I recently read several articles where brewer’s were adding water to the tun at several degrees above target, letting it cool to desired mash temp., and then adding the grain. Is there any advantage to this method versus adding the water to the grain?
Either way can work fine. Whatever works best for you. In my system slowly pouring the grain into the water while I stir produces the best results.
+1. I use hopville.com to figure out my mash water volume and temp. I’m always either spot on or within a degree one way or the other when adding grain to water. I use a 1qrt measuring cup/scoop thingy. I add 2-3 scoops, stir, add 2-3 more scoops, stir… until all the grain is in and stirred well.
Don’t let the water cool to the desired mash temp before adding the grain - you’ll need to be ~10F above the target because the grain is going to drop the temp. It’s helpful to have some extra boiling water on hand in case you need to raise the temp after stirring and checking the pH.
I think every system is probably different as far as what you have to do to hit the strike temperature. I’ve added grain to water and water to grain and been spot on and then missed some, too. So, I do agree with Shadetree to have extra hot water (or cool water/ice in case you missed the other way). It’s cheap insurance. Take notes and after you gain a working experience with your system the guess work should be less variable.
Lately, I add hot water to the tun while I crush the grain just to warm it up. I do my math, crush the grain, add the water to the tun, verify the temp and then add the grain. It works for me.
The important thing for me with adding grain to water is that it’s easier to stir and easier IMO to avoid doughballs which can kill your efficiency. Add a quarter of it, stir it up, add another quarter of grain, stir it up, ect.
You can also get some somewhat volcanoish bubble action from trapped air if you add water to grain which can be a messy issue if you’re coming to the top of your mashtun.
I directly heat my tun, so grain to water.I think I would do it that way no matter what. Besides the fact that it’s probably easier to get it thoroughly mixed, it lets you stabilize at strike temp before the grain hits the water.
Grain to water for me.
Water to grain. I pump my strike water into the mash tun and stir as I add. Like mixing mortar, you dig a well in the middle and add your water to that while stirring, working your way outward.
Simply stated, the procedure you’ve outline is used by many who batch sparge in order to raise the temp of their mash tun (cooler) so that it will hold temp more reliably during the ~60 minute sach. rest.
By no means is it required, but it’s a solid procedure. I use it successfully.
I also prefer adding grain to water while stirring.
[quote=“kcbeersnob”]Simply stated, the procedure you’ve outline is used by many who batch sparge in order to raise the temp of their mash tun (cooler) so that it will hold temp more reliably during the ~60 minute sach. rest.
By no means is it required, but it’s a solid procedure. I use it successfully.[/quote]
It’s not just batch spargers who do that. I preheated my tun for many years, but finally got tired of the extra time and effort that took. With about 2-3 batches of experimentation, I was able to figure out how much hotter my strike water needed to be to avoid pre heating. Works like a charm. I hit my mash temp dead on every time.
here’s what i do after many batches of holding a heavy bucket of grain above the mash tun. i start draining the strike water into the tun and after about a couple inches i start adding the grain. i pour the entire bucket of grain in the opposite side of the tun of where the water is draining in. i then pick at the grain with a spoon and stir the grain in. works very well.
