What mash tun was your Dad using to brew AG in the 60’s? You mention using nylon stockings, were the stockings used as a grain bag as in what is known as BIAB these days?
AG! Worth it or not?
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Hi S.E. It was when I was only about 8 - 11 years old but this is what I remember. I would have to assist with some tasks.
We had a large wood fired copper in the laundry and a wood fired stove in the kitchen. We did swap over to gas during this time as well. My mums uncle ran a fish and chip shop and he had large stainless crab and prawn cooking pots that my dad would borrow for brew days. Water was heated in the copper boiler and mashing was done in one pot. He used to wrap it up with sleeping bags and his Taft jacket. It was just grain mash and not in a bag. He used a bed sheet to filter into another pot after the mash and tipped the grain into it to hang above the pot from the Hill's hoist to drain. I can't recall if he sparged or not but think I recall him hosing it while it was hanging up.
The nylon stocking and glass marbles were used to contain the hop flowers and keep them down during the boil which was done in the kitchen. After the boil, the lid was put on the pot and it was allowed to cool naturally overnight. It was a long day and the house smelled like a brewery.
When we moved house in early 1973, he had to move about 30 dozen bottles of beer I think. He is still alive at 89, so I can ask him about his process in more detail if you have any questions. I can remember him roasting and toasting grain and sprouting corn on the concrete floor of the garage using wet hessian potato sacks.
Decision day today. I need to decide whether to order the 10 gallon Ss Brewtech Mash Tun for $299 + $100 delivery, today, or go with the 65 Litre Digimash conversion kit (malt pipe) for $153 + delivery with no time pressure. What would you do?
"A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of regret avoided"
Stretch the cash now to what you really want, rather than forever regretting the compromise. SS Brewtech is good gear.
Stretch the cash now to what you really want, rather than forever regretting the compromise. SS Brewtech is good gear.
Love everything about this. Just amazing imagery.
I do like the idea of the separate and dedicated MT, and it is no doubt a nice piece of kit. Plus, its reduced by $500 (today is last day at this price) so it is a good opportunity that may not be repeated any time soon. However, due to the space factor and the requirement for gas to boil, I'm also quite liking the idea of the single vessel option of the 65 litre electric Digimash. I already have the Digiboil and I also have a 10-gallon Nano boil kettle so I could go either way really.
I have a mash tun already, one of those rubberised kegs that has been converted with false bottom and plumbing etc, but it isn't really size matched being smaller. I have 2 actually if you count my original homemade Esky unit. I've got a smaller insulated boil pot as well, again with plumbing that was used for single vessel BIAB. I have a Kegland pump and loads of threaded stainless fittings, TC / sanitary fittings and silicon hoses, sight glass, ball valves, a cooling coil etc, etc. I've been buying up anything I see that is close to home and cheap, so, I have enough here to do all grain today if I wanted.
The $400 it would cost to get the SS B InfuSsion delivered to my door is the same as a guy wants for a grubby one (incomplete) on Marketplace and its 2 hours away.
I have a mash tun already, one of those rubberised kegs that has been converted with false bottom and plumbing etc, but it isn't really size matched being smaller. I have 2 actually if you count my original homemade Esky unit. I've got a smaller insulated boil pot as well, again with plumbing that was used for single vessel BIAB. I have a Kegland pump and loads of threaded stainless fittings, TC / sanitary fittings and silicon hoses, sight glass, ball valves, a cooling coil etc, etc. I've been buying up anything I see that is close to home and cheap, so, I have enough here to do all grain today if I wanted.
The $400 it would cost to get the SS B InfuSsion delivered to my door is the same as a guy wants for a grubby one (incomplete) on Marketplace and its 2 hours away.
I was never afraid to do home brew once I left home in 1979 as an 18-year-old because I'd seen it done and assisted many times in my childhood. I gave it away after a few years because I became busy with work and was not drinking much due to having a young family of my own. I then started brewing again when I had time in around 2010 or 2011, which is when I joined this forum initially. We were living elsewhere at that time, and I stopped again for a while when we moved back to our own home because I wasn't set up. I then re-started just a few years ago. I'll probably be doing this for some time now, so this is why I'm looking at setting up with better gear at the moment.
TwoCrows
Well-Known Member
I get 75 % eff out of the brewzilla 65ltr all day long. Then I transfer to the 65ltr Digiboil to boil the wort. Digiboil is the sparge water and boil kettle. Very happy. 38 ltrs strike water in mash 25 ltrs sparge, boil off and 2 x 22 ltr cubes and 1x or 2x 1 ltrs cubes.
It's worth it.
I've been brewing AG now for 18 years, and continue to use the same 3V budget set up since my first brew. Does it make good beer? You bet it does. I buy base malt in 25kg sacks, and specialty malts as needed. Hops are stored in the kitchen freezer (not that mrs philrob is overly enamoured of this, but as I am the chief cook at home, it's part of my domain anyway).
For me, it's about quality and character of the beer I brew. I've never been a fan of regular big brewery beers, so to drink the beers I want I need to brew them myself. I know these days we can buy a huge variety of craft and imported beers, but as I'm retired and living on my own resources, I need to be somewhat careful in spending my hard earned dollars. For example, a recent brew I did was a Belgian Dubbel, and I consider it one of the best beers I've brewed. For the cost of about $1.50 for a 750 ml longneck, compared to anywhere around $10 for a 330ml imported one, it's no contest.
Doesn't stop me drooling over all the modern SS gear etc, but my equipment will see me out.
I've been brewing AG now for 18 years, and continue to use the same 3V budget set up since my first brew. Does it make good beer? You bet it does. I buy base malt in 25kg sacks, and specialty malts as needed. Hops are stored in the kitchen freezer (not that mrs philrob is overly enamoured of this, but as I am the chief cook at home, it's part of my domain anyway).
For me, it's about quality and character of the beer I brew. I've never been a fan of regular big brewery beers, so to drink the beers I want I need to brew them myself. I know these days we can buy a huge variety of craft and imported beers, but as I'm retired and living on my own resources, I need to be somewhat careful in spending my hard earned dollars. For example, a recent brew I did was a Belgian Dubbel, and I consider it one of the best beers I've brewed. For the cost of about $1.50 for a 750 ml longneck, compared to anywhere around $10 for a 330ml imported one, it's no contest.
Doesn't stop me drooling over all the modern SS gear etc, but my equipment will see me out.
This is really good to know. I may live to regret it, but I think I'll let the Mash Tun go. Without the$100 delivery, I'd have it already. It's 1 box and it isn't that heavy. I can't see $100 value there from Brisbane to Sydney.
I've just been looking at this again. Buying just the MT alone does not appear to be all that is required, and I'm not sure it can be used as shipped. There is a list of accessories that go with it. The Essentials kit. You don't get much for $63.95 but apparently you need it. Nice would be the Recirculation kit for another $185.95 and the Sparge Arm for $59 and then apparently you need the 1/2" to 3/8" MT Bulkead Fitting for another $12. Total $639.90 plus delivery.
Edit. It can be used as is. Nothing else required as I already have the stuff in the Essentials Pack anyway. Very helpful discussion with the young bloke at the shop. Recirc kit out of stock anyway.
Edit. It can be used as is. Nothing else required as I already have the stuff in the Essentials Pack anyway. Very helpful discussion with the young bloke at the shop. Recirc kit out of stock anyway.
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Well, at the risk of possibly ending up with 2 of these, I've just ordered the MT and Sparge Arm. A big thank you to everybody for input and Ss Brewtech Australia. They couldn't have been more helpful and worked out the delivery fee for the Sparge Arm, plus extra discount. You have about 6 hours if you want one for yourself at $500 off regular price and $40 off the Sparge Arm.
Interesting that they told me a lot of people are heading towards single vessel brewing, so I could easily have gone the other way. No pressure and was completely my decision in the end.
