Mash Tun Thread # 263345

[MVZOOM]

Guys - is 20l big enough for a tun? I'm on my 'All Grain for Under $100' mission.. I plan on doing single batches at this stage...

Cheers - Mike

 

[browndog]

If you want to do a 20L batch I'd have to say no MV. if you are mashing in at 2.5L per kilo of grain you will be struggling there. If you are on a real tight budget take a look at Pistolpatch thread about making a mash tun out of a fermenter.

cheers


Browndog

 

[T.D.]

If fly sparging I reckon you can use a mash tun that's the same size as your batch size. Batch sparging is a different story.

If you want to do it on the cheap, get a 25L pail, a cheapo camping mat for insulation, and a false bottom from G&G. You may be able to do that for around $60.

I doubt AG for $100 is possible unless you get some freebies along the way...

 

[user 384]

Guys - is 20l big enough for a tun? I'm on my 'All Grain for Under $100' mission.. I plan on doing single batches at this stage...

Cheers - Mike

From first hand experience I can say that yes 20 litres is big enough. For the first 2 or 3 years I my AGing I used a scavanged "Daddy Cool" cylindrical esky. I'm pretty sure it was only 18 litres and was plenty big enough for making single batches of avearge gravity beers. If you start making high gravity beers it will be a struggle.

Also GMK made a mash tun out of the exact same esky, which was also used by Wee Stu.

Thing to keep in mind is that with a small mash tun is that you will need to drain, refill for the sparge, drain and then probably refill and drain again. It adds some time but not significantly.

Also you will definitely be able to do all grain for under $100. I started out with a scavanged esky and a el-cheapo 18 litre stainless steel pot that I boiled on the stove. I cooled the wort overnight by placing the pot with the lid on in a laundry sink. With a small pot I made my worts slightly concentrated and then just topped them up with cooled boiled water to the correct level and gravity. Doing it this way I started for less than $50.

You can still make first class beers using less than ideal equipment, it simply makes the process slightly more time consuming and fiddly.

But having said all of this the 25 litre fermenter with a camping mat wrapped around it is a very good idea. You could use a second 25 litre fermenter with an immersion element as the boil kettle, then rack into a cube using the no chiller method. This could be done for under $100 easy.

Cheers
MAH

 

[Punter]

Hi MV, my mash tun is a 15lt pail with ss braid in the bottom and foam and bubble wrap
for insulation. Im only mashing half batches though

 

[Tony M]

I mashed and fly sparged with a 19L pot for a year and it got me by. It was only when I wanted to batch sparge that I found myself volume impaired.
Try the bucket in bucket system. Two 25L pails from your local pastrycook and spend an hour or two drilling 2mm holes in the bottom of the inner pail. It works well and less than ten buks.

 

[Duff]

Mike,

All I can say is try and get a 40 or 50L one straight up. There was a thread recently about coolers from The Warehouse who were selling them for $40. A 20L will do the job initially, but if you want to move into double batches, or even higher OG beers, then the larger cooler would be best.

Cheers.

 

[JasonY]

I used a 25L bucket (bunnings) with a copper manifold for the last few years and most brews had about 10L of headspace in them so 20L is ok to start on. I managed to find a cheap rubbermaid so finally bit the bullet and upgraded two months ago.

 

[Borret]

Short answer- Yes not a problem. Plenty of people use this size. The 20L buckets from Big Bun's are actually 22.5L so make it a little better. I can get about 6.5KG in mine with three drainings which works fine.
The mashtun Borretmaid

I love a TA brewery

Cheers

Brent

 

[Tony]

I used a 25 liter esky for ages and it reached its limit with 23 liter brews over 1.070.

under that it did it easy.

I say your better off looking at free space than looking for it.

I had a 1 or 2 inch thich piece of foam that pushed in the top and sat on the top of the mash so there was no headspace. Worked great.

cheers

 

[Thommo]

I got a 40L esky from Aldi for $30. If you're patient enough you can find some bargains out there. $20 for the stainless hose, $15ish for the tap, + a few other bits, I estimate my MT cost me about $70-$75. Two buckets from a bakery though (free) and some food grade hose to siphon, and you're done.

The only way I can see to getting a 50L boiler happening cheap is to find one, or to "find" one.

My Boiler only cost about $20!!!!! (knew someone who had a keg lying around - not sure on it's legality)

AG for under $100. (But I'm borrowing a burner at the moment.)

I was toying with the idea of converting a Pasta Roller into a grain mill, but Doc talked me out of it.

Long live the TA Brewer :beerbang:

 

[user 384]

Hi Mike

Use whatever you can get your hands on. It's far better to jump into AG brewing and get a feel for mashing and how to use grain, then to aim for an ideal piece of equipment.

