sea2summit3

Recipes 

Anybody have thoughts on using a plastic cooler vs. converted "sanke" keg for making a mush tun? I have already have the keg but wondering what the best solution is for keeping a constant temp through a 60min mash. Can a plastic cooler really hold your mash temperature for 60 min? Do you lose much heat? I assume you control temp in a stainless steel mash tun with a burner? I haven't jumped into AG yet but looking to design a two tier system.

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Bottled: Applewood Smoked Porter, Windy Bridge Stout, Maple Chocolate Pumpkin Ale, Maple Pumpkin Ale, California Steam, Black Cat Porter, Irish Coffee Stout
Kegged: Blackberry Stout, Nut Brown, Sweet Cider, Apfelwein #2, IPA, SNCA Clone

Flyin' Lion

Recipes 

I don't use a keg as a mash tun, so I can't answer those questions, but a plastic cooler (if preheated) can in fact hold mash temps for 60 mins (maybe losing one or two degrees F).

There is a good thread by Flyguy on building a cooler mash tun and thePol has a good system using coolers.

Hope that helps.

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sea2summit3

Recipes 

I'll check it out. I think I'll go with the cooler mash tun as I thinik it will be easier to control the temp. Seems like commercial brewers use a double walled mash tun that circulates regulated temps through the two walls. I don't really see how else I could make a stainless steel keg mash tun hold temp.

Thanks for the help!

__________________
"A bar is better than a newspaper for public discussion."
-Jim Parker

Primary:-
Secondary:IPA, just "IPA"
Bottled: Applewood Smoked Porter, Windy Bridge Stout, Maple Chocolate Pumpkin Ale, Maple Pumpkin Ale, California Steam, Black Cat Porter, Irish Coffee Stout
Kegged: Blackberry Stout, Nut Brown, Sweet Cider, Apfelwein #2, IPA, SNCA Clone