It will be interesting to get your take on both items. I tried the blanking plug in place of the central run-off tube for the first time ~3 weeks ago. I haven't reported back on it until now because I had a particularly bad brew day
. . . . . . I brewed a pale ale with ~20% of malted rye in the grain bill. I attempted a step mash to do a beta-glucanase rest at ~45 degC in the hope that this would sort out most of the reported stickiness issues. Well, it didn't, and I had a hell of a job to get the temperature up the next step to 66 degC. It took ages, a lot of stirring, and the addition of a couple of kettles of boiling water. The mash would not drain, so circulation was very slow (hence the difficulty in getting the temperature up), and the final sparge took ~2 hours.
However, on a positive note, the absence of the central tube made stirring a lot easier
So, I would like to try it again on a more conventional recipe before passing further judgement.
PS - And I used rice hulls as well
PPS - This beer better be good . . . . . If not, I will never touch malted rye again