Interesting that they told me a lot of people are heading towards single vessel brewing, so I could easily have gone the other way. No pressure and was completely my decision in the end.
I think you scored. Congrats.
The SSBT mash tuns are nice, especially their newer TC versions, and the pure flow valves, despite never laying my hands on one look like a perfect solution to a simple problem.
Are you planning on using a pump or just gravity feeding back into the Digiboil? Or using your 10gal kettle somehow?
(edit: sorry i did just read you had a pump)
I ask for a couple of reasons:
Sparge. Being able to separate sparge water to slowly draw off whilst keeping an even amount of water over the grain bed is good, but not essential. This will help with efficiency/cost which was the original point of this thread.
Vorlauf (recirculating through the grain bed so when you transfer you don't end up with grain in the kettle) helps with ending up with too much protein in the kettle/fermenter, which (arguably. Lots of conflicting research) isn't great for the wort. Also, if you ever plan on using a plate chiller, it's imperative to have as little particulate as possible to stop clogging. This will also help with efficiency.
Weight. I have the 20 gal SSBT MT. Its heavy. When full of wet grain, even a 7kg grain bill, I can't (shouldn't) lift it. SSBT don't seem to post the weights of these products anywhere, but I guarantee you'll be surprised, even with the 10 gal. More than likely it contributed to your shipping cost.
I worry mainly that if you're going to have to have it up high to gravity feed it's going to be hazardous to empty. You can obviously climb a ladder/milkcrate and scoop it out manually, but that will be tiresome, and you'll probably still have to lift it down/up to clean it.
Also, as it seems this is your first foray into AG, make sure you have a plan for your spent grain. It will have maggots in 36 hours if you leave it out. Chickens don't really eat it, or at least not in the quantities you'll be producing it. Livestock will but we don't all have those handy. Compost is great but if its enclosed compost it will ferment in there so hot it'll kill your worms. You can obviously bin it but that circulates back on that you'll have maggots in 36 hours. Don't want to put you off, but something to think about.
Also if you don't have 1, get a wall socket timer so you can preheat your sparge/mash water overnight. AG brew days can be surprisingly long, and you will always need more hot water than you think. Ideally when you've finished sparging, the grain bed is still covered in water, so that might be 20L+ more than you think you'll need per batch, and sparging with a kitchen kettle is a PITA. World commercial average is 4-6L of water used per 1L of beer produced. Obviously that's not all sparging loss but it does make you think.
So fill that 65L up and get it heating.
EDIT:
OH. Forgot to write this.
These SSBT mash tuns seal TIGHT. Make sure when you're draining the mash tun you take off the lid, or disconnect the connection to the multifunction top side inlet. You can 100% implode your vessel if you drain it without some kind of pressure relief. Even a 2cm drop in fluid level in the MLT and I struggle to get the lid off.
Just be careful. Stainless just doesn't look as good when its crinkled.
The SSBT mash tuns are nice, especially their newer TC versions, and the pure flow valves, despite never laying my hands on one look like a perfect solution to a simple problem.
Are you planning on using a pump or just gravity feeding back into the Digiboil? Or using your 10gal kettle somehow?
(edit: sorry i did just read you had a pump)
I ask for a couple of reasons:
Sparge. Being able to separate sparge water to slowly draw off whilst keeping an even amount of water over the grain bed is good, but not essential. This will help with efficiency/cost which was the original point of this thread.
Vorlauf (recirculating through the grain bed so when you transfer you don't end up with grain in the kettle) helps with ending up with too much protein in the kettle/fermenter, which (arguably. Lots of conflicting research) isn't great for the wort. Also, if you ever plan on using a plate chiller, it's imperative to have as little particulate as possible to stop clogging. This will also help with efficiency.
Weight. I have the 20 gal SSBT MT. Its heavy. When full of wet grain, even a 7kg grain bill, I can't (shouldn't) lift it. SSBT don't seem to post the weights of these products anywhere, but I guarantee you'll be surprised, even with the 10 gal. More than likely it contributed to your shipping cost.
