What do you mash in?

[markus]

Like many people here I'm keen to get into all grain. 
After countless hours reading up on it, i feel like I'm only just starting to get my head around it all. Anywho
Trying to decide on what to buy to mash in? 
I'll be using BIAB so it's between an esky or an urn.
Anyone here use An urn? Are they worth the money...
Do they futz up
Wash sizes will be around 20 litres.
What do mash in, and how does it work for you?

Cheers markus

[blond.chap]

Hey mate,

I use a 50L esky with a copper manifold, the information for building it is here:
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixD.html

It works really well, just have to get a good solid stirring stick. The temperature holds within 1degC over an hour of mashing.

[invisigoth]

i use a bottling unit normally used for preserving fruit. it's similar to a a hbs boiler but wider and shorter. it has an internal element, but there is a shelf above the element so the bag isn't in contact. the thermostat that comes with it works quite well. :D

[crow]

I use a beer keg with the top cut out :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[JayD]

I use a beer keg with the top cut out :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Depends where i'm at when I'm doing it... in Sydney like Crow we use a dedicated beer keg. in Tas I scored a massive S/S boiler we found at the tip... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

Howdy,

mash in a keg same as others ...some of these AG washes can be huge!

have a insulated 44 gall keg to slip over it when done cooking so temp says constant


cheers
bt1

[Cane Toad]

See,that's what gets me :angry-banghead: All my fermenters are 200l,and I don't want smaller ones :snooty: :snooty:
What I can't get my head around is,do your mash,keep the wort,rinse your grains again,done.But surely,there must still be a shitload of sugars and gear left in the grains,I just can't seem to get past that :angry-banghead:
Should be finished "how to Brew" in the next day or so,maybe the light will switch on before the end of the book :scared-eek: :scared-eek:

[blond.chap]

See,that's what gets me :angry-banghead: All my fermenters are 200l,and I don't want smaller ones :snooty: :snooty:
What I can't get my head around is,do your mash,keep the wort,rinse your grains again,done.But surely,there must still be a shitload of sugars and gear left in the grains,I just can't seem to get past that :angry-banghead:
Should be finished "how to Brew" in the next day or so,maybe the light will switch on before the end of the book :scared-eek: :scared-eek:

I think that the light that will switch on is that that's what the lauter tun is for. Not just for holding the mash at temperature, but running a few loads of water through the grain after the mash to pull out all of the sugar.

Good job getting into "How to brew", I read that thing 3 times when I first started (except for the bit with the analogy of tree trimming, that bit was confusing).

[AussieDistiller1989]

I have been using a beer keg for my couple mashes
That I Havnt had much luck yet. Sure as shit not giving
Up ether I have a couple 200l drums for fermenting
It takes a couple mashes to full her up and in fermenting
On grain.
I have a 300l copper hot water heater that I want to turn
Into a double boiler but that is harder done then
Thought.

[blond.chap]

I have a 300l copper hot water heater that I want to turn
Into a double boiler but that is harder done then
Thought.

You poor guy, let me ease your pain and take it off your hands.

[Brendan]

See,that's what gets me :angry-banghead: All my fermenters are 200l,and I don't want smaller ones :snooty: :snooty:
What I can't get my head around is,do your mash,keep the wort,rinse your grains again,done.But surely,there must still be a shitload of sugars and gear left in the grains,I just can't seem to get past that :angry-banghead:
Should be finished "how to Brew" in the next day or so,maybe the light will switch on before the end of the book :scared-eek: :scared-eek:

I think that the light that will switch on is that that's what the lauter tun is for. Not just for holding the mash at temperature, but running a few loads of water through the grain after the mash to pull out all of the sugar.

Good job getting into "How to brew", I read that thing 3 times when I first started (except for the bit with the analogy of tree trimming, that bit was confusing).

I've got the 50L beer keg with the top cut out, which i'll be using a BrewInABag (BIAB) bag to start with. Keg is heavily insulated to hold temp.

I splurged a little while ago, and got myself one of those rotating sparge arms for a beer keg size...so when I get a false bottom put in my keg, i'll be fly sparging with the rotating arm...because I can :happy-partydance:

[AussieDistiller1989]

I have a 300l copper hot water heater that I want to turn
Into a double boiler but that is harder done then
Thought.

You poor guy, let me ease your pain and take it off your hands.

Haha I found it on eBay for $20 I think and it was only
A few ks from me.

I'm thinking of just using it as a hot water heater ATM and turn the
Temp down to 60ish and insulate my fermenters very well
Cos the I shouldn't need any other heat on my
Ag mashes. :)

I think I might keep it blond chap

[bt1]

Cup,

here what your saying about what's left especially coming off grain/sugar heads..it seems a waste of grain...but consider unless you add more malted grain your going to get less than jack from it.

I also reckon as per Palmer's site a hotter water sparge is the go..I reckon it adds plenty but I've not measured corrected SG before and after...there's enough evidence and gospel like Palmers site to warrant it..
I simply grabbed a 12lt plastic bucket that fits into 60lt fermenter neck, drilled out the arse with 3mm drill, bucket the grain bed into it ...then hot water rinse 85c and a good stir as it goes through.
Kravin's comments and that bloke is a f'ing guru believe me I know some of his track record on beers ...comments on boiling to condense, removing that dissolved gas that tastes like shite, or adding LME or DME are pure gems...well worth a try as sugar alternative.

