First Look: SS Brewtech Infussion Mash Tun

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mfabe

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I decided to get my hands on a 10 gallon SS Brewtech Infussion Mash Tun to start doing some 5 Gallon Batches that my 10 gallon Blichmann BrewEasy system simply can’t handle because of the placement of the electric element. After brewing all-grain with igloo coolers the first few years of my homebrew “career”, I wanted a step-up from those but with the same easy-to-use concept at heart.

Basically my requirements were a versatile vessel that I can integrate in with some of my existing equipment configurations without completely having to rework my setup. Furthermore, my expectations have become pretty high after using the BrewEasy system, it’s produced some of the best beer I’ve ever made and I highly recommend it as a turnkey hybrid alternative. On paper the SS Brewtech Infussion had some pretty key features that would either take a good amount of modification or just couldn’t be achieved with an igloo cooler; basically a built in thermometer/thermowell, false bottom, ball valve, and all stainless hardware/vessel.

After the positive experience I had with my 14 gallon Chronical, I had confidence that the SS Brewtech product would be quality; especially given the step-up in price from a highly modified igloo. After receiving the tun, I unboxed it and began putting everything together. Everything was packed tightly, and nothing was damaged, my initial impression of this product was that it looked amazing and that there isn’t really anything else out there like it for the price.

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After examining it closer you can tell that it’s very high quality construction; super clean welds throughout and zero rough polishing/finishing spots. Furthermore, there are small inherent built-in design features and benefits that in my opinion put my Blichmann mash tun and prior igloos to shame. Here are a few I noticed right off the bat:

1. The slight conical bottom and integrated center drain point instead of a dip tube to stave off dead space; my Blichmann typically holds onto about a half-gallon of wort from every brew.

2. The included false bottom can be removed without removing a dip tube or the thermowell. I’m one of those people that can stand to leave water to air-dry or small grain particles behind after brewing so I disassemble the dip tube and sight glass on my Blichmann mash tun after every brew day to clean them, it’s a huge PITA. This design is far superior, and also beats the hell out of trying to disconnect a hose and remove a domed false bottom from an igloo. You just lift it straight out, done.

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3. The thermowell comes with a nice sized o-ring, and can hold water with just being hand tightened, which is huge plus for tool-less removal. My Blichman had to be hogged down by wrenches and removed the same way. Plus the digital vs. analog thermometer provided slightly higher temp resolution. In my tests, the digital thermometer was right on point with my thermapen after 20-30 seconds of settling.

4. The handles are riveted and spot welded, so they feel way more stout compared to the Gen 1 Blichmann handles, plus they are silicone coated. This came in handy because I did need to lift if when it was full during my brew day. Last thing you ever want is a handle breaking loose on a roughly 80+ pound full vessel of hot liquid.

5. The silicone seal around the lid is great, basically the same air-tight seal the Chronical fermenter uses, and the weight of the lid seals the tun nicely. Obviously the heat retention abilities are important, but this also came in handy since during my first mash, my grain bill maxed out the vessel, and while carrying it I didn’t spill a drop. Although if you’re careful this is very similar to an igloo, but I always seemed to slosh a bit of wort and grain out since the igloo lids don’t have a water tight seal.

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6. The sparge arm offered much better distribution of water over the grain bed then my floating ball Blichmann auto-sparge does.

My impressions during the first brew outing were great, although I did overshoot my volume and temp being it was my first time around and I haven’t gotten familiar with what to expect. I preheated the tun for a few minutes with about 3 gallons of water while my strike water reached full temp, or 163 degrees. We brewed a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, so my grain bill was roughly 20 lbs with a water volume of roughly 7.5 gallons at 1.5qt/lb. My initial temp readings were about 154.5 when I was shooting for 153. No big deal, I added a little bit of room temp water to adjust the temp lower.

During the 75 min mash, I stirred and checked temp every 15 mins. My heat loss during the first half hour wasn’t even measurable, maybe 0.2 degrees, but basically static. During the remaining temp readings, at 45 min, I had lost about 0.5 degrees, and at 60 mins, 1.1 degrees, and 75 mins 1.6 degrees. Ambient temp in Socal at the time was roughly 82 degrees, yet the outside of the tun stayed cool to the touch the entire time.