As I said my first mash tun was only 18 litres. For my very first batch I used an old cotton pillow case as a grain bag. I upgraded that to a home made boozka screen and have even used a fancy SS false bottom. Surprisingly they all worked pretty much as good as each other. The pillow case was just more fiddly because it needed washing after use.

Point is, if it's free or dirt cheap, grab it, use and get mashing. Update your equipment as it wears out or as your budget allows you.

Brewing bling is nice but not neccessary.

Cheers
MAH

 

[colinw]

A mash tun doesn't need to be fancy or expensive.

My mash tun is my original 30 litre Coopers fermenter (plastic bucket with clip on lid). It is insulated with a $2 foam camping mat from a discount store, taped on with lots of duct tape. I have a circular hunk of styrofoam which pushes down inside to insulate above the grain bed - that was scrounged from packing material at work. The manifold is a circular piece of half inch diameter soft drawn copper tube made from an off-cut which cost about a dollar at Bunnings. The manifold was slotted with a hacksaw, with a slotted cross piece which connects to a short length of tube which then pushes onto the outlet. The outlet is the original fermenter tap, with the tube from the manifold connected by press fit onto the sediment reducer.

Dirt cheap, dead simple, converted from my original K&K brewery, and it works beautifully. I can make 60% wheat beers without using rice hulls.

A 5kg mash at 3 litres to the kilo only two thirds fills it. I have mashed up to 8kg in it without trouble.

cheers,
Colin

 

[PistolPatch]

I think my original idea of using a fermenter as a mash tun was not a great one although I was pretty enthusiastic at the time! Browndog or others, what about the following idea instead for MV?

Was just thinking you could use a fermenter and one of Ross's Jumbo hopsocks. This would allow batch sparging etc, which as a newbie AG'er I reckon is easiest. I think this would actually work well but I've been totally wrong many times before!

The hopsock could also be used simply as a hopsock.

Cheers
PP

 

[MVZOOM]

SOme great info folks, thanks.

I went and bought my 1m braid, steel ball-lock tap and brass connector - $25. I'm off to Phrak's at some point tomorrow, to pick up a 30l cube, for an unknown sum of $ - I guess we'll negotiate over a beer :lol:

I have foam at home to insulate it and will build a lid from foam and MDF, which I'll integrate a fly sparge unit into. So it'll give me prob about 25l usable space, which should be fine! For a HLT I intend to use a 25l cube and immersion heater... the boiler / kettle is the hard bit right now.

Question time:

- How do I remove the plastic from inside the braid?
- My fly sparge setup will probably drip water from about 20 points over the tun - is this enough?
- Will a plastic tap on the HLT handle 75deg H2o?

Cheers - Mike

 

[browndog]

Something I forgot to mention is to check the local classifieds and second hand stores ( I scored a soda stream yesterday with two CO2 cartridges for $5 yesterday) You can get all manner of brewing gear at really cheap prices MV.


cheers and good luck

Browndog

 

[MVZOOM]

Something I forgot to mention is to check the local classifieds and second hand stores ( I scored a soda stream yesterday with two CO2 cartridges for $5 yesterday) You can get all manner of brewing gear at really cheap prices MV.


cheers and good luck

Browndog

Thanks mate. It's funny, I was running at the gym tonight, and glanced (within my haze of pain!) at one of the TV's on the Av wall - it was showing the advert of a girl (I think it's a MiZone ad), who's travelling in a bus to go to a netball game. EVerywhere she looks, there are things that morph into netball hoops, balls and such.

Pretty much what happens to me at curbside cleanup time - but things morph into beer making gear - it's fantastic!! :super:

Cheers - Mike

 

[Tony M]

Question time:

- How do I remove the plastic from inside the braid?
- My fly sparge setup will probably drip water from about 20 points over the tun - is this enough?
- Will a plastic tap on the HLT handle 75deg H2o?

Cheers - Mike

Q1. Dont know, never done it.
Q2. That sparge will be good. I had a similar arrangement. You will find that the temp. of the sparge water will drop somewhat if it falls from a great height, so you may have to allow for that or get it close to the grain bed. Proof: Next time you are in the shower, lift the shower rose high. You will notice a drop in temp.
Q3. These taps are usually polypropylene or polyethylene (they have a "greasy" feel) which will easily take that temperature. It is only if you have some strange product made from pvc that you need to observe closely as that starts to soften at 65C.

 

[Stuster]

- How do I remove the plastic from inside the braid?

Cut off either end of the braid. I find scissors the best for this but it can be a bit of a pain. Then push rather than pull the inner piece out. It should pop out quite easily. Then crimp together one end and attach the other end to your tap. Or attach both ends if you are using a t-piece.