I worry mainly that if you're going to have to have it up high to gravity feed it's going to be hazardous to empty. You can obviously climb a ladder/milkcrate and scoop it out manually, but that will be tiresome, and you'll probably still have to lift it down/up to clean it.
Also, as it seems this is your first foray into AG, make sure you have a plan for your spent grain. It will have maggots in 36 hours if you leave it out. Chickens don't really eat it, or at least not in the quantities you'll be producing it. Livestock will but we don't all have those handy. Compost is great but if its enclosed compost it will ferment in there so hot it'll kill your worms. You can obviously bin it but that circulates back on that you'll have maggots in 36 hours. Don't want to put you off, but something to think about.
Also if you don't have 1, get a wall socket timer so you can preheat your sparge/mash water overnight. AG brew days can be surprisingly long, and you will always need more hot water than you think. Ideally when you've finished sparging, the grain bed is still covered in water, so that might be 20L+ more than you think you'll need per batch, and sparging with a kitchen kettle is a PITA. World commercial average is 4-6L of water used per 1L of beer produced. Obviously that's not all sparging loss but it does make you think.
So fill that 65L up and get it heating.
EDIT:
OH. Forgot to write this.
These SSBT mash tuns seal TIGHT. Make sure when you're draining the mash tun you take off the lid, or disconnect the connection to the multifunction top side inlet. You can 100% implode your vessel if you drain it without some kind of pressure relief. Even a 2cm drop in fluid level in the MLT and I struggle to get the lid off.
Just be careful. Stainless just doesn't look as good when its crinkled.
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All great stuff to know, so thanks Unslaven. I asked and the 10 gallon MT weighs about 11 - 12 kg empty. I will be hopefully positioning the 3 vats in such a way to make transfers and cleaning as easy as possible. The boil pot, if used, will be gas heated so it will be lower and possibly gravity fed. I am still considering going back into the digiboil and only using 2 vessels. I'm setting up from scratch so this was all good to know.
I have done AG before using homemade esky MT and 2 20 litre SS boil pots.
The recirculation manifold kit, which includes the vorlauf and other fittings is currently out of stock, but I do hope to acquire it later. Hopefully the sparge arm will do for starters.
My wife has a couple of horses but I'm not sure she'll want feed them too much cooked barley. I have enough land to dispose of spent grain and a couple of large composting areas so that should be OK. I'm not in a suburban area.
Edit: I added the threaded bulkhead fitting to my order yesterday, which replaces the multifunction top 3/4" TC connection inlet and allows retrofitting of other threaded fixtures. I don't have any 3/4" TC fittings of clamps but I do have loads of threaded stuff. Not sure if I'll need to use it or not but at least I can cap it to prevent heat loss via that port.
I have done AG before using homemade esky MT and 2 20 litre SS boil pots.
The recirculation manifold kit, which includes the vorlauf and other fittings is currently out of stock, but I do hope to acquire it later. Hopefully the sparge arm will do for starters.
My wife has a couple of horses but I'm not sure she'll want feed them too much cooked barley. I have enough land to dispose of spent grain and a couple of large composting areas so that should be OK. I'm not in a suburban area.
Edit: I added the threaded bulkhead fitting to my order yesterday, which replaces the multifunction top 3/4" TC connection inlet and allows retrofitting of other threaded fixtures. I don't have any 3/4" TC fittings of clamps but I do have loads of threaded stuff. Not sure if I'll need to use it or not but at least I can cap it to prevent heat loss via that port.
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Hangover68
Well-Known Member
About the only add on i would like to make to my home made electric brew kettle is a re-circulation pump, i just bought a mesh grain basket from cheaky peak on clearance sale so the bag is gone otherwise i don't see any value in these electric all in one units.
One thing i need to get back working on is a 70ltr asian noodle cooker i picked up during covid for free but it needs a 15a socket( converted to10a for now) to make use of the 3 elements, i then i can do double split batches.
Also just built a 6x6m shed so will be making a dedicated are for brewing.
