Round Vs Square Mush Tuns

[BOG]

Hi,

I've currently got a 40L esky and SS braid with tap and a Mash Tun.

I've just been given a proper Gott round drink cooler.

Should I convert the round Gott into a Mash Tun?
Will it work any better than a rectangle one with SS braid. (Assuming I get a SS false bottom from Ross)

What's better and why?



BOg

 

[Fatgodzilla]

In a discussion with 4 brewers last weekend watching five quite different mash tuns in action at about the same time, the answer was a clear "DEPENDS". Fly sparging into a round unit with a Phil's false Bottom looked the goods whilst batch sparging the other four different size rectangular tuns using a mixture of SS braid, false bottoms and a unique looking combination of both also drew praise from their owners.

I guess whatever suits your conditions is best, but I'm sure there will some great discussion that leads nowhere if this thread stays alive !

 

[Stuster]

Both round and rectangular work fine. I think that if your current mash tun works for you, why change it?

 

[drsmurto]

Mines rectangular but does a good job of mushing

 

[pcmfisher]

I was thinking of making one out of a 40L esky but thought it was too big.

Aren't you better off with a smaller higher container giving a deeper grain bed. I don't actually know, just what I read

 

[Pumpy]

Hi,

I've currently got a 40L esky and SS braid with tap and a Mash Tun.

I've just been given a proper Gott round drink cooler.

Should I convert the round Gott into a Mash Tun?
Will it work any better than a rectangle one with SS braid. (Assuming I get a SS false bottom from Ross)

What's better and why?



BOg

Bog ,


Due to the larger surface area of the rectangular cooler there is less compacting of the grain bed and you will find it drains quicker than a cylindrical one although they will both do a good job .

Perhaps the rectangular one better for wheat beers .

This only my personal observation

If you already have a rectangular one , I would not change you may be a touch dissapointed .


Pumpy

 

[Tim F]

I find I get a bit of temperature variation in different parts of my rectangular esky and was wondering if a round one might help. Maybe I just need to stir better though

 

[ausdb]

Stir more and if you don't have it full think of having an insulating mat sitting on top of the mash, a cheapy camping mat does the trick. Plus rectangular ones are more space efficient for their given volume and can double as real eskies when you need them!

 

[imellor]

It seems from all sides it does not realy make a difference. I believe the quality of the esky/cooler is the key. As long as it holds temp for the duration of the mash this is most important.

 

[BoilerBoy]

I use a willow 55L with a big fat braid for single and double batches and yes there can be a temp drop over a 60 min mash(about 1 degree). I guess I could cut out something to fit inside the esky to insulate it further, but I just haven't worried about it and for batch sparging its easier to stir and I've never had a stuck sparge.

BB

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

All other things being equal, you might get less heat loss from a cylindrical container than a rectangular one due to a greater ratio of volume/surface area. In this regard, the perfect shape would be a sphere.

But, there are all the other issues to consider about quality of insulation, ability to fit the necessary stuff, etc. You will probably only get a definitive answer once you've built the Gott up and used it for a while.

If you were in the position of 'No Mash Tun' and wanting to move to 'New Mash Tun', you *might* want the tall cylindrical one. If you own an immersion element that you can use to lift the temperature of the mash, or are happy adding some boiling water occasionally, it might not matter if it loses a little heat.

Given that you already have a mash tun, you might be able to find a better use for the Gott as a party keg cooler or something like that.

 

[Brownie]

What about Pyramid ones, the natural energy flows into the beer and you feel more alive when drinking beer made in Pyramid containers.

I go one step further, I brew in a Pyramid Shed and the beer goes into Pyramid Bottles (although they are a bugger to cap)


I'm sure round or square does matter for their own qualities or each persons individual likes or not, thought a piss take was worth it.

Yours
King Tut

 

[bindi]

What about Pyramid ones, the natural energy flows into the beer and you feel more alive when drinking beer made in Pyramid containers.

I go one step further, I brew in a Pyramid Shed and the beer goes into Pyramid Bottles (although they are a bugger to cap)


I'm sure round or square does matter for their own qualities or each persons individual likes or not, thought a piss take was worth it.

Yours
King Tut

:lol: :lol: Well said "Oh Great Pharaoh" [spelling?].
you can get a more complex beer from a square mash tun with all the odd hot spots in the corners.
And again taking the piss.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Mine changes shape throughout the process, from cylindrical to tear-drop to dropped pie.

Nobody likes a dropped pie...

 

[yardy]

Aren't you better off with a smaller higher container giving a deeper grain bed.

i read this as well somewhere, is it correct ?

cheers
yard

 

[Beejay]

I use a willow 55L with a big fat braid for single and double batches and yes there can be a temp drop over a 60 min mash(about 1 degree). I guess I could cut out something to fit inside the esky to insulate it further, but I just haven't worried about it and for batch sparging its easier to stir and I've never had a stuck sparge.

BB

Hey BB,

A small piece of foil (one layer) over the top of the grain bed acts nicely as an insulation barrier for my 55L Willow rectangular. And if desired, you can then poke small holes into the foil all over to aid in the dispersion of the recirculated wort whilst clearing the runnings. At the Big Brew Day I found no temp drop at all with this.

 

[BoilerBoy]

Hey BB,

A small piece of foil (one layer) over the top of the grain bed acts nicely as an insulation barrier for my 55L Willow rectangular. And if desired, you can then poke small holes into the foil all over to aid in the dispersion of the recirculated wort whilst clearing the runnings. At the Big Brew Day I found no temp drop at all with this.

That sounds like a good idea for reducing temperature drop, I may just give it a go.

Cheers Beejay,
BB

 

[Beer-Smith]

Hi,
If you do a lot of fancy math, for a small system of the size most homebrewers use having the grain depth and width about equal is good - which is why the cylindrical Gott type coolers are popular. They also tend to have fewer hot spots while mashing.

Ideally one would also like an even mash screen that covers the whole bottom of the tun while not allowing a lot of deadspace - which is why items like Phil's false bottom are popular.

All that being said, the difference in efficiency between an "ideal" mash tun and "non-ideal" one is in the very small percentages - and probably negligible for most homebrewers. As long as you have a resonably deep grain bed (you don't want something totally flat) and a filtering system (either braid or mesh) that gives you approximately equal coverage and drainage across the grain bed with lots of holes to provide an even flow you will be fine.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[matti]

Round.
It work well enough for batch sparging but drain slower and I believe the grain bed settles quicker because the weight of grains on top.

The grain beds height ought to be a few inches (approximate 3-4 inches) which is debatable and maybe reduced using rice hulls.
For fly-sparging it is essential not to disturb the grain- bed as it is used as a filter and reducing tannins.

The later is essentil in lager brewing IMHO
NOONANITE AS I AM

 

[BOG]

Ok,

Thanks to all who answered that.

I too thought that a deeper grain bed the better hence the round, plus the addition of a Phils false bottom would make it the choice.

I've just moved house (10 days straight , holy !@#$) so this weekend is the first real weekend in the place and of course I've got the priority right and I'm brewing !!

I'll go with the existing Esky for the moment.

As one addition I like the idea of a bed of pebbles (read somewhere here) to help create a fale bottom and even out the drain to the SS braid. I think that has serious merit as it's cheap and easy to do. Also if they are boiled for a while to steralise them they can aid in temp stability in the mash as they would act as a heat sink.


BOG