How much space does crushed malt occupy ?

[AndyBWood]

Hi all,

This question relates to a ‘Thermo Box to Mash Tun’ conversion I’m looking at as part of my inevitable decent into the Dark Side. There’s a range of sizes available, some with tap ( looks easy ) and some without ( looks scary ). The conversion approach ( side tap v bottom drain ) is a completely different subject and I really don’t know which way to go but first and foremost I’m trying to get my head around what size I actually need to buy. For my expected brew lengths of around 30 litres I think there are three likely candidates :

25 litre with tap

32 litre without tap

38 litre with tap

I’ve looked at Wheeler’s recipe book which gives a figure for mash liquor which varies depending upon the OG of the brew and, of course, the actual brew length involved. Could anyone approximate, however, how many litres of volume a kilo of crushed malt occupies so I can work out the total volume needed for any given brew ?

Cheers

 

[31bb3]

id go for the biggest that way you can do stronger brews which require bigger grain bills

 

[AndyBWood]

Thanks Eddie – that’s probably the best way to go in the end. Just trying to work out the smallest unit I can get away with. Domestic experiments suggest that 1kg of porridge oats = about 2 litres volume. ( and a mess on the floor when the plastic bag bursts ! ) I suspect, however, that malt is quite a bit denser.

 

[31bb3]

i used to use a 35L fv converted into a mash yun but went for 50L when i got the shiney and 70L pots for boiler and hlt

 

[beer taster]

Hi
The max amount of grain i use in my mash tun is 6Kg. Below is my 25L thermobox with 6Kg of grain and approx 16-18L of water.

 

[AndyBWood]

That is a really helpful photo BT; combined with your grain / water figures it paints a thousand and one words. Just have to decide now whether I bottom or side drain which will influence the final choice. Thanks again. :thumb: