Hello all! One of the issues in my brewery is being unable to maintain a consistent mash temperature when I brew 2.5 gallon batches. I use a 5-gallon rubbermaid beverage cooler from The Depot wrapped in Reflectix insulation and when I mash there is a towel underneath and on top for insulation. And yet I lose about 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit within 20 minutes. Besides adding more insulation (Reflectix warns that doubling up insulation does not do much unless you leave an air gap between the layers), I had 2 ideas for a more consistent mash and would love some feedback from you all.
1) Full volume mash: larger volume means larger thermal capacity and more likely to hold it's temp. Downsides: lowered efficiency (but not by much), and I wouldn't be able to add more water to increase the temp later on if it dips too low.
2) Temperature step mash program: begin mash at 1.25-1.5 qts/lb of strike water, hold between 143-146F for 30 minutes, then add calculated amount of boiling water to increase to 153-156F for 30 minutes. Lauter, sparge, mashout as normal. Downsides: lower volume means lower thermal capacity, so my temps are pretty much guaranteed to drop in the first 20 minutes, and then again after the step up to the beta-amylase range.
What would you do if you were me (using the equipment mentioned above)?
1) Full volume mash: larger volume means larger thermal capacity and more likely to hold it's temp. Downsides: lowered efficiency (but not by much), and I wouldn't be able to add more water to increase the temp later on if it dips too low.
2) Temperature step mash program: begin mash at 1.25-1.5 qts/lb of strike water, hold between 143-146F for 30 minutes, then add calculated amount of boiling water to increase to 153-156F for 30 minutes. Lauter, sparge, mashout as normal. Downsides: lower volume means lower thermal capacity, so my temps are pretty much guaranteed to drop in the first 20 minutes, and then again after the step up to the beta-amylase range.
What would you do if you were me (using the equipment mentioned above)?