Mash tun construction

[5 o'clock]

I am wanting to get into all grain and am looking for ideas on constructing my mash tun.

Would love to get a Braumeister or Grainfather but not sure I can justify the cost.

I already have a spare keg and a 5 star RIMS so my idea is as follows...

(Please feel free to tell me where I am off track.)

Cut the top off the keg - which end should go? If I turn it upside down I have a nice big bottom drain.

Place a 30cm domed false bottom to keep solids out of my plumbing.

Connect a magnetic drive high temp pump to pull liquid through the false bottom into the rims to heat it and back into the top of the keg.

What should I use for tubing? Is silicone appropriate or do I get something else?

Do I need an immersion chiller?

Where should a thermometer go and what sort is best?

The parts listed above that I don't already have are going to cost me about $300, could be cheaper elsewhere. False bottom $40, pump $80, ? Stainless pump head $40 ?, immersion chiller $150, silicone tubing $7 per metre.

Is there a better way to go?

Please tell me if I should do it differently.

Thanks,

Richard

[Matt_Pl]

OMG, I was going to post this exact topic tomorrow. In my quest to make single malt whiskey.

Following with a lot of interest. Good Luck with your build.

Matt.

[trebor]

My mash tun is 100L I think that 50L is too small as you need plenty of head room for the grains. Apart from that your design is sound. Simple copper tube with hacksaw blade cuts to make the screen drain. Same for the top sprinkler but drill holes. Tube in a H Pattern fed through the side walls. 100L tun is great for 40l wash. 50L only good for 20L.

[Hill]

You should be able to mash a max of about 13kg with a 50L keg, it would mean you would have to do 2 mashes to get a decent OG, why don't you look at a 100l cooler and recirc with that, coolers are great as they are fairly cheap and insulated to keep the heat in. If you set up a rims the temp probe should be set before the wort goes back to the cooler

[Hill]

Also cooling blocks are great as they save a lot of time, you can generally bring the wort down to about 22-28 deg pretty easily but it's not nessicary you could use a no chill method where you store in a cube hot with no head space until cool then pitch later, there is also an immersion chiller but that might be too hard

Heat rated silicon hose is great, easy to clean and works well

[sp0rk]

As Hill said, look into using an esky/cooler for a mash tun
Last time I was at Dobson's I was talking to Doc and he was saying he was looking at a 1000L esky as a new mash tun
I'm doing the same thing with my new brewing rig and getting myself a 100L esky, in addition to my 44L esky for small/pilot batches

[moonshinindawg]

I made mine like the brew king

I though it was the eaiseiest way to go and it works really well with my workflow. Keep in mind I only do AG beer :p

Silicon heater hose was the way to go for me because I got the larger 19mm barbed canlocks and all the brew places only sell 12mm but the heater hose is fine.

Essentially it is just an stc1000 to hold a temp, an urn, a good pump and, fine ss mesh bucket which is a pain to get a hold of! And a malt pipe sprayer thing.
http://i.imgur.com/HdtxN2D.jpg

[res]

My mash tun is 100L I think that 50L is too small.

I use a standard 50ltr keg as a mt. Usually mash between 9 and 13 kg of grain. I don't aim for a super high sg, 1.050-1.065 there about, that amount at that sg will easily make enough for a 40 ltr wash, plus 20 odd ltrs of 1.015-1.020 foundation water for the next batch. With room to spare. Thats with a fly sparging of course.
Silicone is perfect for the tubing.
A chiller of some sort is dam handy unless you use the ncc (no chill cube), I've even heard of people using the pc :think:
If you can get a screen and flip the keg upside-down I reckon that's your best bet, although probably not as cheep as slotted copper pipe.
The most important thing when using thermally conductive vessels like kegs for a mt is insulation. I use this black foam stuff, used for pipes, ac and the like.
For my money a plastic mt is not quite right. Personal preference and all.
It's good fun and a worthy investment, good luck mate. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Boardy62]

Hey guys what about an old upright freezer cheap a chips at he tip?

[sp0rk]

too many nooks and crannies imho, would be hard to clean and probably not water tight either
Also most likely not food safe at high temps like HDPE in coolers and no chill cubes is

[CyBaThUg]

Where are ppl looking at eskys I can only find 100 litre ones for around 250 bucks which I think is to expensive

[coffe addict]

mms_img1920783751.jpg

My mash tun, 209L hdpe drum with a falsie in the bottom bit of hose and a tap sits on a cpl crates and I can mash 75kg of grain at a time and all up under $200.
Good bang for your buck.

[CyBaThUg]

I don't have an 80 litre boiler

[coffe addict]

Same thing can be done with 100L or 150L drums just put a few wraps of insulation.

[CyBaThUg]

I have one of these drums I use as a fermenter but only have the capacity to boil 50 litres

[CyBaThUg]

Actually I do also have a 25 litre still spirts boiler somewhere :think:

[coffe addict]

So that's 75L of boiling added to 75L out of the hot tap you have enough to 75kg in a 209L drum lol oh no I've led you astray now lol

[CyBaThUg]

Lol yep