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Going from memory, my igloo lost roughly 2-3 degrees over the same time period, so I would put the heat loss about half the rate of an igloo at relatively high ambient temps and with preheating the vessel. I largely attribute the improvement to the lid, since igloo lids are usually the weak link in the chain since those vessels are primarily designed for cold liquids, and don’t have the meat of their insulation in the lid. The heat loss on my Blichmann mash tun isn’t even in the same ballpark due to it not being insulated, so there is really no comparative data point there.

Once it was time to begin the first runnings, I planned to vorlauf a few pitchers to clear the wort and set the grain bed. The ball valve worked as expected, and the first runnings appeared relatively clear with just a small amount of grain-flour particles in tow. After only two vorlaufs the wort was completely clear. The rest of the fly-sparge went very smooth, without the slightest hint of reduced flow or getting stuck.

I overshot our volume measurements as a result of the zero-deadspace, but that ended up working out alright since the prevalence of Belgian Pilsen malt necessitated a 90 minute boil. All-in-all my BrewEasy system swallows up 17.5ish gallons to produce 10 gallons into the fermenter. This system swallowed up about only about 10 gallons to get 6 into the fermenter, I discarded some sparge water due to the final runnings coming out so clear and already achieving our desired kettle volume. All in all, after the brew day was said and done I ended up with an efficiency of 85.2%, which is very impressive for the first go around. My 70%ish efficiencies with the BrewEasy isn’t applicable for comparison here since I went back to a standard three vessel system for this brew.

Although, one slight negative I discovered is that the rubber feet are very easily removed, which is probably why they even give you a few extra. They did fall off once or twice while moving the vessel into position, but they are super easy to reinstall. They just pop back into the holes in the bottom cladding. You don’t necessarily even need them, but they are there to keep the bottom from getting scratched up or damaging the surface you are brewing on. The interesting part is that when the feet are removed you can visually see the injected foam insulation, which is similar to what is found in refrigerator cabinets. The unit is heavy at roughly 35 lbs with nothing in it, so the foam is obviously very dense; which is likely the cause for minimal heat loss.

To bottom line the purchase, for the price point there is nothing better that I have experienced. A highly upgraded igloo can run you $200ish after all SS hardware, high quality SS false bottom, thermometer, sparge arm etc. I would easily say this solution is about three times as good, and will last a lot longer. Plus, an igloo will never be a SS vessel, and a step-up to the Infussion tun from the get-go probably wouldn’t have resulted in constant upgrades to my system over time.

Plus, for a non-insulated 10 gallon Blichmann solution, you’re still looking at roughly $440, or $510 with auto sparge. So for the Infussion insulated tun at $395, and $450 with the sparge arm adds a lot of value and features over the Blichmann with similar build quality. Overall I’m very pleased with the purchase and would buy it again in a heartbeat. I look forward to my next brew day where I can take into account some of the things I’ve learned from this first test. I am actually interested in using it in place of my 15 gallon Blichmann mash tun in the Brew Easy system to see how it affects my efficiency and the number of times the electric element has to fire.

If anyone is on the fence for a mash tun upgrade, that doesn’t want to mess around with a direct fired non-insulated kettle or step mashes this is the solution. By the time they roll out the RIMS addition to allow step mashes, I’m sure I will have mastered it a bit more and will be ready for a new project! Cheers! :mug:
 
Thanks for the great review, I ordered one today. This quote really rang true for me:

Basically my requirements were a versatile vessel that I can integrate in with some of my existing equipment configurations without completely having to rework my setup.

My cooler MLT has seen better days (due to my own stupidity), and I do not have the space to go 3-vessel electric RIMS yet. I already knew I wanted a stainless, insulated MLT for that build, and this will fit the bill nicely when I finally get there--but I can use my current brew day routine in the meantime. I'm pretty stoked, will report on my experiences when I receive and brew with it.

Cheers!
 
You won't be sorry you got one, looks like it will fit the bill perfectly for you! I have another brew day planned on mine in the next few weeks and I'm looking forward to improving some of my volume and temp numbers. I'll share any additional findings... Cheers!
 
I too ordered the SS Brewtech 10 gallon Mash Tun, and have been very satisfied with this piece of equipment. Money well spent. Will order the heating device as soon as I can that is being developed for it. Cheers!
 
