Mash Setup Info Please...

[Mackay_4740]

Ok soIhavebeenbrewingforaproximatlyayearandahalf(onlykits).Soforthe
past6monthsIhavebeenwantingtoupgradetomashbrewing due to the cost and because I was uncertain weather the extra cost and effort was truely worth while I have been hesitant towards making the transition. I supose if I knew someone that was mashing at least I would havebeenabletoanswerifalltheeffortisworthit. I have thought about buying a fresh wort kit but im not sure if thats going to show me the true home mashing brew quallity since it is created using comercial equiptment.

In an attempt to avoid the hefty mash system prices I have seen so far, I thought I might buildone myselfsoIwouldapriciateanyinfo/tips
towards my next project
​

​

 

[lokpikn]

g day mackay

fill in your area info and maybe there will be some one in you local area who can show you how its done on a brew day.

There is heaps of info on this site it will just take some time for you to search it all out.

Have a look at some of the pics in the gallery it may help as well.

 

[Tyred]

Do a search for BIAB. Helps keep the costs down and may give you an idea of what you're letting yourself in for.

Another possibility (if you don't want to get a big pot) is to do 1/2 size batches.

Putting in your area is important as it is likely that there will be another brewer in your area so you can check out what is required and probably even get to watch a complete AG brew being done.

 

[braufrau]

Here's my bucket in bucket tun.

If it didn't have such a fancy tap it would have been cheap to make.

 

[beernography]

That looks like a work of (cheap, effective, well designed) art Braufrau. I like the idea you could get some sort of winching system to lift it out or someshit and it stays rigid unlike a bag.

 

[Mackay_4740]

thanx for the quick replies... ive listened to the advise and updated my location
I't would be gr8 if there are some local mash brewers but I wont hold my breath...the odd's are not good even the local home brew shop doesnt sell anythingtowardsthisissuemoretowardsbasickits,disstillingequiptmentand
letsnotforgetthemostimportantt-shirtscauseyouneedtolookgoodwhilebrewing..

braufrau that does look like a very cheap bucket tunand exactlythesortofthingimlookingfor....Ihopetobuildmyselfacheapmash

systemtotryoutacoupleoftimesifIcananswerthequestionabove"isitworththeextraeffortand$"thenIwillupgradetoabetter
unit at least thats the plan..

 

[Screwtop]

thanx for the quick replies... ive listened to the advise and updated my location
I't would be gr8 if there are some local mash brewers but I wont hold my breath...the odd's are not good even the local home brew shop doesnt sell anythingtowardsthisissuemoretowardsbasickits,disstillingequiptmentand
letsnotforgetthemostimportantt-shirtscauseyouneedtolookgoodwhilebrewing..

braufrau that does look like a very cheap bucket tunand exactlythesortofthingimlookingfor....Ihopetobuildmyselfacheapmash

systemtotryoutacoupleoftimesifIcananswerthequestionabove"isitworththeextraeffortand${:content:}quot;thenIwillupgradetoabetter
unit at least thats the plan..

Pretty sure Fixa is from Mackay, maybe he's been busy keeping dry

 

[Julez]

Ok so I have been brewing for aproximatly a year and a half (only kits). So for the
past 6 months I have been wanting to upgrade to mash brewing due to the cost and because I was uncertain weather the extra cost and effort was truely worth while I have been hesitant towards making the transition. I supose if I knew someone that was mashing at least I would have been able to answer if all the effort is worth it. I have thought about buying a fresh wort kit but im not sure if thats going to show me the true home mashing brew quallity since it is created using comercial equiptment.

In an attempt to avoid the hefty mash system prices I have seen so far, I thought I might build one myself so I would apriciate any info/tips
towards my next project
​

​

I think it depends what your goals and objectives are. If you just want to make good beer but you aren't so worried about being too traditional with regards to technique/process, then maybe a BIAB setup might suit, as one of the other guys suggested. Depending what you have lying around the house already, you may already have half the equipment there (most people have an esky lying around somewhere). I first started out my AG research about three months ago and it took me that whole time to work out my own system. Did my first brew last weekend and loved every minute of it! Different people will give you vastly different suggestions. At the end of the day, you need to read as much as possible, check out this site and others like it and if you can get some hands on experience, that would help enormously. http://www.howtobrew.com is a great site for starting out too. I used that, in conjuntion with the Ray Daniels book "Desigining Great beers". The howtobrew site was great for more practical info (and some straight forward theory), whereas the Daniels book goes much more into the maths and chemistry if you want to work it all out for yourself (much more heavy going). So my advice is study, study, study and work out what you want to achieve with it all. There is so much info out there, it can be overwhelming, so choosing one or two main sources keeps things a bit more easy to digest. Of course, at some point, you just have to give it a go!! And with some ingenuity and a bit of DIY, you can do it relatively cheaply to start off with.

