Temperature calculations-help

[laughingparrot]

I'm a novice, I admit, but with my former program (BrewSmith) there was a way of calculating I guess what you call a "strike temperature." I was hoping when I filled in the equipment profile on BeerTools Pro there would be a way of telling my what temperature I need to heat my water to so I can add it to 21 lb. of grain in a 57 degree environment to get a 160 degree mash temperature. I don't miss BrewSmith and am thrilled now that BeerTools is out (I'm a Mac guy), but can anyone tell me if there is such a feature in this program?

Thanks and cheers.

[slothrob]

You can get a strike temperature for a given recipe by filling in the Schedule field, or by going to the menubar and selecting Window>Calculators>Mash>Strike Temperature.

[jawbox]

sloth as usual is on it.

[laughingparrot]

The calculators are great but I need a bit more clarification:

Thing is I'm working with some recipes that only include the ingredients and I'm trying to figure out the mash steps myself. (I noticed a call for BeerTools recipes that include the mash steps...thank you). I'm having trouble remembering say, how many gallons of water it takes to cover 21 lbs of grain to get that water/grain consistency we need for a good mash.

I can use the Strike Temperature calculator and get the mash temperature exactly at 161 but I might get a watery mash if I don't know exactly how much water to add.

Is there another calculator that can help me here to give me the amount of water based on the weight of my grain? I see an "Infusion Rate" calculator but I'm not sure what figures its asking for (I understand grist mass, assume infusion volume is the amount of liquid but where do I get the volume ratio?).

Going down to the "Infusion Temperature" calculator, how does that differ from the Strike Calculator?

If I can figure how much water I need at what temperature I can take it from there.

Sorry for such a simple question that everyone else seems to understand. Between the WiKi and the forums, there is a wealth of information out there but I can't seem to find my answer.

Thanks!

[jeff]

I'm having trouble remembering say, how many gallons of water it takes to cover 21 lbs of grain to get that water/grain consistency we need for a good mash.

Calculators->Infusion Rate should help with this one. Enter 21 lbs for your grist mass and decide what you want the mash thickness (volume ratio) to be. 1.25 qt/lb is common.

Going down to the "Infusion Temperature" calculator, how does that differ from the Strike Calculator?

They are very similar. Both calculate thermal equilibrium temperature after combining two quantities of differing mass and temperature. For brewers using picnic coolers, either calculator could be used to calculate strike temperature. For brewers using a kettle for the mash tun, the water is heated in the mash tun itself. Grain is then added to the water that has been heated to the proper strike temperature. The strike temp calculator was originally designed with this procedure in mind.

Hope this helps!

[slothrob]

I'm having trouble remembering say, how many gallons of water it takes to cover 21 lbs of grain to get that water/grain consistency we need for a good mash.

I can use the Strike Temperature calculator and get the mash temperature exactly at 161 but I might get a watery mash if I don't know exactly how much water to add.

As jeff says, 1.25 qts/lb is a common mash consistency. Thicker and thinner worts can give you a less fermentable wort, but there are a number of variables involved and keeping it between 1 and 2 qts/lb shouldn't cause you too much difficulty.

I'd stay away from 161