I brewed with mine today and I'm gonna give it another go tomorrow but I love mines just need to work on my fly sparge techniques and dial in the mash in water temps
 
Have they addressed the silly recirculation system yet? the other reviews showed a system where you leave the top off to recirculate and sparge which makes the whole idea of being insulated pointless... (huge loophole making it silly in that respect.)
If you dont recirculate though these are pretty nice. I use a rims and again herms of rims setups make these impratical since the insulation isnt needed. thats when I went from a igloo cooler to a 15.5 gallon kettle for a MT.

Even if you break it down without comparing it to ridiculously overpriced stuff. A DIY rims setup will cost you maybe $150-$250 depending on hardware choices and the regular 15 gallon stainless kettles start at about $120 - $140 with hardware so these are practical if you dont recirculate or step mash... especially if you cant or wont use tools to do any DIY work.

Just a heads up I really wanted and thought I would benefit from an insulated mashtun and almost bought one of these over a year ago (they have been sold in Europe for years now made in china and sold by a german company prior to ss distributing better versions of them.) IF YOU PLAN ON GOING WITH A HERMS OR RIMS SETUP THE INSULATION ASPECT IS SIMPLY NOT NEEDED. I had a hard time finding info on this prior to using my rims setup... and trust me if you plan on brewing 10 gallon batches you need at least a 15 gallon MT...
 
Have they addressed the silly recirculation system yet? the other reviews showed a system where you leave the top off to recirculate and sparge which makes the whole idea of being insulated pointless... (huge loophole making it silly in that respect.)
If you dont recirculate though these are pretty nice. I use a rims and again herms of rims setups make these impratical since the insulation isnt needed. thats when I went from a igloo cooler to a 15.5 gallon kettle for a MT.

Even if you break it down without comparing it to ridiculously overpriced stuff. A DIY rims setup will cost you maybe $150-$250 depending on hardware choices and the regular 15 gallon stainless kettles start at about $120 - $140 with hardware so these are practical if you dont recirculate or step mash... especially if you cant or wont use tools to do any DIY work.

Just a heads up I really wanted and thought I would benefit from an insulated mashtun and almost bought one of these over a year ago (they have been sold in Europe for years now made in china and sold by a german company prior to ss distributing them.) IF YOU PLAN ON GOING WITH A HERMS OR RIMS SETUP THE INSULATION ASPECT IS SIMPLY NOT NEEDED. I had a hard time finding info on this prior to using my rims setup... and trust me if you plan on brewing 10 gallon batches you need at least a 15 gallon MT...

Can't you drill through the lid and recirc through that?
It is odd that they don't really offer this product with the opportunity to recirc in the first place, but I suspect the number of people who don't recirc is much higher than those who do.
 
Can't you drill through the lid and recirc through that?
It is odd that they don't really offer this product with the opportunity to recirc in the first place, but I suspect the number of people who don't recirc is much higher than those who do.
They offer a sparging arm setup that can only be used with the top off although I had read they were redesigning the system... Hence the reason I asked...

Your totally right though... these are designed to replace a cooler in a non herms/rims application but it gets confusing for new brewers to distinguish what is needed with what which is why I made my post.

I prefer the ability to adjust and control temps as well as do step mashes and have clear wort but many dont need or care about that stuff as you can still make great beer without it ... (The flip side of that is you can do the same with a cooler). I'm just saying if you see yourself going with a rims or herms setup in the future this MT is not really a practical choice then.
I just think its best to lay all the pros and cons out before choosing hardware you might end up shelving later... Take it from someone with enough stuff in the attic to build a complete second electric brewerry at this point.

There's nothing worse then spending big bucks on something only to have it hinder and get in the way of upgrades later... the insulation and double layered lid makes it harder to add any sparge or recirc ports.
 
They said they will address recirculation at some point, it was on their website somewhere[1]. Either way, I fully intend to use this with a RIMS tube for step mashing once we get moved into a place where I have the space for it. I see a lot of value in the vessel being insulated, in fact I wish I could get an insulated HLT and boil kettle too.

But in the meantime, it steps into the void left by my cooler perfectly. I agree that it's probably the main use case for it, but I think it can be more than that.

