.

That being said, trying to use a stock pot and a stove for mashing does not sound like the greatest idea (I have tried it myself a long time ago). A converted cooler works much better.

Hamilton Brian · Post by **Hamilton Brian** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:15 am

markaberrant wrote:It will still make beer. Relax.

That being said, trying to use a stock pot and a stove for mashing does not sound like the greatest idea (I have tried it myself a long time ago). A converted cooler works much better.

I agree with this also. One of my first attempts at all-grain involved me mashing in the pot on the burner. Heat would drop, we'd turn on the tank and fire it up a bit. It was painfully long, much longer than the typical hour in an insulated cooler. The beer was still good, but it could have been a lot better. We converted a bucket into our semi-permanent mash tun by wrapping the body and lid in heavy-duty insulation. Works like a charm.