Mashing Vessel

[wedge]

Does anyone use a converted keg as a mash tun, how does this differ from an esky.

I thought this would be great as you can control your temp. with a temp controller and an immersion heater!

Ideas

 

[Hoops]

wedge

have seen one and he said it worked very well. He used a pressure cooker on a gas burner to inject steam into the keg to control heat. He started with a gas burner under the keg to heat the grain but said there was too much caramelisation happening and it changed his beer - darker and different flavour.
It's definitely worth a try if you already have the keg.

 

[Justin]

Yeah, a couple of my mates have kegs as mash tuns. They directly heat them with a gas burner, you just have to keep stirring while heating. One bonus is that you can heat your strike water in the mash tun (makes is easy if you don't have an immersion element) and then you don't have to worry about getting your water temp spot on in the HLT. I borrow an immersion element when I brew and heat my water to temp in my hlt (using elements mounted in that) and then transfer to my mash tun. Then I use the imersion element to heat the water up to exactly the temp I want (this makes your mash tun thermal mass equal to 0) making your calc's really easy.

JD

 

[Wax]

Dreaming a bit here. But how good would this cooler converted into a mush tun look in the brewery.

hmmm... stainless steel... lovely

 

[Jazman]

jayse uses a conveted keg for a mash tun with his herms system Jayse were r u i have bugger ass pale ale for u




and u did use a bucket in bucket to start with as it cost me nothing but now i have a manifold in a rectangluar esky

 

[wardy]

excuse the ignorance, but i have not yet seen what a false bottom looks like. I am just building my mash tun now (manifold stage) and would like to know if i need to use a false bottom or not and what is it's advantage?

If anyone can take a pic of theirs i would great appreciate it. how high does it sit of the bottom? and where is it in relation to the valve/outlet (ie above or below)?

thanks again

 

[big d]

wardy
do a search on this site for false bottoms.theres been heaps of discussion and photos of various styles over the last year.

cheers
big d

 

[GMK]

Wardy's False Bottom

Depending upon the container - the fals e bottom is always domed.
The general practise is that the outlet is above the false bottom and u use an elbow and nut and tail setup to extract the liquor.

Some people - especially with kegs will attach the ball vavle dead centre under the false bottom.
Much better and easier but the keg vessel will need to be supported so that the elbow from under enough can then come thru.

If i had a digital camera i would take a photo...
Just remembered that i posted a pic of it before in another thread...
Here is the link.
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...t=15&#entry4289

Check on where to buy rubbermaid esky, mash tun if the link does not work...