Can I brew with this equipment?

I have a 40 quart pot with a spout, a outdoor burner and a empty 1/2 keg(didnt cut top off yet, but will). Is that enough for me to move from extract to all grain or partial mash? If so a little help on how to get started from people who already made their own mistakes!

What do you have to mash in?? That's the next piece to figure out. If you don't have a mash tun, I recommend the 10 gallon round cooler tutorial in the DIY section here. Cheap, and it works REALLY well.

Hmmmmm. Looks like you still need a MLT. Do you have a cooler that you can convert? A 48 quart cooler would allow you to do up to ten gallon batches if the grain bill isn't too large.

Your half keg should hold 15.5 gallons. I'd cut the top off and add a quarter turn valve and a fitting for a thermometer. Keep the thermometer low down in the keg.

I'd use the keg as the HLT unless you want to do ten gallon batches, then the keg would be the boil kettle as it will hold more wort.

Doing it this way is easier if you have a second burner or heat source, it's very handy to be heating spare water AND running the boil kettle at the same time.

That being said, you can do this with one burner too.

Sounds like you're close... Good Luck...

I am looking at the make your own mash thread... seems likie I am going to have an issue finding a cooler to do this with...

WenValley said:

Hmmmmm.

Doing it this way is easier if you have a second burner or heat source, it's very handy to be heating spare water AND running the boil kettle at the same time.

Sounds like you're close... Good Luck...

Click to expand...

Could I use my stove top? How much water would I have to boil?

Depends on PM or All Grain. I brewed Ed's Bee Cave IPA last week, and I heated up seven gallons of water to 176 degrees for the mash in, and double sparge. That's for a five gallon batch.

When I started pulling the wort out of the MLT, the wort went into the boil kettle, and I still had a keg with hot sparge water ready to go to finish up the double batch sparge.

If you can make it to Walmart with twenty bucks (give or take ten bucks), you can get a cooler. For another twenty you can get the parts such as the braided filter and the ball valve.

Or not...

underwaterdan said:

I am looking at the make your own mash thread... seems likie I am going to have an issue finding a cooler to do this with...

Click to expand...

Why?? Home Depot or Lowes has them. Tough time of year I guess though but I found one around this time last year at HD.

Cant he convert the keg to a big arse MLT? He has a 40qt pot so thats like 8 gallons? The pot= HLT and BK, and the keggle he puts a valve and lauter system into and voila.

Walmart has coolers for 19.99, 5 gallon round or 48 qt rectangle rubbermaid ... both the same price.

can you do it with a 5 gallon? I thought I needed if not that is perfect. I found a 10 gallon used one for 29.99 shipped, but I think thats overpriced.

How about MIAB in the 40qt pot?

Sure you can! You don't NEED an MLT. Look up "Brew in a Bag" or "BIAB" brewing method.

Yes you can brew with that equipment...you don't even need to cut the keg!
All you need is a large mesh bag which can be made out of 'voile' (a curtain material) for under $10. I do full grain following this method and the beer turns out great every time:
Aussie Brew in a Bag method