80l Or 100l Esky Mash Tun For 98l Kettle?

[stux]

I'm planning to get a techniice esky set (camping and other reasons) and I want to go 3V. I've been quite successfully knocking out 65L with BIAB and my 98 and 50L pots, but am getting sick of the dicking about with the bag and sparging

I'd like to grow my brewing, so I plan a gravity 3V, then a pump, then HERMS, etc.

I've pretty much decided on at least an 80L mashtun, but am wondering if I should just get a 100L instead?

Any thing else I should consider?

 

[adryargument]

I have a 98L kettle, and 2* 45L for Mash / HLT.
I wish i had a 98L mash.

 

[TonyC]

I have a 98L kettle, and 2* 45L for Mash / HLT.
I wish i had a 98L mash.

I have a 70 litre techi ice esky, and a 98 ltr pot and struggle, go the 100 litre.




Tony

 

[Helles]

I mash in a 80lt keg
Last week i had 20 kg in it with not a lot of room left
And got 112 lt of wit bier out of it @ 1045

 

[stux]

I mash in a 80lt keg
Last week i had 20 kg in it with not a lot of room left
And got 112 lt of wit bier out of it @ 1045

But would you prefer a 100L of mashing capacity?

 

[mxd]

I would go the 100 ltr esky, but I would check on the dimensions for grain depth etc.. for your standard brew. Ideally the 100 is just deeper than the 80.

So if your an 80 ltr 5% standard then 15-17kg of grain would be about right, and would work well (full) in a 80 ltr esky

but if you wan to pull out 80 ltrs of 8% then you at the 35+ kg of grist, which is where the 100 would work, now if the big brews you plan to only do 60 or 40 ltrs then the 80 would be fine as well.

for me, I'm an 80 kettle and 80 mlt.

 

[mikec]

If in doubt, buy the biggest option.

 

[QldKev]

I'm planning to get a techniice esky set (camping and other reasons) and I want to go 3V. I've been quite successfully knocking out 65L with BIAB and my 98 and 50L pots, but am getting sick of the dicking about with the bag and sparging

I'd like to grow my brewing, so I plan a gravity 3V, then a pump, then HERMS, etc.

I've pretty much decided on at least an 80L mashtun, but am wondering if I should just get a 100L instead?

Any thing else I should consider?

What size batches do you want to push through the system? Do you want to stay at 65L?

Smaller batches go the smaller mash tun, bigger batches...


I'm running a 100L mash tun. I make anywhere from 69L to 100L batches.

The 100L means you can push that extra vol, but in my 100L tun I wouldn't have a decent grain bed depth for much under 69L batches. Most my beer is only around 4%abv and 85% efficiency, so I have a fairly small grain bill per vol. I guess the shape of the pot also comes into it. My tun has about the same diameter as the height.

QldKev

 

[stux]

I'd like to push it out to 4 cubes if I can. I have friends who want to be involved in brew days, so it would be good to do an extra cube, if I can squeeze it into the kettle. I think I can get more out if the kettle of I reduce trub and evaporation.

Did 72L of CPA last night with 90% EoB Eff (BIAB)

But I also want to be able to do doubles, funny thing is, I haven't done a double in ages, I guess if you want more than a single then you might as well do a triple! So I guess if I had to pick I'd choose quads over doubles

I can do no sparge doubles with ease with the BIAB bag actually

 

[QldKev]

Quads over Doubles, I would definitely go the 100L tun.

Sounds like you may end up the same as I've gone. I've got 2 systems. "Little bro" is a recirculating BIAB for making singles, and "big bro" is a 3V for triples and quads. You will have the bigger system and can drop back to a BIAB for smaller batches. It's great, when you can choose how often you feel like brewing

I'm brewing a 100L batch of my house APA today. Put the water in the HLT about 7.30 this morning and haven't checked it since. Just got to wander back out there to measure and mill some grain. It's going to be a long brew day at this rate

QldKev

 

[stux]

Quads over Doubles, I would definitely go the 100L tun.

Sounds like you may end up the same as I've gone. I've got 2 systems. "Little bro" is a recirculating BIAB for making singles, and "big bro" is a 3V for triples and quads. You will have the bigger system and can drop back to a BIAB for smaller batches. It's great, when you can choose how often you feel like brewing

I'm brewing a 100L batch of my house APA today. Put the water in the HLT about 7.30 this morning and haven't checked it since. Just got to wander back out there to measure and mill some grain. It's going to be a long brew day at this rate

QldKev

Just ordered the 100L (plus 60 + 12!)

In the end, the reason I'm going 3V is to go big, and that means 100L MT

The 50L and 98L pots are perfectly suited for single and double BIABs respectively, basically impossible to have a boil-over. And a no-sparge biab is really trivial and quick.

And, I haven't done a double since I started doing triples... Basically, either a single experimental batch, or a big batch.