Good luck! :icon_cheers:

 

[braufrau]

That looks like a work of (cheap, effective, well designed) art Braufrau. I like the idea you could get some sort of winching system to lift it out or someshit and it stays rigid unlike a bag.

You don't need a winch. It doesn't go in a pot. Its a zapap mash tun ...

aka "bucket in bucket".

The "holey" bucket goes in the one with the tap. Grain and water goes in the top.
I sit it on a bit of foam and cover it with doonas to keep it warm.
Then I put it up on a kiddies chair to drain it into the kettle, or a bucket that I fill the kettle with.
Low tech but it works.
Its light when its drained so I just carry the whole tun out to the compost bin and empty it.
I get good efficiency too. 72-75%.

My mash process is
heat 2.5l/kg of 80C water to 80C. Put in mash tun, add grain, stir. Cover with lid and doonas. Wait 60mins.
Add 1l/kg of 100C water. Stir. Wait 20mins. Recirculate. Drain slowly (I aim for 1l/min).
Add sparge water at 76C. Stir. Wait 3 mins. Recirculate. Drain slowly.
Let the boil begin!

The other popular way to make a mash tun is braided hose in an esky.
linky

 

[braufrau]

Oh .. and the answer to your question is yes its worth it. AG involves boiling and mashing.
You can get the boiling effect with extract. Boil unhopped extract and add hops for bittering, flavour and aroma.
Suddenly you have a much better brew than you could get with kits (and you don't need a mash tun or even a very big pot) and you have
control over the recipe and you're making beer that tastes like real beer. (Please don't flame me AGers) Don't get me wrong, my kit brews weren't bad. No twang etc. But they weren't anywhere near as good as my first extract brew.

But then you say "hmmm I really want some melanoiden malt and that has to be mashed!"
So then you need a tun. Now you have control over your malt bill and you can control other aspects like the fermentability of the wort and
mouth feel, to some extent. Now you have beer that you are really proud to share with your mates.

I arrived at doing big partials by a series of "yeah but its not quite there is it?".
Kits led to extract brew, led to partials, led to bigger partials. Now I am very happy with my beer but I would have to make a big outlay to go AG.
While I would like to have that last bit of control over my beer, but the outlay does not justify the effect that would have on my beer.

And if you think this is all subjective .. yes it is. But when I say to HWMBO ... I'm sick of these long brew days I'm going back to kits he exclaims
"don't do that!!!". So yeah, it makes a difference.

 

[crozdog]

Buying a fresh wort kit WILL give you a good idea of what a well made all grain brew tastes like. Note your sanitatin and temperature control practices are just as important (if not more so) with AG or FWK brewing as they are with K&K. After all you don't want to spoil something you've put your heart, soul amd 5 hours into.

BIAB has gained momentum & appears to be making good beers easily. it is probably the easiest and cheapest way to get into AG brewing. BIAB does not require you to make a tun, just visit Spotlight to buy some Swiss Voille.

Regardless of whether you decide to go BIAB or make a TUN, you will need a pot to boil in. I suggest you get the biggest pot you can find/afford/make. Many here use converted keg shape vessels. Quite a few find that a 70-80l pot gives them much flexibility.

The other thing you will need is a method to heat. This can be either gas or electric.

