mmonacel
Well-Known Member
Grit, determination, and a willingness to drink excellent beer: check.
Now does my equipment plan allow me to go AG? I'm a newbie looking to go AG from PM. I like to mostly brew IPAs and IIPA / Barleywines. I'm doing 5 gal batches now. Not sure I'll ever move to 10 gal., but I'd like to keep that option open w/o bringing keggles into the system just yet. Below is my plan - where are the holes?
Two tier system:
I'm looking to do a single temperature infusion mashes.
Questions:
Thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.
Now does my equipment plan allow me to go AG? I'm a newbie looking to go AG from PM. I like to mostly brew IPAs and IIPA / Barleywines. I'm doing 5 gal batches now. Not sure I'll ever move to 10 gal., but I'd like to keep that option open w/o bringing keggles into the system just yet. Below is my plan - where are the holes?
Two tier system:
- 10 gal. Gott cooler for HLT
- 10 gal. Gott cooler for MLT w/ stainless false bottom
- 10 gal. brew kettle
- 1 burner
- 1 march pump
- hoses / fittings / valves, etc.
I'm looking to do a single temperature infusion mashes.
Questions:
- Can I heat the mash water in the brew kettle and pump up to the HLT, and gravity feed down to the MLT for the mash. Then while the mash happens, heat up my sparge water and pump to the HLT. Then just sparge, recirculate, and drain into the brew kettle?
- I see a lot of systems with multiple burners. While I figure this surely is easier to directly heat each unit to a specific temperature, can I get away with one burner without pulling my hair out?
- If I got to 10 gal. batches I'm sure I'll need to replace my boil kettle, but will the Gott coolers and/or the rest of this system essentially be rendered useless?
- Any concerns I should have about using 10 gal Gotts when I'm only going to be doing 5 gal. batches? I've heard about insulating the HLT with a floating piece of foam insulation. I'm good with that, but any other concerns through the system?
Thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.