Too many false bottom options

I found a guy with a few legal kegs he wants to sell me. I've been pretty set on getting a morebeer heavy duty mashtun, but I can definitely save some money by converting a keg into a mashtun without any loss of quality.

I've found so many freakin' options for false bottoms - what do y'all recommend? I definitely want a false bottom, with a diptube, that attaches to a coupler on the inside of the keg, and then runs out through a ball valve.

As a side note - if I combine the labor and parts for the keg, a ball valve, sight gauge, and thermometer, it's still probably going to be about $200 to turn this thing into a mashtun and I won't be completely guaranteed of the quality. Maybe I'm buying too expensive here...

Why don't you save yourself about $195 and learn to do a Brew in a Bag first. It does the same job with fewer containers that have to be cleaned and stored and you never have to worry about a stuck sparge or milling your grains to fine. If after you have done a few like this and decide you still want to buy a keg and convert it to a mash tun, I'll bet there will still be some around and you will have a few more paychecks to apply toward them.

Because I'm already doing all grain with a Zapap bucket thingy. Waaaaaay easier than BIAB.

The money's not really the problem - I can afford either one, but everybody likes saving $100. I've been through the cheap homebrewer phase, now all I care about is quality and value.

I've got keggles and also one 15 gallon SS kettle. The keggles are initially cool to have but in the end the SS kettle is easier to clean. At to false bottoms, as it turns out the FB options at MoreBeer were by far the cheapest for my kettle. Things have changed for the keggles since I made them so you really just need to look around and try and get a folding one that covers the entire bottom.

Funny about the BIAB comments, I've been doing the single tier 3 keggle thing for a while and am heading back to simpler times with a single vessel BIAB setup. It will be quality and it ain't cheap.

Good info. I guess I'm just ready for a little more automation in my system now. Currently I'm mashing in my kettle, then pouring into the Zapap lauter tun, and then running back into the kettle. I'm done with getting sticky wort all over the place.

Good point about cleaning - I hadn't been considering that as a con. You may be swaying me back to the heavy duty kettle.

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/abt-false-bottom/4,7663.html
This one works great for me. Fits perfectly and it is formed to fit the bottom of Sanke keg. Hooked to my ball valve.

On the matter of cleaning, I picked up one of those shop vacs that fit a five gallon bucket and have been cleaning my keggels in place

suck up all the trub etc. rinse, scrub wash and revac very easy

One of the problems of mashing in a keggle is temperature control. That is why people came up with RIMS, HERMS, etc.

If you are interested in quality and can move beyond the "Bling" factor of mashing in a thin shell of stainless, look into converting a Gott cooler into a mash tun.

There are some great stainless false bottoms made for cooler conversion. There is also never a need to step mash with today's grains. Follow the KISS principle.

graduate said:

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/abt-false-bottom/4,7663.html
This one works great for me. Fits perfectly and it is formed to fit the bottom of Sanke keg. Hooked to my ball valve.

Click to expand...

With that one, do you have to perfectly position the ball valve so that the diptube fits into the fitting?

The cleaning is nothing. I guess it depends where you are doing it. The kegs are a little heavy to be banging off the kitchen counter. If you have a bigger space like I do brewing and cleaning is just part of the process. I like the kegs. I clean them right after the brew session and stack them in the corner.
My mashtun is an insulated keg. I used foil backed duct insulation and metal tape. Works great. Boil kettle is the other. They a good choice for equipment.

Wayne1 said:

One of the problems of mashing in a keggle is temperature control. That is why people came up with RIMS, HERMS, etc.

If you are interested in quality and can move beyond the "Bling" factor of mashing in a thin shell of stainless, look into converting a Gott cooler into a mash tun.

There are some great stainless false bottoms made for cooler conversion. There is also never a need to step mash with today's grains. Follow the KISS principle.

Click to expand...

Because I'm currently mashing in a direct-fire vessel, I'm reluctant to change. I really like being able to easily adjust the temp by turning on the heat and stirring for just a minute or two.

Also it's nice to be able to mash out, for certain beers at least. I usually don't mash out, but when I'm going for huge mouthfeel in something like an oatmeal stout, I'll usually mash out to help set the fermentability.

kanzimonson said:

With that one, do you have to perfectly position the ball valve so that the diptube fits into the fitting?

Click to expand...

No because you can use a short section of plastic tubing from the false bottoms tube to a hose barb fitting on the inside of the ball valve bulkhead.

Do you have the facilities to cut a keg open? How much do you like DIY and how much is your time worth to you? Those things matter too, because if you have to go out and buy tools then the cost quickly begins to increase on the keg.

kanzimonson said:

Because I'm currently mashing in a direct-fire vessel, I'm reluctant to change. I really like being able to easily adjust the temp by turning on the heat and stirring for just a minute or two.

Also it's nice to be able to mash out, for certain beers at least. I usually don't mash out, but when I'm going for huge mouthfeel in something like an oatmeal stout, I'll usually mash out to help set the fermentability.

Click to expand...

Learn and grow

Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. If you take a look at most brewpub and small micro-brewery systems you will find that they use a fancy version of an insulated cooler. Mash out can be done with hot water injection.

I can also pretty much guarantee you do not get even temperature spread with a short direct heat injection and a couple of minutes stirring. It sounds like you have your mind made up and are just looking for reinforcement of your decision rather than alternatives.

Go for what you does it for you. Never mind what the pros use.