Just bought an 80 litre esky. What size batch can I make?

[Weizguy]

Just bought this second-hand Techni-Ice box on eBait. 80 litres capacity for $86 (plus freight) (edit for price)



Good price, I think, but not entirely compatible with a Brew bucket size fermentor.

Now what size batch can I make with it? Say O.G. of 1.050. (Feeling a bit too overwhelmed to work this out for myself).

I assume that I will lose heat more quickly if I only make a small batch (shallow grain bed) in this new mash tun, just like my current vessel

Thanks in advance.

 

[Blind Dog]

Not sure if this helps, but it looks a lot like the esky Nick R (aka the Barleyman) used in the Berlner Weisse thread (page 9) and IIRC that was a 46L barch

 

[MrChoat]

Nice score.

It might be time to do double batches. 1 50l mash, split into 2 boils in two pots, 2 standard size fermenters, and then you'll be able to experiment with different hops in the same wort.

Or start with a 50l mash aiming for 46l and get a 60l fermenter.

 

[Yob]

You will easily pull out 75l and 100g with a bit of effort, I run a similar esky and do this size, I pull out 3 cubes of 1050 wort without even thinking about it these days, if you go the cube option, it's so much easier to cube hop then just ferment as desired

 

[Weizguy]

Nice score.

It might be time to do double batches. 1 50l mash, split into 2 boils in two pots, 2 standard size fermenters, and then you'll be able to experiment with different hops in the same wort.

Or start with a 50l mash aiming for 46l and get a 60l fermenter.

Hmm, so I'll need another kettle and a burner? Yep, slippery slope... Lucky I have that 10 tap keezer in the works.

You will easily pull out 75l and 100g with a bit of effort, I run a similar esky and do this size, I pull out 3 cubes of 1050 wort without even thinking about it these days, if you go the cube option, it's so much easier to cube hop then just ferment as desired

I think I need to read more about this cube hopping. I assume 25 litre cubes? Can someone hook me up with a link re cube hopping. (yeah, I'm being a needy b!tch today. A lot on my mind, and more on the plastic). 2 more days until payday. Hope there's still some ANHC tickets remaining

 

[n87]

crash course in cube hopping:

put wort in cube
put hops in cube

that is all

prob research no chill/cubing, thats the part you have to get your head around.

 

[mxd]

I have an 80 ltr mlt and do 60 ltr batches for all things up to 1.065, so far never (touch wood) had to do 2 batch sarges. I run 3ltr per kg of grist.

 

[Weizguy]

So cube hopping for bitterness, aroma and flavour?

I have been no-chilling for years, so I understand that much, but cube hopping is new tech for me. (Not too keen on the no-brew method though - $$$)

And surely you put wort in the cube, as it's not beer yet?

Edit - Spelling

 

[Tahoose]

Or if you want to you could get the 15ltr cubes from bunnings. Then you can brew

1x 25 ltr cube + 1x 15ltr cube
Or
2 x 25 Ltrs
3 x 15ltrs

The options are endless.

I have one of those techni ice eskys, It literally keeps ice for a week.

They are the bomb.

I work put my cube hopping bitterness as a 20 min addition.

Which if you use brewmate works the same as a 6 min addition with the no chill box ticked.

 

[MrChoat]

Hmm, so I'll need another kettle and a burner? Yep, slippery slope... Lucky I have that 10 tap keezer in the works.

Ten taps?! Fook me sideways that'd be awesome. My two tap kegerator looks a bit sad with only two taps. Might have to find 2 more.

I know what you mean about slippery slope. I only started with extracts 3 months ago. Now there's a fridge, 7kegs, 140 bottles, 4 fermenters, 2 cubes, 3 sankes waiting for plumbing to be made into keggles, and a lot left on my shopping list.

What in the hell did we begin?

 

[n87]

So cube hopping for bitterness, aroma and flavour?

I have been no-chilling for years, so I understand that much, but cube hopping is new tech for me. (Not too keen on the no-brew method though - $$$)

And surely you put wort in the cube, as it's not beer yet?

well in that case...
Cube hopping adds bitterness and flavor, and a little aroma.

i am currently drinking a solely cube hopped DSGA. did a 40-50 min boil (i wasnt really counting... there were no kettle hops), threw 80g Amarillo in the cube, closed it up... done

 

[Weizguy]

My next question is how do I get this to me for under $50 postage (Ballina to Newcastle)?

 

[Cocko]

Fastway or couriers please should fall in that price - just cross your fingers nothing goes wrong as their customer support can only be laughed at IMO.