I did have a bit of second thoughts re: esky vs pot, for what I'm paying for the esky set I could get a nice 100L pot from Craftbrewer, but then I wouldn't have 3 fantastic ice boxes, and SWMBO is obviously looking forward to the new eskys as she gave me pre-approval to buy the 100L pot... one day, for perhaps a larger HLT and my future BrauMonster

It occurred to me that I only need enough capacity in my HLT to heat the sparge liquor, as I can use the big kettle and monster burner for the strike/step liquor, providing I have a pump.

 

[QldKev]

Pumps make brewing easy.

You can make do with smaller HLT's but it does make it a bit tighter on brew day. My HLT is only 82L, and I squeezed a 112L batch through the system today only using the HLT for hot water (finishing the boil soon). I need to mash in at a higher water/grain ratio to ensure I have enough sparge water (today I used 3.9:1). As soon as I mashed in, I refilled the HLT and fired up both elements. By the time I had a 60min mash and then ramped up to 77c mash out the HLT was ready. Are you going to use the 98L for the HLT?

QldKev

 

[stux]

Pumps make brewing easy.

You can make do with smaller HLT's but it does make it a bit tighter on brew day. My HLT is only 82L, and I squeezed a 112L batch through the system today only using the HLT for hot water (finishing the boil soon). I need to mash in at a higher water/grain ratio to ensure I have enough sparge water (today I used 3.9:1). As soon as I mashed in, I refilled the HLT and fired up both elements. By the time I had a 60min mash and then ramped up to 77c mash out the HLT was ready. Are you going to use the 98L for the HLT?

QldKev

I have 55C hot tap water in my brew area, so it makes it a bit easier, to heat up. Protein rest water on tap

Eventually, I'd like a 100L HLT, but right now I have a 50L, which is going to be too small.

I figure I could heat all my strike and infusion additions in my 98L kettle. Then I only need my sparge liquor in the 50L as I can then drain the mash tun into the now empty kettle, and then drain sparge from the 50L HLT into the MT

BUT without a pump, for up to 15KG of grain, I'd need about 45L of strike. Which I can do in the 50L. Then its just a matter of bringing 55C water up to temp before its needed. I'm planning on getting an over-the-side element as well.

Or I could blend hot+boiling in the MT for strike. Few options

I guess the real trick is making do with only circa 45L of sparge liquor.

pre-boil max is about 92L.

15KG of grain absorbs, about 23.4L of water.

15KG of grain at 80% = 12KG of extract = 7.4L of extract.

Strike with say... 4L/KG = 60L, + 7.4L of extract = 67.4L of mash liquor, less 23.4L absorption = 44L run-off

+ 45L Sparge = 89L Pre-boil.


Need to top up a bit, or squeeze some more water in... I guess Mashout infusion would be the way to go.

...

Alternatively, strike with 3L/KG, then do a few infusions to get some more water in there along the way.

Have to wait until after christmas to upgrade the HLT

 

[mxd]

Pumps make brewing easy.

You can make do with smaller HLT's but it does make it a bit tighter on brew day. My HLT is only 82L, and I squeezed a 112L batch through the system today only using the HLT for hot water (finishing the boil soon). I need to mash in at a higher water/grain ratio to ensure I have enough sparge water (today I used 3.9:1). As soon as I mashed in, I refilled the HLT and fired up both elements. By the time I had a 60min mash and then ramped up to 77c mash out the HLT was ready. Are you going to use the 98L for the HLT?

QldKev

I heat the strike water in the MLT with the HERMS so I only need the HLT for sparge, and maybe a little top up

 

[punkin]

I have the 120l techni ice and do 84l batches. It is just barely big enough for a 6.5% beer using the brewmate software. Not so much for the mash, but a single batch sparge just allows me to close the lid without squeezing wort out.

Unless you are doing fly sparge i don't think 100l would do it using my process.

 

[QldKev]

I have the 120l techni ice and do 84l batches. It is just barely big enough for a 6.5% beer using the brewmate software. Not so much for the mash, but a single batch sparge just allows me to close the lid without squeezing wort out.

Unless you are doing fly sparge i don't think 100l would do it using my process.

Do you drain the mash tun before adding sparge water?

I almost had enough space today for my 112L batch @ 4% to fit in a single sparge.

 

[punkin]

Is that a serious question?

 

[mxd]

I have the 120l techni ice and do 84l batches. It is just barely big enough for a 6.5% beer using the brewmate software. Not so much for the mash, but a single batch sparge just allows me to close the lid without squeezing wort out.

Unless you are doing fly sparge i don't think 100l would do it using my process.

what's your efficency

 

[Helles]

But would you prefer a 100L of mashing capacity?

No its too much of one beer

 

[QldKev]

Is that a serious question?

Yes, some brewers don't drain it first. I'm not saying I understand their process. In Beersmith you even have an option you can select for it. The only other thing I can assume is you must have a thicker mash.