Strike Water Temperature Calculator

Summary

The strike water temperature calculator tells you exactly how hot to heat your brewing water before adding it to your grain bed. It uses John Palmer's widely accepted formula, which accounts for the heat capacity of grain, the ratio of water to grain, the grain's starting temperature, and your target mash temperature. Getting the strike temperature right means hitting your mash temperature on the first pour without guessing.

How it works

1. Enter the total weight of your grain bill in pounds or kilograms.
2. Enter the current temperature of your grain (room temp or cold storage).
3. Enter the total volume of strike water you plan to use.
4. Set your target mash temperature (typically 148–156 °F / 64–69 °C).
5. The calculator applies Palmer's formula: Strike Temp = (0.2 / r) × (T_mash − T_grain) + T_mash, where r is the water-to-grain ratio in quarts per pound.
6. Read the resulting strike water temperature and heat your water to that point before doughing in.

Use cases

• All-grain homebrewers planning a single-infusion mash.
• Brewers dialing in a new mash tun with unknown heat loss.
• Adjusting strike temperature when grain is cold from storage.
• Quickly recalculating when grain bill or water volume changes.
• Teaching new brewers about mash temperature physics.
• Cross-checking a brewing software result by hand.

Frequently Asked Questions