[1] - https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204899609-HERMS-RIMS-for-10-gal-Mash-Tun-
 
They said they will address recirculation at some point, it was on their website somewhere[1]. Either way, I fully intend to use this with a RIMS tube for step mashing once we get moved into a place where I have the space for it. I see a lot of value in the vessel being insulated, in fact I wish I could get an insulated HLT and boil kettle too.

But in the meantime, it steps into the void left by my cooler perfectly. I agree that it's probably the main use case for it, but I think it can be more than that.

[1] - https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204899609-HERMS-RIMS-for-10-gal-Mash-Tun-
Curious? what practical value do you see when used with rims? The main point of a rims is to maintain or increase temps.. The main point of insulation is to maintain temps... each on their own work fine.... do you expect some sort of improvement in the outcome with both at once? either work perfect on their own so theres no real way to improve except by using less power in the rims and it would take you 10 years of brewing every week before you recoupe the cost in power savings. its great in theory but when you look at what you would get in saving vs additional costs and headaches for modifications and cleaning I dont thing the numbers work on a homebrew scale.

I used an insulated cooler with my rims and later upgraded to a larger non insulated 16 gallon MT and so no loss of any benefits from the cooler? maybe 5-10cents savings on power?
The bottom draining curved bottom is nice but the small size works against it especially for the price...

I'll admit I got the bling bug too and wanted cool new shiny stainless but you dont need insulated to get the cleaning benefits there..
It will work great as long as you have no desire to brew 10 gallons and dont mind the cost the question was is it worth it for those using rims or herms... I dont see real benefits here myself?
 
Ok, I'll bite. :)

Just think about one of these sitting beside a 10 gallon blichmann kettle being used as an MLT. Aside from the ability to direct fire the kettle with gas, they are rather similar. Both are stainless, both have 10 gallon capacities, and both cost a hell of a lot more than an Igloo cooler. One is insulated and has a fully draining bottom. The other has a sight glass. If one just looks at this simple comparison, I think the purpose-built vessel starts to pull ahead for electric brewers.

With regards to insulation, I see value in minimizing heat loss even when you have the ability to regulate it. Probably for the same reason we insulate everything else that is regulated--it's about efficiency and stability. In the end, I may end up only using the RIMS tube to step up and will just let the mash chill during the rests. Maybe I won't use it at all for single step mashes, which will save me some cleanup. These are things I will work out once I get it up and running, but in the short term, it's a drop-in upgrade for in my current vessel.

My overall larger point is that this guy gives me better performance and choices I wouldn't have otherwise had, while not removing any that I care about. I see enough value in all of this that I opted for it instead of the blichmann. Maybe I'll turn out to be wrong and will have wasted some money, in which case I'll just have to get over it I suppose.

I hope my other reply didn't come off as snippy, I just didn't want to get into an internet kerfuffle over something silly.

Cheers! :mug:
 
No I see what you are saying... and My comments come off a bit arrogant now that I reread them... I am still in a position where I look at it more budget minded than I would if I had more disposable income... Even so I started with an igloo cooler and had an attitude that stainless was pointless and a waste of money... Now that I had the extra money and see the cleanup benefits of the stainless hardware I have changed my very opinionated outlook a bit... if cost were no option I could see this being a nice MT for me if they were made in a larger size... I like the engineering and admit I have bought things in my brewery for cosmetic reasons I think this would be more along the lines of something like that.
 
I guess I'm missing something. What's the big difference/advantage between this ($395) and an Igloo cooler ($75)? Purely the bling factor?
 
Did you read the thread?

Mainly its the longevity and ease of cleaning steel versus plastic.

Also, some people can afford and appreciate higher quality products.

Is this only available with weldess fittings? I'd strongly prefer everything welded.
 
Yeah I read it and I couldn't figure out why thus why I asked the question.

Longevity - I could buy 5 Igloo coolers before I bought 1 SS mash tuns

Cleaning - The stainless will definitely be easier to clean but is that worth $300? To me no but it looks like it is to a lot of others.

I think it's the bling factor. It would match the other stainless kettles I have and that might make it worth it just on aesthetics alone.
 
Did you read the thread?

Mainly its the longevity and ease of cleaning steel versus plastic.

Also, some people can afford and appreciate higher quality products.

