First all grain with Zapap

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Tim_B

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Hello everyone, just finished my first all grain brew a few nights ago. I used the zapap method mash tun and fly sparged. I know I'd be told otherwise about the method I used, but I am really strapped for cash at the moment and after doing a few partial mashes I really wanted to go all grain. I was able to hold my temps pretty well, I think, using a blanket which started at 151F and only dropped to 147F after 45min. Since things went pretty well with the zapap, I'll be using it for quite some time. I was wondering, though, what other drawbacks besides temp stability might I have using this method. Thanks in advance for the feedback :)
 
I have done the Zapap before.

The main problems, if I am remembering correctly, is that they hold relatively small single-infusion grain bills and tend to lose temp. But my experiemce was pretty much like yours; it works well enough.

Oh, and drilling a kabillion holes. :) I think I got a couple of stuck sparges with the bucket-in-bucket and haven't had any with a cooler MLT yet.

BTW, Strapped for cash is frequently the mother of invention around these parts. Many of us scrounge on principal, believing it to be a waste to pay for something you can make, recycle, or reuse. Another subset controls their costs closely to keep SWMBO from going nuke-u-lar. So you are in good company. :)
 
If you have a cooler, you can do the mash and then transfer it to the Zapap for the sparge. That way you can keep the mash temp constant. This is what I did when I was using the Zapap.
 
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