Hlt And Lauter Tun

[Siborg]

I just had a quick look at these from Grain and Grape (Melb)

20L Lauter Tun - $69.95

25L Sparge Vessel/ HLT - $110

I want to get into AG and partials (more AG, though) and want to do single 20-23L batches. Would these be any good for what I want to do? I reckon their cheap enough for my budget and would save me a heap of stuffing around. I reckon its great that the $110 one has an element already in it. I could buy myself a thermostat and I could keep it at a steady temp for mashing/sparging.

Thoughts?

 

[mxd]

I think it will be fine, only single batch and you need more stuff, another option would be a BIAB with a 40 ltr urn.

 

[Siborg]

I think it will be fine, only single batch and you need more stuff, another option would be a BIAB with a 40 ltr urn.

Couldn't I, in theory, use that $110 for BIAB? Just hook it up to a decent thermostat and keep it at desired BIAB temps. Do you reckon the plastic tub would melt if wort were boiled in it?

 

[seemax]

25L is a bit small for BIAB... you need preboil volume + grain volume... consider a 40L urn (Crown/Birko) for $250ish.

As for boiling wort in a plastic pail.... are you serious?

You can find 30L+ pots in ebay pretty cheap or asian grocery stuffs in big cities. Also consider an old esky as a mash tun.

 

[mxd]

I need around 35 ltrs in my urn for a biab

rough estimates

5 ltrs trub
20 ltrs cube
7 ltrs boil evaporation
3 ltrs soaked in grain

 

[Siborg]

25L is a bit small for BIAB... you need preboil volume + grain volume... consider a 40L urn (Crown/Birko) for $250ish.

As for boiling wort in a plastic pail.... are you serious?

well, I dunno, I'd probably be doing smaller batches, initially. Although $250 seems reasonable for that size urn.

Boiling in a plastic pail, yeah I thought it was a bit strange too. *pictures this melting plastic kettle full of wort*... mmm plastic beer!

 

[Simon66]

Head down to G&G on Saturday 27th Feb from 10pm and Paul will use both items (well he did 3 weeks ago)

I have just got one of the lauter vessels and used it for the first time last weekend and it worked fine. I was quite pleased.

I mashed in a 38 litre aluminium stock pot (insulated with a sleeping, pot $49 special Home Hardware) for the required time then carefully transferred it to lauter vessel to avoid oxidising the mash. This is how Paul at G&G did it and it worked fine for me.

My hot liquor tank was not ready for the first batch so I just used another bucket and added the heated water to that in stages. However I was tempted to go with theirs but I already had the bits I needed for my own HLT,

Cheers

Simon

A couple of pictures from last weekend.

Insulted mash tun!


Fly sparging to brew pot using the G&G lauter vessel (brew pot 50 litre SS $95 from Aussie Disposals, $55 weld-less SS ball valve installed free by my brother)

 

[Siborg]

Head down to G&G on Saturday 27th Feb from 10pm and Paul will use both items (well he did 3 weeks ago)

I have just got one of the lauter vessels and used it for the first time last weekend and it worked fine. I was quite pleased.

I mashed in a 38 litre aluminium stock pot (insulated with a sleeping, pot $49 special Home Hardware) for the required time then carefully transferred it to lauter vessel to avoid oxidising the mash. This is how Paul at G&G did it and it worked fine for me.

My hot liquor tank was not ready for the first batch so I just used another bucket and added the heated water to that in stages. However I was tempted to go with theirs but I already had the bits I needed for my own HLT,

Cheers

Simon

A couple of pictures from last weekend.

Insulted mash tun!
View attachment 35837

Fly sparging to brew pot using the G&G lauter vessel (brew pot 50 litre SS $95 from Aussie Disposals, $55 weld-less SS ball valve installed free by my brother)
View attachment 35838

Cool. So what would the HLT replace in your process, and do you reckon their plastic one would work?

 

[Simon66]

Cool. So what would the HLT replace in your process, and do you reckon their plastic one would work?

More stable/safer brew stand to start. HLT will be a 19 litre Big W SS pot ($12 special) with brass ball valve installed ($20 for valve, threaded brass tube, heat resistant washer and nut). This will just sits on a small gas burner I already have. (I am lucky I have family who can cut holes in stainless steel).

However In future I may install one of these http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...em=320485887663 with a thermostat (wiring done by another family member). However if I did not already have the above gear I would have went with the G&G option after seeing in operation.

Cheers

Simon

 

[Wolfy]

I want to get into AG and partials (more AG, though) and want to do single 20-23L batches. Would these be any good for what I want to do? I reckon their cheap enough for my budget and would save me a heap of stuffing around.

The main advantage the items you've linked is they are pre-built so do save any DIY or stuffing around.
However, for about the same price, an esky mash tun (50-60l) with a steel braid (or slotted copper pipe) would be a better choice IMHO, it does however require a bit of DIY work.
While a new 40l urn is about double the price of the HLT linked, you can pick them up on ebay for a bit less, and if it was me, I'd prefer a nice sturdy metal urn rather then a heated plastic bucket.

 

[pmolou]

hey I'm in a similar boat trying to organize buying gear to go AG, and was thinking of getting a similar set-up to how they do it at G&G

and had a few questions like, how did you transfer the mash into the bucket with the false bottom?
And when mashing in a heating container (ie. pot or urn) do you simply hit strike temperature then leave it in a sleeping bag or do you continually have the gas on a very low temp or constantly re-heat it up? And how important is a mash-out if you use an esky?
And how do you get a hole drilled into your pot, because i was looking at G&G and there pots are as expensive as an Urn and that without the burner!

Lots of questions I know haha :lol:

any help would be great