80L MT:

At my guess, you should mash at no less than 1.5L/kg. You also have to factor in displacement, which at a stab is 1L-1.5L per kilo, yeah?

So, a triple batch, say 15kg @ 1.5L per kg = 22.5L + 1.5L/per kg displacement = 45 Litres.

That said, you should check out this tool too: http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml


Above is all in theory, in practice, I run a 70L MT and can push about 18kg of grain into it at about 1.8:1

The real question is, what can your kettle handle?

 

[Yob]

So cube hopping for bitterness, aroma and flavour?

I have been no-chilling for years, so I understand that much, but cube hopping is new tech for me. (Not too keen on the no-brew method though - $$$)

And surely you put wort in the cube, as it's not beer yet?

Edit - Spelling

That's all it really is Les, hops in cube, rack wort to cube. I love it coz I can do 3 different beers on the same wort, however, I still do add a battering charge to the kettle, approx 1/3 total IBU for an IPA and 1/4 for an APA. I get **** all losses to the kettle now and if you do it right, **** all losses to the cube.

As a habitual no chiller, it suits my brewery down to the ground, one of my recent brews was an NZ Cascade / Amarillo and was that nice by itself I never got round to keg hopping it.

 

[Weizguy]

Fastway or couriers please should fall in that price - just cross your fingers nothing goes wrong as their customer support can only be laughed at IMO.

80L MT:

At my guess, you should mash at no less than 1.5L/kg. You also have to factor in displacement, which at a stab is 1L-1.5L per kilo, yeah?

So, a triple batch, say 15kg @ 1.5L per kg = 22.5L + 1.5L/per kg displacement = 45 Litres.

That said, you should check out this tool too: http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml


Above is all in theory, in practice, I run a 70L MT and can push about 18kg of grain into it at about 1.8:1

The real question is, what can your kettle handle?

Hey Cocko,

My kettle is a reclaimed 18 gallon keg, so it holds about 78 litres, so probably no bigger than a 65 litre boil (using boil-over insurance/ hop oil).

Looks like it's time to up-size my kettle equipment again.

 

[Cocko]

Does it ever end! ... So now you buy a massive kettle and realise your tun is too small... LOL!

Also, do not stress too much on the head space and temp loss, I used to run a techni-ice [style] ice box MT and that fecker would hold temp for days, regardless of grain height.

Never done it but people swear by a layer of foil on top of the grain bed to help too.

Keep us posted.

:icon_cheers:

 

[Weizguy]

Good to know about the heat retention. I'm sick and tired of the old Esky brand cooler and it loses a lot of heat, and very much needs to be at least half full of grain bed for heat retention.

I used to use foil on top of the grain bed, poked with a knife to create a random slotted pattern, as an aid to even the lautering of the grain bed, and discourage channeling.

 

[Weizguy]

I updated in another thread, but thought I should keep this thread going too, but a bit more detail:

The mash tun has been sitting around for a few months, and I felt the need to move ahead with this project, as I can't do much brewing due to flood inundation of my brew areas.
I bought a 3m coil of copper and the required number of T-joiners and 90° corners to assemble my manifold. I decided to go with 6 runners and as the total width is 350mm, that equates to 6 gaps of ~58mm each, including the 2 half gaps each side of the manifold to the mash tun wall. I cut the long runners ok with a hacksaw, but screwed up the calcs initially, and had to buy more copper for the pipe spacers.

*short side story - went to a large hardware chain, and they had no 1.5m straight lengths of 1/2"copper, but I was offered a 6m length for about $31. I decided it was the only way I could proceed. When I picked up the 6m length, it was a bit bent, so they guy at the counter (feeling some Friday late arvo benevolence) decreased the price to $25, and cut the 6m length into 3 X 2m lengths so I could get it in the car, and I had enough leftover change to buy a pipe cutter for under $9.
Pics:


Now I have some pipe (at cost) and a pipe cutter (free loan/hire) if anyone in Newie has a similar project planned...
Maybe I'll make a new manifold for the old Esky and sell it off cheap to an all-grainer who is looking for a introductory mash tun. (*I'll keep the old ill-fitting manifold, as it was gift from another AHBer ad now is brew memorabilia).

 

[user 36151]

off topic/Hi les im in Medowie also I have access to most pipeworking tools/off cuts ect if you get stuck drop us a message I tried to pm you but would not work
Cheers Troy

 

[Weizguy]

thanks for the offer, Troy. Manifold is OK so far, now to cut slots into it. Could be a lot of work...