dstar26t
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing
I made a new MLT from a keg, it replaced my 10 gallon rubbermaid cooler. The cooler worked great with batch sparging and I could set-up a good grain bed and get clear wort to the kettle. The new keg MLT is a different story. Here's the new MLT:
I use steam to do step mashes and to do a mash out at 170. That's what the ring with holes is for above the false bottom. After a 15 min rest at 170, it gravity drains into a 3.5 quart grant (converted asparagus steamer):
The wort gets recirculated for ~10 minutes after the 15 minute rest at 170 and it runs very clear. The wort is then run off into the boil kettle by gravity, once the level above the grain bed gets to about 1" I start adding sparge water and start the fly sparge. I've brewed twice with this new equipment and about half way through draining to the boil kettle there are a lot of grain bits coming out of the MLT. The last time, I had to stop draining and recirculate again it was so bad. When I tried to recirculate again, it wouldn't run clear until I drained an additional gallon into a growler and set it aside. This leads me to believe that I need a bigger grant. Before I make a new bigger grant, does this theory sound right? The first mash was 1.5 qts/lb and the second was 1.25. My barley crusher is set at .039".
I use steam to do step mashes and to do a mash out at 170. That's what the ring with holes is for above the false bottom. After a 15 min rest at 170, it gravity drains into a 3.5 quart grant (converted asparagus steamer):
The wort gets recirculated for ~10 minutes after the 15 minute rest at 170 and it runs very clear. The wort is then run off into the boil kettle by gravity, once the level above the grain bed gets to about 1" I start adding sparge water and start the fly sparge. I've brewed twice with this new equipment and about half way through draining to the boil kettle there are a lot of grain bits coming out of the MLT. The last time, I had to stop draining and recirculate again it was so bad. When I tried to recirculate again, it wouldn't run clear until I drained an additional gallon into a growler and set it aside. This leads me to believe that I need a bigger grant. Before I make a new bigger grant, does this theory sound right? The first mash was 1.5 qts/lb and the second was 1.25. My barley crusher is set at .039".
