Hi from Leeds

[Hutchy]

Hi,

I’ve done a few kit beers over the last few years and been pretty impressed with them but looking to get more serious and make the move to all grain soon. I’ve already got a boiler (I did a mini mash kit which needed a boil last year) so just need to sort myself a mash tun out and I’m good to go I think!

Looking forward to getting stuck in. I’ve been bottling so far but might get a small pressure barrel or two and then I can half bottle, half barrel each batch.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum

 

[GerritT]

Welcome! :small

Got your stuff already sorted out eh? You gonna love all-grain!

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to The Forum! :thumb:

Here's a Mash Tun made out of a 32 litre Coolbox, a garden tap from B&Q and a few bits and pieces of copper tubing.

Nothing is soldered so it dismantles for cleaning.

Enjoy! :thumb:

 

[Hutchy]

Welcome! :small

Got your stuff already sorted out eh? You gonna love all-grain!

Not got a mash tun yet, just looking at options. I know the cool boxes are popular, think I’m leaning towards a fermentation bin with a false bottom though

 

[Hutchy]

Welcome to The Forum! :thumb:

Here's a Mash Tun made out of a 32 litre Coolbox, a garden tap from B&Q and a few bits and pieces of copper tubing.

Nothing is soldered so it dismantles for cleaning.

Enjoy! :thumb:

View attachment 14730

So it’s just pushed together? I’d be worried about it falling apart! Have you added any extra insulation to the cool box?

 

[Dutto]

So it’s just pushed together? I’d be worried about it falling apart! Have you added any extra insulation to the cool box?

Yes. Just pushed together, but it's never fallen apart. I tapped a small "flat" into the end of each tube to make it a really tight fit though!

No extra insulation added to the Cool-Box and on a 70*C Mash in winter the temperature has only fallen 2*C which is okay be me; especially as I stir the mash after 20 and 40 minutes.

 

[Hutchy]

Nice. I was thinking of doing something similar with the pipe work but saw somewhere where someone had used one of the metal flexible pipes that you get under taps. Remove the inner pipe and you have a mesh pipe which you can use as a filter. Sounds much easier!

 

[Dutto]

Nice. I was thinking of doing something similar with the pipe work but saw somewhere where someone had used one of the metal flexible pipes that you get under taps. Remove the inner pipe and you have a mesh pipe which you can use as a filter. Sounds much easier!

It may be a lot easier but is it effective at rinsing out the whole grain bed, does it block up and is it easy to clean?

These were all features that I was looking for when I started out.

Drilling the dozens of 2mm holes in the pipe is a real PIA but once it's made and assembled:

• It's never fallen apart whilst in use.
• I need to lauter only about about 5 litres of wort before it starts to run without too much debris.
• It has NEVER blocked when draining and rinsing.
• I can empty the grain out of the Mash Tun, dismantle the tubes, clean them and dry everything in about 15 minutes.

Enjoy, whichever system you choose. :thumb:

 

[Hutchy]

Good point. Would probably work ok for filtering the hops out after the boil but probably insufficient for the mash tun

 

[Dutto]

Good point. Would probably work ok for filtering the hops out after the boil but probably insufficient for the mash tun

Er ..... that IS my Mash Tun in the photograph ...

... and this is a photo of the last litre or so after rinsing the grain to fill the boiler.

It's clear enough for me! abigt

BTW, I've read so many complaints about filters being blocked by hops in the Boiler, I thank God that I use Hop Bags.

Even on those rare occasions when I introduce hops at different times during the boil I use one of these ...

... like this ...

Enjoy.

 

[Hutchy]

I meant my mesh filter idea wouldn’t work for the mash tun, not your pipework!

 

[GerritT]

@Dutto has at least 10 square yards to brew, and probably even without being disturbed by his missus

Some things are not fair

He even can use gravitational devices!

 

[Dutto]

Actually, I used to use the "Three-Tier" system in this photograph ...

But then old age caught up with me and rather than doing everything on a single day I now:

• Mill, Mash and Lauter on Day One.
• Boil, Cool and start Ferment on Day Two.

It's working so well that I dismantled the "Three-Tier System" last week.

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum...

 

[brumbrew]

Welcome to the forum.

Nice setup.

May I suggest a refractometer. You only need a drop of liquor. Rather than 100ml. Reduced chance of contamination and no real temperature conversion needed as hydrometers are calibrated generally to 20 degrees C