Is this only available with weldess fittings? I'd strongly prefer everything welded.

honestly it boils down to cosmetic reasons as you just stated yourself...(besides the easier cleaning option but that is negated since this would be harder to carry out to the compost bin like I easily do now with my stainless kettle.) True that its made better than a cooler but that serves no practical purpose here unless your very abusive to your equipment in which case the plastic will survive with less dings... as far as weldless fitting .. I have both and there is absolutely nothing wrong with weldless on the hot side... again its cosmetics.. lets not pretend that the weldless fitting will give a person issues because as long as they are installed correctly they work great (especially in stainless sidewalls.)

That said I am not ashamed to admit I like better looking toys myself and that why I have been adding stainless conicals as of late (I found they actually make better beer due to the easy dump option which prevents the metallic taste I sometimes got from dead yeast.)

Bottom line is If I made a bit more money and had a bit more disposable income to burn I would in fact consider the 20 gallon version myself now that I see they made it more practical for my needs. Its cool that SS is bringing these new products to us. I still think the insulation value is fairly pointless with herms or rims (do you cook with insulated kettles on the stove?) but hey...

Best value for the money? Hell no, but thats not important to everyone depending on circumstances. Just as some wont buy it just because its chinese made. everyone draws their lines differently.
 
Yeah I read it and I couldn't figure out why thus why I asked the question.

Longevity - I could buy 5 Igloo coolers before I bought 1 SS mash tuns

Cleaning - The stainless will definitely be easier to clean but is that worth $300? To me no but it looks like it is to a lot of others.

I think it's the bling factor. It would match the other stainless kettles I have and that might make it worth it just on aesthetics alone.
If you wanted one You would convince yourself otherwise... its easy to do really :) look how much people pay for a simple chinese kettle with the "Blichmann" name on it... does it do anything better? ... I cant think of a thing but bragging rights... then again Who am I to talk... I didnt buy my corvette for practical reasons either... and my toyota camry out performs my old stingray so it wasnt about performance..
Its a cool toy... simply put. and the marketing impresses people.

btw you could actually buy 15 10 gallon igloo beverage coolers from amazon for the cost of one 10 gallon stainless MT....
 
I could buy 5 Igloo coolers before I bought 1 SS mash tuns

I think SS Brewtech is making a huge mistake in their marketing by selling this as an overpriced, stainless water cooler--they should be selling it as an insulated kettle and accessorizing it as such. Hell, I'd gladly buy two more if they would put tri clamp element ports in them. I haven't yet decided if I will use for HLT, and just heat the HLT water with another RIMS tube. Alas, so much stainless, so little disposable income..
 
After 3 separate brew days with the SS Brewtech MT, I can say its well worth the cost given all the accessories I've added to coolers in the past, which get pretty tore up looking after a few years of hard brewing. I think everyone is discounting how much a cooler actually costs to retrofit into a MT, I seriously doubt you could buy 5 for the price of one SS MT.

The bottom line is that nice brewing equipment is all about making your brew day easier or your beer taste better.

With that said I would have to put the majority of the Infussion Mash Tun's features in the former camp than the latter. My personal favorites have to be the zero dead space and the ability to easily lift out the false bottom to clean it without removing a ton of hardware. Followed closely by the fact that its SS, digital thermometer, and lastly the ability to retain temps/excellent efficiency, which I'll admit a cooler also does very well.

I've certainly spent way more on other equipment that I've been less than impressed with! I would buy this MT again in a heartbeat...

BTW, I recently ordered the heater/temp control for it, so I'll add a quick update to my review after this weekends brew day!

Cheers!
 
Why even bother with an igloo cooler when you can just wrap a 10 gallon plastic bucket in recycled foam, bubble wrap, and plastic?
Why bother with a lid? 5layers of 3/8" plywood sandwiched together and cut into a circle could work as a lid. A 30lbs dumbell on top and rubber bands cut and placed in-between could seal it.

Not everyone who homebrews wants to buy junk. It's not bling so much as not wanting to mess with ghetto garbage product
 
Why even bother with an igloo cooler when you can just wrap a 10 gallon plastic bucket in recycled foam, bubble wrap, and plastic?
Why bother with a lid? 5layers of 3/8" plywood sandwiched together and cut into a circle could work as a lid. A 30lbs dumbell on top and rubber bands cut and placed in-between could seal it.

