Question about maintaining temp in boilermaker when Mashing

[sethhobrin]

I got a 10 gal boilermaker for xmas. It’s awesome. I’ve brewed 2 batches so far and I’ve had a hard time with figuring out the best way to maintain temp when mashing in a blichmann boilermaker?

It starts out ok but then after awhile in to my mash I try to apply heat and it seems to just get all wonky and either too hot or too cold… probably because of the mash screen preventing heat from rising to the mash. I’m using a nice insta read waterproof thermometer to check temps of the mash.

After awhile I felt like I was messing with it too much, stirring too often, etc to try and get the temp just right.

Anyone have any tips for me? Previously I was using a cooler so this is a new process for me.

[dobe12]

Losing a little heat is not a big deal. A few degrees is fine. But, you could try wrapping your pot in blankets or a well insulated sleeping bag. They also make mash pot covers to slip over the pot to help keep the temp stable. If you’re outside and it’s cold you’re going to lose some heat so it sounds like you just need to figure out how much time to fire your burner up to add a few degrees back to the mash. I would start your mash, cover the pot well with a comforter or sleeping bag and let it sit for 30min. After 30min give it a good stir and check your temps. If you only lost a few degrees, don’t worry about it. Let it sit for another 30min. If you lost 8-10 degrees or more, fire up the heat for a few minutes, give it a good stir, turn the heat off, cover again and let it sit for another 30.

Sounds like trial and error, trial and error. You’ll figure out a system that works for you and your setup.

[mrv]

[quote=“dobe12”]Losing a little heat is not a big deal. A few degrees is fine. But, you could try wrapping your pot in blankets or a well insulated sleeping bag. They also make mash pot covers to slip over the pot to help keep the temp stable. If you’re outside and it’s cold you’re going to lose some heat so it sounds like you just need to figure out how much time to fire your burner up to add a few degrees back to the mash. I would start your mash, cover the pot well with a comforter or sleeping bag and let it sit for 30min. After 30min give it a good stir and check your temps. If you only lost a few degrees, don’t worry about it. Let it sit for another 30min. If you lost 8-10 degrees or more, fire up the heat for a few minutes, give it a good stir, turn the heat off, cover again and let it sit for another 30.

Sounds like trial and error, trial and error. You’ll figure out a system that works for you and your setup.[/quote]

Make sure to remove the sleeping bag before firing up your burner. I mash in a keg, and the way I can maintain a constant temp. with the heat on is to stir and recirculate (manually, no pump yet). Like dobe12 said, you’ll figure out what works for you. Take good notes.