One thing i need to get back working on is a 70ltr asian noodle cooker i picked up during covid for free but it needs a 15a socket( converted to10a for now) to make use of the 3 elements, i then i can do double split batches.
Also just built a 6x6m shed so will be making a dedicated are for brewing.
I have the manifold, the sparge arm, and the vorlauf fitting.
The manifold is still in plastic. If it floated it would work for me, but not sitting on the bed.
The sparge arm I used 3 times before deciding it wasn't worth the extra cleaning. Because flow rate was so low, I found it just dribbled during sparge anyway, got clogged easily so couldn't be used for vorlauf, and sat too high above most grain beds thus caused channelling. Its still attached to the vessel, so I might try it again.
The vorlauf fitting basically lives in place and gets used for everything except when I swap it to a spray ball, and TBH it kind of works for that anyway. Its not perfect for sparge, but it's not much worse than the others.
I wouldn't worry about the extras just yet. they're nice to haves, but far from essential. A simple silicone hose with or without holes punched through it is fine. just lay it atop the bed.
Also please make sure you got my late added info above about vessel implosion. Its seriously a thing.
The manifold is still in plastic. If it floated it would work for me, but not sitting on the bed.
The sparge arm I used 3 times before deciding it wasn't worth the extra cleaning. Because flow rate was so low, I found it just dribbled during sparge anyway, got clogged easily so couldn't be used for vorlauf, and sat too high above most grain beds thus caused channelling. Its still attached to the vessel, so I might try it again.
The vorlauf fitting basically lives in place and gets used for everything except when I swap it to a spray ball, and TBH it kind of works for that anyway. Its not perfect for sparge, but it's not much worse than the others.
I wouldn't worry about the extras just yet. they're nice to haves, but far from essential. A simple silicone hose with or without holes punched through it is fine. just lay it atop the bed.
Also please make sure you got my late added info above about vessel implosion. Its seriously a thing.
I looked at those baskets.
Yes. I read that and paid close attention. Thanks again. The thing I found good about dealing SsBT Aust (Gary) was that he actually didn't try to convince me to buy extra stuff. Quite the opposite, but I thought the Sparge Arm would be useful. Maybe not. The Vorlauf fitting is available separately, but I thought it was better value to get the recirc kit. Maybe not. Well, it is better value than the sum of the components, but is it required? From what you say, probably not.
So now a grain mill! MashMaster fluted ($400) or MaltMuncher knurled 2 Roller ($86) or 3 Roller ($162)? I know which is the better machine, but the question is, does the 2-roller knurled unit do the job? Because you can buy nearly 5 of them or 2 of the 3-roller model for near the price of 1 fluted roller unit.
I know where I can possibly get a Mashmaster for $250 not far from home, maybe less if I haggle, but it still raises the same question. Plus, I don't know how much use it's had or if it's been looked after. Does it matter?
How many of you are using the $86 item? Does it do the job?
I know where I can possibly get a Mashmaster for $250 not far from home, maybe less if I haggle, but it still raises the same question. Plus, I don't know how much use it's had or if it's been looked after. Does it matter?
How many of you are using the $86 item? Does it do the job?
I'm still on whatever the cheapest kegland/king one is. It came to me well used. I made a larger hopper for it, which made it much more usable. The mill works fine except the times that it doesn't. Hasn't got stuck in the last 50kg though. Gap setting has not changed in 4 years, and my utilisation efficiency is about 95%, and im not having trouble with stuck mashes. Seems fine to me. Nothing about this is best practice.
If I was going to upgrade, I'd be looking for automation, but for the price of a spike I could employ a child from down the street, and pay for ubers to and from their house.
I can't get excited about a mill. Maybe I should buy a set of grist seives to show me how bad my grind is.
If I was going to upgrade, I'd be looking for automation, but for the price of a spike I could employ a child from down the street, and pay for ubers to and from their house.
I can't get excited about a mill. Maybe I should buy a set of grist seives to show me how bad my grind is.
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