A little bit of a temperature accident...

[JWR_12]

So I've been trying to mash in my boil kettle (I made a little jacket for it out of foil lined bubble wrap) and a couple of things happened on the trial run. First, the temperature fell more over an hour (off the flame) that I would have liked. But I think I can control for that okay.

More importantly, the following accident happened. After dropping down in temperature to an unideal range (148 degrees F), my kettle thermometer then got stuck there. I put the pot on to warm it up a little. But, not noticing the thermometer had gotten stuck, I then didn't realize how hot it was then getting. It was only after it had been on the flame for a while that I finally got suspicious. (Yes, I was multitasking).

Anyways, i now think that my mash likely had the following form:

Started at 164 degrees when I added malt;

Dropped over about 35 minutes to 148 while I wasn't watching;

Then (likely) sprang up to like 190 (it was close to a boil, I think) while the thermometer got stuck.

I'm wondering what the consequences might be. Any guesses? I'm guessing there could be some unwanted astrigency, etc. Should I dump it out?

Right now, it seems to be fermenting happily enough (day two) but i don' t know about off flavors.

Thanks!

John

(I'm also in the market for a new kettle thermometer. The one I have did get unstuck, but the needle moves in skips rather than smoothly and I think is just not a great thermometer).

 

[Minbari]

how long was the mash at a temp of less than 160F? the mash might be ok, the high heat will have certainly denatured the enzymes that convert starches, but if it was more than 30-45 minutes, might still be ok.

biggest concern would be scorched grain or wort. does it taste ok? not acrid or smokey?

I like these better for acurate readings. just have to be carefull with them, lol.

https://www.amazon.com/Laboratory-T...83-bc5f-353ada4ccc20&pd_rd_i=B01ND4CARX&psc=1

 

[JWR_12]

Thank

how long was the mash at a temp of less than 160F? the mash might be ok, the high heat will have certainly denatured the enzymes that convert starches, but if it was more than 30-45 minutes, might still be ok.

biggest concern would be scorched grain or wort. does it taste ok? not acrid or smokey?

I like these better for acurate readings. just have to be carefull with them, lol.

https://www.amazon.com/Laboratory-T...83-bc5f-353ada4ccc20&pd_rd_i=B01ND4CARX&psc=1

Thanks, Minbari!

So, I think the mash was definitely at 160 or less for about 40 minutes. It wasn't burnt at all or smokey, I don't think anything scorched.

Thanks for the thermometer tip!

 

[Minbari]

Thank

Thanks, Minbari!

So, I think the mash was definitely at 160 or less for about 40 minutes. It wasn't burnt at all or smokey, I don't think anything scorched.

Thanks for the thermometer tip!

I would say it is fine then. worst case it will not ferment fully since it did not get enough time. but it will be beer

 

[Herm brews]

Unless you are trying for a really malty profile, a mash temp of 148F is nothing to worry about. Going the other direction, if your mash conversion was close enough to complete, your heating the wort to 190F just served as a mash out step, denaturing the enzymes. Since you can’t detect any burnt notes, your beer should turn out fine. Maybe not exactly what you had envisioned, but maybe a happy accident.
As for getting distracted by multitasking, don’t feel alone. The one and only time I have ever come close to a boil over, I was multitasking. Luckily, I was right next to the stove washing some dishes when I heard the kettle lid lift and fall back in place. I grabbed the lid just in time to prevent catastrophe. Then just yesterday, I got involved with the monthly community zoom meeting while my freshly made wort was chilling out on the deck in an ice bath. I wanted to chill the wort to ~70F. When I pulled myself away from the meeting, wort had cooled to ~60F. Not really a problem, but distractions can take our attention off of the task at hand.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Like Herm said, a mash temp of 148°F is just fine. 160°F is a little outside the ideal mash temp range but, not so much to be too concerning. Especially with the rate of temperature loss you were quickly inside the preferred zone. I occasionally read about debates on how short a mash can be and still get complete (or enough?) conversion of starches. If I remember correctly 30-40 minutes was where some people were. So you should be good. Personally I see no reason to rush the mash. I always go 60+ minutes.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Also keep in mind that not all of the mash is always the same temp, I monitor mine bottom mid and top with a pid using a recirculation and none are the same temp, each can be 4 degrees off

 

[Sandy Feet]

How cold was it when you mashed and how much water? I can brew ouside in the 40s and above using only two towels and a lid to keep in temps for BIAB. If 60 or higher, I dont even need to adjust strike water. I am using a 16 gallon kettle with 8 gallons of water. Get to a strike water temp, turn heat off, dump grain, cover, drink a beer, and leave alone for 60 minutes or more.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

I also just use towels to maintain the temp. You could also add some table sugar to help get the yeast going. It will dry the beer out a bit but at this point it's all up in the air anyway. I say pitch the yeast and check it in 10 days

 

[Craigerrr]

I would never recommend dumping your wort/beer until you know for sure that it is undrinkable!

 

[JWR_12]

Like Herm said, a mash temp of 148°F is just fine. 160°F is a little outside the ideal mash temp range but, not so much to be too concerning. Especially with the rate of temperature loss you were quickly inside the preferred zone. I occasionally read about debates on how short a mash can be and still get complete (or enough?) conversion of starches. If I remember correctly 30-40 minutes was where some people were. So you should be good. Personally I see no reason to rush the mash. I always go 60+ minutes.

View attachment 28613

Ooh, thank you for the handy chart!

 

[JWR_12]

How cold was it when you mashed and how much water? I can brew ouside in the 40s and above using only two towels and a lid to keep in temps for BIAB. If 60 or higher, I dont even need to adjust strike water. I am using a 16 gallon kettle with 8 gallons of water. Get to a strike water temp, turn heat off, dump grain, cover, drink a beer, and leave alone for 60 minutes or more.

Thanks! So it was pretty cold (I'd say 38 degrees) but I moved the kettle into my garage (~60 degrees) when I took it off the flame. I have a feeling my temperature readings were all wonky, due to the kettle thermometer problem. So I think I can control the drop in the future better.

 

[Craigerrr]

When I use to do BIAB in a kettle I would start a couple of degrees warmer than desired mash temperature.
Just wrap it up with blankets and sleeping bags, and leave it for an hour, it usually only dropped a few degrees over the course of an hour.
It isn't critical to maintain a specific temperature for duration of the mash.
As long as you are plus or minus a few degrees you will get good conversion.
If you recipe calls for 67C/152F mash, plan for 68C/154F to start and just let it ride for 60 minutes.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I use a clip-on thermometer with a long handle. The brew store sells them, and they aren't very expensive. 38 is a little chilly. The last time I brewed when it was really cold for here (low/mid 40s), I think I just bumped up the strike water about 2 degrees. In the big kettle with 12-14 pounds of grain and 8 gallons of water, strike water is normally about 8 degrees higher than mash temps. So, a 160 strike water for me getting the grains in fairly quickly would mash close to 152.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I would definitely ferment it. It's likely going to be fine.

A mash temperature of 152F is a really good spot for most beers. The problem with coming in too hot is that it has the risk of denaturing the beta amylase enzyme. You kind of need this enzyme for greater fermentability. Beta starts to denature between 150-152F depending on who your talking to. I like to mash a little low in temperature and bring it up if you can.