Hey Jimbo. I finally got around to trying my first AG mash.its fermenting pretty strong on day 3. I used your recipe with 30 lbs malted 2-row pale barley and 17 gal boiled tap water with Red Star bakers yeast. I had a problem holding the rest temp and may have stumbled into a sour mash.
I’m using an insulated, 20 gal SS pot. I added a belt type heater (10 watt max) which will help hold a ferment between 85-90*F but isn’t powerful enough to raise the temp on this mass. I do this inside and am hesitant to use an open flame for added heat. So after adding the strike water (160*F) I was at approx 146*. Unfortunately I was losing more heat than the belt could supply. Every time I stirred, I’d lose 2 or3 degrees. I kept adding the 160* water hoping it would get me back up in the 148* range, but, it wasn’t hot enough. By the time I had added all the water, I was still around 140*.
After 2 hrs there was very little sweet flavor and the SG was about 1.03 corrected. I made the decision to let it keep mashing it until bedtime. So six hours after starting, it was 1.042 SG and I decided I probably had all I was going to get under these conditions. By now it’s down to 136*. I killed the heat, unwrapped it and turned on the fan. The next morning it was approx 98* and SG was 1.052. I felt a little better. It had lost some f that original sweet, earthy aroma. When I tasted it, it was sour (and not like a finished wash). So I cooled it a few more degrees and pitched the yeast. The next morning I had a 4” thick grain head with”volcanos” of CO2 erupting over the surface. SG had dropped to 1.044. I checked on it again today (day 3) and it looks and smells the same. The flavor seems to have soured more to more like a light vinegar solution. I was trying to do this first try without too much investment, but, I may have outsmarted myself. So, a chiller is on UPS as I type.
I now need a way to maintain the rest temp. I have an extra SS bayonet, 1500 watt element. So I made up a jig that was originally planned for ShineOn’s Butter Rum. I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I also have a proportional controller for it. My thought is to lower the element into the mash and add heat as required (hopefully w/o scorching anything) to maintain 148*. Photos below. The hardware and mounting plate are SS. Does anybody see any problems/safety issues with this approach? Obviously it has to be high enough that stirring does slash into the electrical connection and low enough to fully submerge the element. Suggestions would be appreciated.