The test:
I was putting the washing up away last night when I happened across the slow cooker we've not used for a while.
Being of an inquisitive mind and very bored, I wondered if the different temp settings could help maintain a consistent mash temperature to produce 1.5ish litres of wort for starters.
I was just going to try with water and measure the temp every ten minutes over an hour, but thought I may as well sacrifice a small amount of grain and do it properly.
The procedure:
I fitted a small mash bag and added 400g of pale malt (seemed like a nice round number, no science behind it at this point) and doughed in with 1l of water. After stirring, the temp was showing as 63ââÆ so I set the slow cooker to high.
I then took temp measurements every ten minutes over the course. When it got to 66ââÆ (after about 8 mins) I set to low.
Over the course of the hour, the temp remained fairly stable, however did get to 69ââÆ at one point. I added cold water to 66ââÆ and set to the keep warm function.
After the hour I tested the wort to see if conversion had taken place. This was the highly scientific method of seeing if it tasted sugary. It did.
I prepared 1.5l of sparging water and set the slow cooker to high, the itention of raising the mash temp to mash out. After about 12 minutes, it was only up to 71ââÆ So I gave up and sparged over a sieve into another pot.
I then boiled the wort for 30 minutes (an exbeeriment from Brulosopher has assuaged my concerns over DMS) and it was getting late.
I chilled this and decanter into a demijohn, adding some duvel slurry I had in the fridge (originally obtained from the bottle).
The result:
I ended up with 1.75l of wort at 1.52, so just over 70% efficiency. Not bad for very little effort. Edit - I watered this down to 2l - which works out at about 1.046.
The starter is chugging away this morning, which is always a good sign.
Things I've learnt:
I'm wondering whether mashing in a degree or two lower than desired mash temp and setting to keep warm would yield a more consistent temperature.
The lid isn't very well insulated - I will added a layer or two of foil beneath and around to seal the lid.
This is much more time consuming than simply boiling 100g of DME. However, in times of emergency then it may be useful. I also wonder if the wort is more nutritious than its DME counterparts?
If my thoughts about the keep warm function resulting in a more even mash temp, then it would reduce the time needed to monitor and adjust the temp.
Edit - Even after dilution, the gravity was still a bit too high. I'll calculate more precisely the amount of grain needed to produce a 1.030-1.040 wort.
I was putting the washing up away last night when I happened across the slow cooker we've not used for a while.
Being of an inquisitive mind and very bored, I wondered if the different temp settings could help maintain a consistent mash temperature to produce 1.5ish litres of wort for starters.
I was just going to try with water and measure the temp every ten minutes over an hour, but thought I may as well sacrifice a small amount of grain and do it properly.
The procedure:
I fitted a small mash bag and added 400g of pale malt (seemed like a nice round number, no science behind it at this point) and doughed in with 1l of water. After stirring, the temp was showing as 63ââÆ so I set the slow cooker to high.
I then took temp measurements every ten minutes over the course. When it got to 66ââÆ (after about 8 mins) I set to low.
Over the course of the hour, the temp remained fairly stable, however did get to 69ââÆ at one point. I added cold water to 66ââÆ and set to the keep warm function.
After the hour I tested the wort to see if conversion had taken place. This was the highly scientific method of seeing if it tasted sugary. It did.
I prepared 1.5l of sparging water and set the slow cooker to high, the itention of raising the mash temp to mash out. After about 12 minutes, it was only up to 71ââÆ So I gave up and sparged over a sieve into another pot.
I then boiled the wort for 30 minutes (an exbeeriment from Brulosopher has assuaged my concerns over DMS) and it was getting late.
I chilled this and decanter into a demijohn, adding some duvel slurry I had in the fridge (originally obtained from the bottle).
The result:
I ended up with 1.75l of wort at 1.52, so just over 70% efficiency. Not bad for very little effort. Edit - I watered this down to 2l - which works out at about 1.046.
The starter is chugging away this morning, which is always a good sign.
Things I've learnt:
I'm wondering whether mashing in a degree or two lower than desired mash temp and setting to keep warm would yield a more consistent temperature.
The lid isn't very well insulated - I will added a layer or two of foil beneath and around to seal the lid.
This is much more time consuming than simply boiling 100g of DME. However, in times of emergency then it may be useful. I also wonder if the wort is more nutritious than its DME counterparts?
If my thoughts about the keep warm function resulting in a more even mash temp, then it would reduce the time needed to monitor and adjust the temp.
Edit - Even after dilution, the gravity was still a bit too high. I'll calculate more precisely the amount of grain needed to produce a 1.030-1.040 wort.