This site has a wealth of info on BIAB, tun making, gas burners etc etc. search, lurk, trawl and ask questions. As suggested, see if you can attend someones AG brew day to get a handle on how things go - it'll answer more questions than you don't yet know you want to ask :huh:

Enjoy your journey

 

[Steve]

Get yourself a 15-20 litre aluminium pot from Go-Lo for $13 or a cheap foam esky from woolies and start off with doing partial mashes. Couple of kilos of grain, can of unhopped malt, some hops, sieve and a thermometer. Bloody simple. Once you've done a couple of those you'll be searching for your all grain equipment because you'll be hooked. Go for it. This is what I used when starting partial mashes:

http://www.elogicmedia.com.au/homebrew/

and

http://www.grumpys.com.au/m1.php3?manualid=15

Cheers
Steve

 

[Mackay_4740]

thanx for the info and advise.... I will have to try out stevessystemsimplybecauseIhaveeverythingIneedforthefirst
brewbartheingrediants which i will soon take care of. Hopefully it will turn out as good as I expect, im sure I get a
lot of enjoyment from brewing a partial mash beer and perhaps spark up a full mash bug at least I hope so...

btw I have located a local homebrew supplier that sells everything thats I need for my first few brews... they only sell grains in small quantitiesbutthatsallIneedforabatchortwo

 

[Steve]

I will have to try out stevessystem

not my system...just a link I was given when I was wanting to start partials. Have fun with your first partial. Let us now how it goes and what you make.
Cheers
Steve

 

[petesbrew]

You don't need a winch. It doesn't go in a pot. Its a zapap mash tun ...

aka "bucket in bucket".

The "holey" bucket goes in the one with the tap. Grain and water goes in the top.
I sit it on a bit of foam and cover it with doonas to keep it warm.
Then I put it up on a kiddies chair to drain it into the kettle, or a bucket that I fill the kettle with.
Low tech but it works.
Its light when its drained so I just carry the whole tun out to the compost bin and empty it.
I get good efficiency too. 72-75%.

My mash process is
heat 2.5l/kg of 80C water to 80C. Put in mash tun, add grain, stir. Cover with lid and doonas. Wait 60mins.
Add 1l/kg of 100C water. Stir. Wait 20mins. Recirculate. Drain slowly (I aim for 1l/min).
Add sparge water at 76C. Stir. Wait 3 mins. Recirculate. Drain slowly.
Let the boil begin!

The other popular way to make a mash tun is braided hose in an esky.
linky

Cheers for that easy mash process, braufrau.
How much sparge water do you use? And how much do you recirculate?
Cheers, Pete

 

[Stuster]

I suggest you get the biggest pot you can ...make.

Excellent. I'm already growing hops. Next step, a forge to make pots. Then the grain. Hmm, how much barley can I grow on my balcony?

 

[crozdog]

Excellent. I'm already growing hops. Next step, a forge to make pots. Then the grain. Hmm, how much barley can I grow on my balcony?

Self Sufficiency Stuart is his new name

I was actually referring to "making" a pot out of a keg shaped vessel

 

[braufrau]

Cheers for that easy mash process, braufrau.
How much sparge water do you use? And how much do you recirculate?
Cheers, Pete

Ah well ... how much sparge water you need depends on how big your boil is going to be.
From the first runnings you should get out 2.5l/kg of wort (because 1kg/l has been absorbed by the grain).
So the sparge water is boil volume - 2.5l/kg. The easiest thing is to use beer smith to figure it out I think.

But I'm not the best person to ask this because I do concentrated boils (having a small pot) and so my
sparge method is a bit idiosyncratic.
Anyone else want to give a better answer?

I recirculate until the wort is no longer "groobly". i.e not too many groobly bits floating in it.
Usually takes about 4-5 collections and carefully pouring back over the grain of about 1 litre each.
But I'm sure other people do it differently.

 

[petesbrew]

Ah well ... how much sparge water you need depends on how big your boil is going to be.
From the first runnings you should get out 2.5l/kg of wort (because 1kg/l has been absorbed by the grain).
So the sparge water is boil volume - 2.5l/kg. The easiest thing is to use beer smith to figure it out I think.

But I'm not the best person to ask this because I do concentrated boils (having a small pot) and so my
sparge method is a bit idiosyncratic.
Anyone else want to give a better answer?

I recirculate until the wort is no longer "groobly". i.e not too many groobly bits floating in it.
Usually takes about 4-5 collections and carefully pouring back over the grain of about 1 litre each.
But I'm sure other people do it differently.

Cheers, will check out Beersmith.
Pete

 

[Mackay_4740]

Steve in the first link you posted it states under the ingrediants list,itlist'stheuseof"dryenzyme".

question.... WTF is it..... I thought it might be refering towards wirlfloc but cant be sure.