Mash strike temperature calculator
Grain is cold and has about 0.4 times the heat capacity of water, so the strike water has to be well above the target.
degrees C
Strike water temperature
73.79°C
- In Fahrenheit
- 164.8
- Resulting mash temperature
- 66.00
- Boiling water to raise the mash
- 4.45
- Mash water after the infusion
- 19.45
- Water to grain ratio after
- 3.890 L/kg
- Mash thickness
- 3.000 L/kg
Show the working
- Grain weight = 5
- Grain temperature = 20
- Target mash temperature = 66
- Strike water volume = 15
- Heat lost to the tun = 1.5
- Raise the mash to = 72
- Infusion water temperature = 95
- Mash thickness = 15 / 5 = 3
- Strike water temperature = 0.41 / 3 * (66 - 20) + 66 + 1.5 = 73.7867
- Resulting mash temperature = (0.41 * 5 * 20 + 15 * (73.7867 - 1.5)) / (0.41 * 5 + 15) = 66
- Boiling water to raise the mash = 95 > 72 ? (72 - 66) * (0.41*5 + 15) / (95 - 72) : 0 = 4.447 83
- Mash water after the infusion = 15 + 4.447 83 = 19.4478
- Water to grain ratio after = 5 > 0 ? 19.4478 / 5 : 0 = 3.889 57
- In Fahrenheit = 73.7867 * 9/5 + 32 = 164.816
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- strike temperature = 0.41 / R x (target - grain temperature) + target
- the 0.41 is the specific heat of grain relative to water
The tun loss depends on your equipment. Preheating the mash tun removes most of it and makes the calculation repeatable.
Mash temperature controls fermentability: 63 degrees gives a dry beer, 70 a full-bodied one.