Not everyone who homebrews wants to buy junk. It's not bling so much as not wanting to mess with ghetto garbage product

I would say that's on the complete other end of the spectrum.

I guess I've never seen the need for an insulated mash tun. With a lid and my stainless kettle I lose very little over a hour mash. I've used a induction burner on the lowest setting and/or keeping my burner really low to keep temps steady.

What's everyone else using that requires the insulated mash tun?
 
Thanks for the review. I just ordered the 20 gallon MT. However, I have to wait until December for it to ship. :(
 
Thanks for the review. I just ordered the 20 gallon MT. However, I have to wait until December for it to ship. :(

No problem... I saw the 20 gal has a recirculation port, the manometer, and some other misc attachments etc. Do you have any plans for rims, etc? I would we interested to hear how it performs!
 
I would say that's on the complete other end of the spectrum.

I guess I've never seen the need for an insulated mash tun. With a lid and my stainless kettle I lose very little over a hour mash. I've used a induction burner on the lowest setting and/or keeping my burner really low to keep temps steady.

What's everyone else using that requires the insulated mash tun?

I have a Rubbermaid water cooler mash tun. I don't have a reliable way to add heat to a mash tun, so an insulated tun is the only way to go for me. An induction burner, propane, electric, another 10 gallon pot, and all the necessary hardware are not in my budget.....

I would argue that your method is not the best. Your heat source adds heat to the bottom of the kettle, so the mash is a lot warmer on the bottom than the top.

But there are so many different systems and people make great beer with most of them......
 
Why even bother with an igloo cooler when you can just wrap a 10 gallon plastic bucket in recycled foam, bubble wrap, and plastic?
Why bother with a lid? 5layers of 3/8" plywood sandwiched together and cut into a circle could work as a lid. A 30lbs dumbell on top and rubber bands cut and placed in-between could seal it.

Not everyone who homebrews wants to buy junk. It's not bling so much as not wanting to mess with ghetto garbage product
Yeah thats taking things to an extreme to prove your point... a beverage cooler with a lid is no more ghetto than a stainless version .. they are just as practical just not as blingy... they both function just as well and are honestly just as easy to use. what exactly makes the cooler "garbage " to you? the cosmetics of it?

To some its more about making the beer to others its more about the equipment...

according to your line of thought, this chinese stainless mashtun would still be considered ghetto to many that but only the most expensive stuff (mainly blichmann)
Thanks for bringing the "class system" into home brewing you make more money so this is practical you you and the "Ghetto Garbage" alternatives like a cooler that other use must make the rest of us poor peasants tough to understand just as we have a hard time seeing your points from a practical standpoint.

This is why so many have an issue with stainless conicals... to use them efficiently you need to insulate them which takes away from the asthetics of it so people look for the inefficient alternative which is a large glass front fridge to show tham off to their buddies...
 
I would say that's on the complete other end of the spectrum.

I guess I've never seen the need for an insulated mash tun. With a lid and my stainless kettle I lose very little over a hour mash. I've used a induction burner on the lowest setting and/or keeping my burner really low to keep temps steady.

What's everyone else using that requires the insulated mash tun?

EXACTLY and if you use a rims or herms it makes all this insulation and extra cost for it redundant and even less practical! Its like using a herms and rims together in the same system. The center drain is the only functional appreciable advantage this thing would have...(a flipped over center draining sanke also accomplishes this as far as functionality.) The rest is cosmetic. every time I ask for another reason this would be better in such an application people state its not about cosmetics but then cant give any real advantage other than the stainless doesnt absorb any odors (they are both just as easy to keep clean ) and the plastic is more durable when it comes to emptying it so it actually has an advantage here over the heavier more easily dinged stainless cooler/tun. especially for those you put their equipment away after use..

but alas homebrewers dont always understand what or why they do some of the things they do... look at all the people who invest in rotating sprinking sparge arms when they batch sparge? just another cool gismo that doesnt serve a purpose in their setup.. Form over function.. which is fine but it doesnt make the more practical setups "Ghetto" or functionally inferior.
 
but alas homebrewers dont always understand what or why they do some of the things they do... look at all the people who invest in rotating sprinking sparge arms when they batch sparge? just another cool gismo that doesnt serve a purpose in their setup.. Form over function.. which is fine but it doesnt make the more practical setups "Ghetto" or functionally inferior.

