Processes...

My mash process is a little clumsy. This derives mostly for issues of heat loss. Presently I mash in a keggle and use direct heat to bump the temperature from the sachrification to the mash out temp. I loose 3-7 degrees during the sachrification rest. There are sudden jumps in temperature during the interval from the sach rest to mash out, and I often detect pockets of heat. This is related to using direct heat to keep the mash at temperature: there again I find sudden temperature jumps, which could mean accidentally denaturing beta-amylase by adding heat to keep temperature.

To eliminate these problems I'm going to try using a mash over 1.6 qts/pound--much thinner that I have been mashing. The hope is that this will improve the transfer of heat through the mash because mixing the grainy fluid will be easier. I will be able to test the hypothesis that a thinner mash will reduce temperature jumps during my next mash by taking regular temperature checks to see how the temp rises as I mash out. If my hypothesis is confirmed (i.e. if the mash temperature rises uniformly during the test mash-out), this will indicate that I can use direct heat to raise the temperature of the mash during the mash without risking over heating and spoiling the beta-amylase.

Wish me luck.