It has been a long time since I last cooked up a brew (October last year, looking back) but I finally got one going again this morning. However, I’ve tried a new twist in the mashing process. Rather than putting the mash tun on the hob, I put it in the oven instead once I’d got it to the right temperature.

You see, my oven has a wide temperature range and seems pretty accurate. I wanted to keep the mash at 67°C for 90 minutes. My oven isn’t that precise but, with a probe showing me the mash temperature, I could make occasional adjustments between 65-80°C. Because the temperature gradient between the liquid and the surrounding air was a gentle slope, it was easier to nudge it around to keep within a degree or so of the target. Normally, with the surrounding air more like 15-20°C, it drops faster and shoots past when trying to reset.

It did seem to work and also didn’t consume a lot of energy – the oven itself is well insulated and was already warm from breakfast. Tomorrow, once the wort has cooled, I’ll take a gravity reading and see how I did on the efficiency side. Could be good though.

It’s based on Bass Draught, so I’m going to call this brew Shark Fin Bass.