Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hey bluc what size holes are they in your false bottom?

I've found midway metals do a perforated sheet in the following sizes:


Are any of those sizes ok? Or do you think there are more economical ways to go? I don't know the prices.

I dont know and its currently under 22.5kg grain and 90l water :D it cost me $99 for a 50cm for a blue drum..

Stainless mash tun not sure either. I will see if I can measure it after dinner for ya not sure I can get to it either way will let you know..

No rush mate, I'm not building one for ages yet, just thinking.

in my 60l tun the falsie is approx 1.5mm hole 5mm centres. :handgestures-thumbupleft: Not sure how they measure it but looks like first one in your list 1.6mm hole 2.54 centre(becasue holes are staggered one row half into the gap below if that makes sence. Between holes on same row is approx 5mm.. :-B

New setup
5star rims tube 2400w element mach2 brew controller magnetic drive brew pump 220l blue drum 50cm false bottom.

Recipe 22.5kg barret burston ale malt
95l water added
Method full volume no sparge.
Took 3.5hrs for 2400w and my mash controller to heat 95l water.
3.07pm grain added at 60 degrees c.
After an hour gravity at 1.035 9 brix
After two hours 12ish brix gravity 1.048 and stable for additional hour. effeciency 65%
Bit lower than I like so additional 4kg grain added..
1hr later

Adjusted recipe
Recipe 26.5kg barret burston ale malt(my grain is getting a bit long in tooth and losing dp)
95l total volume
Method full volume no sparge.
80l in fv at 1.0526 potential 6.7%
51% effeciency :angry-banghead:

check gravity again in the morning before pitching :pray:

Hey bluc... your new mash tun looks good!
You'll get her all going smick in no time. Just a querey for my first go at mashing. How long before you use your grain can you mill it?

I normally mill it while strike water is heating up.. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bluc wrote:I normally mill it while strike water is heating up.. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks mate!
I hope to do my first mash this weekend... will post up how i go when done! :smile:

bluc wrote:in my 60l tun the falsie is approx 1.5mm hole 5mm centres. :handgestures-thumbupleft: Not sure how they measure it but looks like first one in your list 1.6mm hole 2.54 centre(becasue holes are staggered one row half into the gap below if that makes sence. Between holes on same row is approx 5mm.. :-B

Thanks mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Well today i completed my first ever mash.
So i started with 9kg of my homemade malt... i had my fingers tightly crossed that it was gonna be the goods.
My mashing vessel was just a 50ltr eski with a false floor made from a flattened bowl out of an old washing machine.
My strike temp was 74 degs using 27 ltrs of water. Once the grain was in it came down to around 66 degs. I let it sit for a bit over 4 hours without touching it. The temp only dropped 3 degs in that time.
I drained off roughly 19 ltrs and then started to sparge. I sparged @ 76 deg down to a gravity of 1.010. Once i got enough wort to top up my first fermenter to 28ltrs i did so, before sparging another 9 ltrs into the second fermenter.
In the finish i got 28ltrs @ 1.067 and a further 9 ltrs @ 1.029... so very happy with my malt!! :happy-partydance:
The 9 ltrs i might just top up with water, sugar and some of the barley for a sugar head. Feedback on my process most welcome.

Sounds like you nailed it :handgestures-thumbupleft: method is fine. Just going off first sparge you got 68% effeciency not bad especially on first go :D sounds like you did well with your malt also.

bluc wrote:Sounds like you nailed it :handgestures-thumbupleft: method is fine. Just going off first sparge you got 68% effeciency not bad especially on first go :D sounds like you did well with your malt also.

Thanks bluc!
What calc do you use to work out your efficiency?
Just got my sugarhead going, just waiting for my AG to cool down a bit before i pitch.
Have you ever tried freezing some of the left over malt for a future sugarhead or for adding to generations? It just seems like a waste to give it to the chooks when i think of the work thats gone into it.

Beersmith :handgestures-thumbupleft: have been wanting to dry it but have just been doing large sugarheads keep using it till flavour is gone, 5 gens usually..this time round I added 3 cans caramalt along with the ale malt to the sugarhead.. and will continue doing so for another 4 gens..

Thanks bluc! :handgestures-thumbupleft:
My sugarhead is bubbling nicely this morn, but my AG was doing nothing. :think:
Turns out the ph was too high... so in with the citric acid and now she is starting to take off slowly.

What grind are you doing bluc? When I was drill mixing I couldn't get under 1.5mm but my last mash was 1.0mm without any hints of a stuck sparge. It helped a little with efficiency but my grain is older than yours so I'm still struggling.

1.3 thinking maybe full volume no sparge was not such a great idea :D

Just wondering if AG ferments always tend to foam up a lot during fermentation?
Mine was slow to start bubbling, but boy its made up for it. It just keeps foaming up like crazy... nice puddle on lid and floor. :angry-banghead:
Its sitting @ 24 degs which is the upper end of the temp range for safale us-05. Ive shifted it to a cooler spot hopping that may help.

I always get heaps activity..