Insulated Brew Kettle

One of the difficulties of the brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) method is the challenge of keeping the mash at a steady temperature for 60 to 90 minutes.  In previous brews I either saw huge swings in temperature or was constantly firing the burner and stirring.  After reading an article in Brew Your Own magazine on the effect of insulation on the mash tun I determined that just 1 inch of insulation would make a huge difference.

So, using some foam rubber that came with our patio table, I cut a wrap to go around my keg/kettle and a foam rubber lid that was 2 inches thick.  A bungee cord to keep it in place completed the crude insulation blanket.

This worked better than expected!  During a 90 minute mash I only had to remove the "blanket" and fire up the burner once.  This mash stayed right at 152°F for the majority of the time and only varied between 154° and 148°; perfect for this mash at the low end of the range.