Mash tun advice

[Ghizo]

Just starting all grain, I have a 30l boiler, I only want enough to fill a keg each brew, so 19l finished. About 20l in fermenter
What size mash tun is ideal? I was thinking 30l would be good? Less dead space = less temp loss right?

 

[TheWiggman]

It's all relative of course, but generally the mash tun volume is less than or equal to your boiler volume. Where you will run into trouble is -

• Extended boils (for something like an EBW, which may require a 2.5h boil). You need more initial volume in the kettle to allow for boiloff
• Big beers with higher OG. These are less efficient so you'll struggle to fit enough grain and liquid in your mash tun
• Boilover

Like all things in AG brewing, there are ways to get around this like double-mashing or changing your grain:liquor ratio.

I have a 36l mash tun and a 50l kettle. When doing a 23l batch of 7% ABV beer I get about 3/4 of the way filling my mash tun and have plenty of room in the kettle. In your case, I think 30l would be fine for the mash tun. You'll be pushing your luck sometimes with a 30l boiler though.

 

[Bribie G]

Another trick to avoid boilovers is to brew over gravity then "liquor back" in the fermenter.
I see that the Poms do a lot of that as until recently their Electric boilers were only about 25L.
You might lose a bit of efficiency but an extra half kilo of grain or whatever isn't a problem.
Seeing as you have a boiler why not go BIAB?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

26ltr esky is the perfect sizde for what you want to do