Just a thought, but maybe you should try the SS Brewtech product before generalizing and passing so much judgement. I posted the review as one man's opinion, and comparing it to other products that I have ACTUALLY used or owned. I didn't usher in sensationalism and look to attack other products or groups of people for the benefit of another. I simply laid out a common sense budgetary comparison for comparable products and options on the market.

No one is attacking coolers, since that's how most people here got started, me included. But a cooler was not originally designed to be a MT, this product is, so it has some appreciable benefits I think everyone can recognize and appreciate. However, those features may not be as important to some brewers, so they can keep their coolers. Yet, don't ruin this thread for the brewers that are looking for the next evolution in their system and find this product attractive.

I think its part of the American spirit that motivates innovation and improvement to a design that was simply a clever modification to an otherwise unspecified use. I hope that all equipment makers continue to evolve the basics and come out with new and interesting products. That's what this thread should be all about, not brow beating each other in a cooler vs. SS MT fight to the death! LOL

Cheers!:tank:
 
I think its part of the American spirit that motivates innovation and improvement to a design that was simply a clever modification to an otherwise unspecified use. I hope that all equipment makers continue to evolve the basics and come out with new and interesting products. That's what this thread should be all about, not brow beating each other in a cooler vs. SS MT fight to the death! LOL

Bravo!
BTW, I have been using an upside down, Insulated Sanke keg mash tun in my RIMS system since 1997....
 
That's what this thread should be all about, not brow beating each other in a cooler vs. SS MT fight to the death!

I really have no idea what drives this behavior. We get it, not everyone can afford it, and not everyone wants it. Those of you who can't or won't, you don't need to uplift yourselves by making others feel guilty or stupid for being able and willing to buy it.

Now, with that out of the way, has anyone heard any rumors about the recirculation fittings for the 10 gallon version yet? They seem to be targeting Q4 for it. (Exact words were "pre-Christmas launch".) Guessing it will use the return manifold from the 20 gallon version as well. C'mon guys, gimme an early Christmas present!

EDIT: Removed some inflammatory language.
 
Well for what its worth I was trying to keep it about facts in the beginning by asking what the practical advantages of this would be over a cooler but that thread was over in a couple sentences ...Then it became about advantages that people cant explain but arent cosmetic, whatever those might be and how coolers or regular kettles are "Ghetto garbage" because they arent originally sold as out of the box retail mash tuns as if that makes some kind of difference.... Apparently there's some useful advantage to having an insulated MT with a rims that im unaware of even though I had that combination for over a year with my rims and cooler and noticed no change when going to a regular stainless kettle... If their really is a real tangible advantage im all ears and would like to hear it? I asked this before and the conversation just keeps getting sidtracked by the "oh shiny" mindset. I was fine with the fact that its just an expensive cool looking mashtun but some here keep siting it is so superior yet stop short on giving a REAL explaination why?

I dont need to own one to see how they work. I had a plastic one already which worked the same for my use. I mentioned the very real advantages a cooler has over a big stationary stainless mash tun because its important to recognize the disadvantages as well ad advantages of each setup.

since I prefer to just carry my mashtun out to my compost bin and dump it this would not be a practical choice for me. I will admit my cooler was even better than my 16 gallon stainless mashtun in this regard.
I will let it go in because at this point I'm just upsetting the people that want or bought one and its pretty clear no one is interested in discussing it seriously.
Yeah im a critic because I'm not sold on why this is $250 better than a kettle or cooler.. I asked for owners to give some reasons and they so far havent been convincing.. This would be the thread to ask for this feedback right? We all know it looks pretty but beyond that...

