I brew two 5 gallon batches in a weekend enough that I have been trying to figure out if I can simplify the process (and maybe leave some weekends free without killing my pipeline). Luckily, some of my brews have similar basic mash profiles (e.g., my German Altbier involves adding small amounts of specialty grains that do not need to be mashed to the grist that I use for my Kolsch), so I was thinking about combining the process. I am hoping to do this without the need to buy a bunch of additional equipment, and I have come up with the following, which would only require me to buy a 60-70 quart cooler and convert it to a MLT. Here is what I have in mind:
1. Mash a 10 gallon batch of the base beer (in the example above, the Kolsch) in a mash tun cooler.
2. Drain the first runnings into my existing 5 gallon cooler (to keep warm during sparge)
3. Sparge the mash, draining second runnings into my existing 30 quart boil kettle.
4. Dump the grain from the mash tun cooler and rinse it out.
5. Combine the first and second runnings in the mash tun cooler.
6. Drain half the wort into the boil kettle and proceed with the boil of the base beer.
7. At the same time that I am starting the boil of the base beer, I would add the specialty grains to the mash tun cooler in a BIAB bag and allow them to steep.
8. Finish boil of base beer, chill, and transfer to fermenter.
9. Transfer darker beer wort to boil kettle number 2 and proceed as usual with the boil of that beer.
Does this make sense? Am I missing something that will create problems with this approach?
1. Mash a 10 gallon batch of the base beer (in the example above, the Kolsch) in a mash tun cooler.
2. Drain the first runnings into my existing 5 gallon cooler (to keep warm during sparge)
3. Sparge the mash, draining second runnings into my existing 30 quart boil kettle.
4. Dump the grain from the mash tun cooler and rinse it out.
5. Combine the first and second runnings in the mash tun cooler.
6. Drain half the wort into the boil kettle and proceed with the boil of the base beer.
7. At the same time that I am starting the boil of the base beer, I would add the specialty grains to the mash tun cooler in a BIAB bag and allow them to steep.
8. Finish boil of base beer, chill, and transfer to fermenter.
9. Transfer darker beer wort to boil kettle number 2 and proceed as usual with the boil of that beer.
Does this make sense? Am I missing something that will create problems with this approach?