Electiric Powered Mixing Mash Tun

[Swinging Beef]

My old reliable 40litre rubber maid mash tun is showing signs of ware and will need to be replaced soon. I would like to make double batches and am considering my options.

With the efficiency gains that we now understand come from a constantly stirred mash, I was looking at making a mash tun out of a small electric cement mixer I have got my hands on.
The insides are not stainless, but are spotlessly clean from the abrasion of sand and agregate, and I figure that so long as I keep the unit properly cleaned, that a small 200 litre cement mixer would make a good constant stirring mash tun.

What Im wondering is how would you look to drain this unit during sparge?
Should I get a permenantly fitted false bottom on the unit installed, or should I look to building a small copper manifold like I have on the old 40 litre one.

Im keen on your thoughts on this proposal.

 

[Sammus]

I reckon it sounds like an awesome idea, do it! There could be a problem keeping heat in without a lid or insulation, would it be possible to direct fire it for little spurts of heat every now and then? Is the metal food grade?

 

[raven19]

SB, can you simply 'clip on' a false bottom over the opening of the mixer when its time to drain the MT, then rotate the unit and drain it into your kettle underneath?

Then have some kind of sparge water inlet in the base near the gear teeth if possible...?

Cant see there being a major issue in regards to material, you could surely get some suitable epoxy lining that is food safe for the inside?

Bring on some piccies!

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I wouldn't - iron is about the worst (non poisonous) ion you can introduce to your brewing. It messes up all manner of the brewing chemistry and is flavour active at very low levels. So as much as it might be kinda cool - i think using a steel, but not stainless tun is a really bad idea. You could perhaps get some food grade epoxy and paint the inside of the mixer though. That would pretty much solve the problem.

In the vast majority of cases - constantly stirred mash tuns dont have false bottoms, sparging facilities etc, because they aren't combined mash/lauter vessels. Just straight mash vessels and the mash is transferred to a separate tun for lautering.

Conceptually - a cement mixer would be pretty cool at doing the job - you could even arrange a burner under the bowl so that you could add heat for temp maintenance/steps. Then just tip it into your lauter tun in the same way you would tip out cement.

Now if you could manage to make your lauter tun out of a wheelbarrow.....

 

[bum]

Now if you could manage to make your lauter tun out of a wheelbarrow.....

Did anyone else just picture the back of a ute as a Yorkie Square? Just me? :unsure: Oh well.

A man can dream.

 

[MHB]

If you want to get creative, Flamingo in Sydney have a SS Concrete mixer, but I think they start around 2.5K
MHB

 

[mje1980]

Darren, if you get it going, there would have to be a few rules to adhere to while brewing.

1.) You'd have to wear stubbies, a singlet, and dirty concrete covered steel cappers.

2.) You'd have to have a dog.

3.) You'd have to swear a lot.

4.) You'd have to complain about your bad back at least twice every hour.

5.) You'd have to have a 5 tonne truck with timbers and shovels etc thrown loosely in the back, preferably parked on your storm water inspection pipe, and halfway hanging out on the road at a weird traffic obstructing angle.

6.) You'd have to drink 45 beers while brewing, but look completely sober.


Follow those golden rules and the beer will turn out awesome.