BTW this is not some new American product, nor was it invented here... its a Chinese clone of the ones that have been sold everywhere BUT the united states for years now only they sell for much less. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=322452
 
Being on a fixed income caused me to weigh my options when considering a new mash tun. The cooler I had been using developed a leak around the spigot assembly purchased to replace the one that came with the cooler. The stainless steel bulkhead fitting, being much heavier than the one fitted to it for its intended use, caused undue stress on the plastic. The result was a nearly 10 gallon spill of wort. After about 5 batches with the SS Mash Tun, I feel confident that it will perform for years to come without an engineering failure, as it's designed task is as a Mash Tun, not a lightweight cooler. The plastic buckets served me well, for fermention & Mash Tuns, and no regrets in having used them for past 20+ years. But I saved up and got Stainless pots, saved more, got Stainless fermenters to control temps, and finally a Stainless Mash Tun. Very happy with quality & function & price. This is a hobby, not a production brewery, so whatever equipment you brew with, go for it!
 
Lets not forget that if it wasnt for the comparing and critism the first 10 gallon version received there likely wouldnt have been all the improvements made to the 20 gallon setup...
 
Well for what its worth I was trying to keep it about facts in the beginning by asking what the practical advantages of this would be over a cooler...
Over time plastic coolers have been known to warp and crack, some folks don't want to deal with that. Some folks also have concerns with heating plastic above what it may have been designed for, plenty of debate threads on that already. While some folks may not have any concerns with plastic and therefore there's no justification for the added cost of stainless. And yes, aesthetics and purpose built do weigh into equipment buying decisions. It's a hobby and not always about brewing beer in the cheapest way possible, which seams to be a popular force in a lot of threads. The opinion that if you're not doing it the cheapest way possible then somehow you're doing it wrong, wasting your money.

I'm actually thinking of adding HERMS to my insulated MT as a way to adjust/dial in temperature. Even with calculators and experience sometimes you miss mash temperature and need a way to adjust for it.

What I like about a insulated MT is that you are not recirculating/heating the whole time and can walk away from it. This gives me an hour to go take care of other things, or break away for breakfast with the family.

So while a product may not fit your specific situation, for others it will.
 
I will let it go in because at this point I'm just upsetting the people that want or bought one and its pretty clear no one is interested in discussing it seriously

It's been discussed at great length, if you aren't convinced by now then you aren't going to be. Letting it go is probably the right move.
 
I'm actually thinking of adding HERMS to my insulated MT as a way to adjust/dial in temperature.

I have a similar plan but I mean to use a RIMS tube. My main motivator is step mashes, so I may or may not use it for single step schedules. That said, there might be an advantage for mashing in slightly low and adjusting up to target. Whether or not it's enough of an advantage to warrant having to clean it remains to be seen, but it's good to have choices. In fact, choice is the key value proposition for this particular piece of equipment for my part.
 
Over time plastic coolers have been known to warp and crack, some folks don't want to deal with that. Some folks also have concerns with heating plastic above what it may have been designed for, plenty of debate threads on that already. While some folks may not have any concerns with plastic and therefore there's no justification for the added cost of stainless. And yes, aesthetics and purpose built do weigh into equipment buying decisions. It's a hobby and not always about brewing beer in the cheapest way possible, which seams to be a popular force in a lot of threads. The opinion that if you're not doing it the cheapest way possible then somehow you're doing it wrong, wasting your money.

I'm actually thinking of adding HERMS to my insulated MT as a way to adjust/dial in temperature. Even with calculators and experience sometimes you miss mash temperature and need a way to adjust for it.

What I like about a insulated MT is that you are not recirculating/heating the whole time and can walk away from it. This gives me an hour to go take care of other things, or break away for breakfast with the family.

So while a product may not fit your specific situation, for others it will.

The cooler is food grade and tested to temps up to 170 degrees... coincidently thats as high as any mash should see... I believe the warped plastic is a result of people doughing in or mashing way too high myself as I had no such issues in the year and ahalf I used a cooler
The insulation has merit when not recirulating and controlling the temps with heating by rims or herms.... But when doing so its just not practical. at $300 it would take many years to recoupe the $250 extra with couple cents in electric you would save each brew. and most importantly there would be no difference into beer.

I didnt say I dont think these have a place... If one has a an aesthetically pleasing setup for show behind his or her bar and doesnt recirc than this would be a good fit. But for someone who doesnt have the extra money to spend without real gains this is not $250 better than a cooler and its even less practical is one uses a herms or rims which make the insulation pointless. The gains are mostly cosmetic... those that understand how herms and rims works and have used them should know... I HAVE gone from an insulated tun to a regular kettle as a mash tun and I can say that there way no real world difference in mash temps or stepping capability...
 
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