I've fermented on grain for years but coming to the view and rapidly ...off grain with a good wort is the go for better flavours

Having said that, I still feel like a wasteful bastard throwing out the volume of grains used... but I'm chasing better quality and will get used to it I guess.

bt1

[markus]

Thanks for the responses lads.
I've got a keg with no lid also, might try that
Just have to insulate the shit out of it and make up a lid. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers
Markus

[Distillnation]

+1 for the beer keg with the top cut out.

Also got a 3-piece ball valve and pick-up tube in it as well. (BIAB - so mash tun and boiler and one and the same). I use an over the side element for the heating though.

[Sam.]

I have two of the shorter, fatter variety 50L kegs that I am going to get welded together for a 100L vessel :dance:

[bt1]

Hey markus,

put up post about heat shroud...simple, cheap and can be used on the pot boiler as well as mash kegs...

bt1

[Brendan]

Anyone got a tip or link on where to get a good pickup tube to use on my keg mash tun.

Looking for a 90 degree bend type pickup tube that goes through the stainless perforated false bottom, and connects to the thread through the bulkhead.

Have seen a shorter one through BeerBelly, and they have informed me they sell a longer version used for whirl pooling which could possibly be doubled as a keg pickup tube.

Have seen lots of the SS bend ones on videos in the states, but maybe I'm looking at the wrong option... :think:

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Kravin]

Slightly Off topic but....

Cup,

here what your saying about what's left especially coming off grain/sugar heads..it seems a waste of grain...but consider unless you add more malted grain your going to get less than jack from it.

I also reckon as per Palmer's site a hotter water sparge is the go..I reckon it adds plenty but I've not measured corrected SG before and after...there's enough evidence and gospel like Palmers site to warrant it..
I simply grabbed a 12lt plastic bucket that fits into 60lt fermenter neck, drilled out the arse with 3mm drill, bucket the grain bed into it ...then hot water rinse 85c and a good stir as it goes through.

If you think of the grain as little sponges full of sugar water....
you're trying to wash the sugar water out with more water, essentially through flooding and draining.
those sponges are always going to contain a dilution of sugars, no matter how much you flood it.
you could get 95% percent of it out, but you'd end up with 200L of wort at 1020 just flooding and draining.
then you'd need to boil that for countless hours to evaporate all that water off just to get your intended volume and gravity.

This is where 'efficiency' of your equipment comes in. Most beer brewers are happy with a 75% brewhouse efficiency, anything 80 and above and you get to brag about how awesome our brewery is.

Mashing for Distilling is different. distillers don't need to worry about extracting tannins and astringency, all they need is the sugars and some malty flavours to transfer.
so you could sparge with water 85C water and not worry about the off flavours. This also losens up the sugars to extract more easily. a continuous sparge (fly sparge) is generally more efficient than a batch sparge, but you can definitely get in the 80% with batch sparging too.
if you're serious about Mashing, then a refractometer is essential (about $30 from ebay). these can measure the sugar levels of your mash\wort on the fly.
when your sparge gets down to 1010, you're pretty much at the point where the sugar to water ratio is so low it's not worth trying to extract any more.
Obviously this needs to be balanced with your intended volume too, so sparge slow.

Kravin's comments and that bloke is a f'ing guru believe me I know some of his track record on beers ...comments on boiling to condense, removing that dissolved gas that tastes like shite, or adding LME or DME are pure gems...well worth a try as sugar alternative.

LOL, so why do all my beers taste like shit? :puke-huge: :laughing-rolling:

I've fermented on grain for years but coming to the view and rapidly ...off grain with a good wort is the go for better flavours

I think for making neutrals, you can ferment out anything you want as you're not taking any flavour with it. but for mashing, you want to take flavour.
I just think if you have a great beer to throw in your boiler, that's going to come through in your whisk(e)y, rather than something that's infected with Lactobacillus, Acetobacter, some funky stuff from the grain as well as the phenolics due to the bakers yeast you've added.
I'm sure it'll still make a nice drink, but if you can take a good base to start with, it has to carry through?

Having said that, I still feel like a wasteful bastard throwing out the volume of grains used... but I'm chasing better quality and will get used to it I guess.
bt1

back on topic...
you can use anything as a mash tun. Converting the sugars is the easy part, all you have to do is keep something at the same temp for an hour and make sure there's enough enzymes to do their thing. extracting the maximum amount of sugars with the right volume is tricky part.
Screw the grain, gimme them sugarz!

[Crusty]

Like many people here I'm keen to get into all grain. 
After countless hours reading up on it, i feel like I'm only just starting to get my head around it all. Anywho
Trying to decide on what to buy to mash in? 
I'll be using BIAB so it's between an esky or an urn.
Anyone here use An urn? Are they worth the money...
Do they futz up
Wash sizes will be around 20 litres.
What do mash in, and how does it work for you?

Cheers markus

Hey Markus.
I brew in a bag for all my All Grain beers. I am an active member of Australia's largest home brew forum ( not sure if I'm allowed to link or mention the site )
I brew in a Crown exposed element urn, brew 20lt batches & no chill my beers. I keg my beers & have a 4 tap kegerator.
I'm looking at switching camps & focusing on this great hobby.
I note there's a few members on here that are also on the home brew forum.