SSBrewTech Announced a New Insulated Mash Tun!

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Joe_CraftBeerTraders

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Hey Guys,

By now you have probably realized im a big fan of SSBrewTech and their products. Rightfully so though, they make some pretty bad ass equipment. Well the just announced a new product to their line up! An Insulated Mash Tun! Check this out!

DSC_7711_1024x1024.jpg


SSBrewTech has it posted on their website www.SSBrewTech.com, their new InfuSsion Mash Tun has better temperature efficiency/retention then plastic. This new design is dual wall 304SS with foam insulation as well as a foam insulated lid to aid in heat retention. Other features include a removable false bottom with a center pickup for better efficiency, a 304SS 3pc ball valve, a thermowell and precision LCD thermometer. It also looks like they have listened to customer feedback and moved their riveted handles from the sides to the front for easier carrying. These handles are also wrapped in silicone for better grip. Not to mention you can hang the lid on the handles as well. But what I think is the most important and the greatest addition is the etched volume markers! They are saying that they will have volume markers starting from 1 gallon! Right now we see only a 10gal option but have inquired to see their future plans and sizes.

I posted info about the pre orders on my blog. its also available on their website. but looks to be around June 2015 for shipping.


http://blog.craftbeertraders.com/ssbrewtech-insulated-infussion-mash-tun/
 
Is it just me or is $400 is a bit steep for a mash tun?

It's a lot more expensive than a plastic cooler, yes, but an insulated SS mash tun with false bottom and thermometer it seems about right to me. Their 10G kettle is $225 + $95 for false bottom +$37 for thermometer = $357. So, $40 more for a better design and insulation seems like a great price to me.

I'm not sure about the digital Thermometer, i think I'd personally prefer an analog thermometer. But I'm strongly considering getting in a pre-order for one of these anyway.

I'm also wondering what type of insulation they're using, and if it would be possible to drill through it to add electric heating elements for use as electric HLT and boil kettle.
 
Is it just me or is $400 is a bit steep for a mash tun for the homebrew application?

With the option included for 400.00 is close to what a keg converted mash tune would cost you plus the insulation is nice. In some applications it is well worth the cost.
Still cheaper then Blickmann yet more features. I have their half barrel fermenter and 5 gal fermenter both with their temp control. Well worth their cost if you can raise the cash for it. Will be getting their 20gsllon brewpot soon and I think I will add this if they make it available in 15 or 20gllon
 
Full drain is a plus. Lack of triclamp fitting options is a minus. Until data on its ability to hold mash temperature is posted, it's not worth the extra cash. On the other hand, it's only $40 more with those options than the non-insulated model, so let's just hope the insulation works well. What's ideal, dropping 1 degree in an hour or so?
 
I've asked what their plans are for larger volume in the future but exactly as mentioned above. After conversions of a kettle with all features described you would be about the same price point minus the insulating. I'll inquire about the drilling as well because I am interested in that aswell. They said foam on the site but I'll see what they say
 
I use RIMS so the insulation value to me is less turning on the heating element. I have never mashed in a cooler I don't know what drop is normal.
That said.. decent value compared to keggle plus false bottom, 3 peice ball, cutting top off getting lid welding fittings making markings etc.. the insulation is an added value. Keg being 15 gallons is its benifit. If you are using cooler though.. cost is much higher and value shift is much different.
 
Awesome! I ordered a new kettle to replace my bare bones keggle this week. They snuck some "spy pics" into my order confirmation of this beauty. Unfortunately I'm in the process of buying a house, and fiance says that's enough toys for now.
 
Dang, one drunken night I bored my wife with my idea to build something very very very much like that. I gave up on it because of what I imagined it would cost.
 
If they made a 15-20 gal plus move the damn Handkes from directly above the ball valve & thermometer I'd definitely give them a look.
Other than cleaning who moves their tun?
 
Yes, considering the tax return I have coming this year. If only they weren't OOS and only taking deposits...given all the disappointment with the Brew Nanny, I'm slightly wary.
 
I have supplied them a lot of your guys feedback. They actually had a lot of requests for larger sizes and are looking into 20gal options. I'll keep you posted when I hear more about those. That's actually the size I wanted.

The handle position is actually in a better location then they were. Originally their kettles had them on the sides. When trying to carry a kettle and you have the valve punching your shins you realize that you'd rather the handles to be front and back. Also with the ability to hang the lid on the handles you can hang it off the back out of the way when not using it. When it was on the side it got in the way. Specially on single tier stands.
 
I am personally a thrifty person, so I couldn't justify spending $400 bucks for something that will function exactly the same as an ice-chest mash-tun at less than 1/4 the price.
 
Great looking, I'm never getting one. I can't justify the cost particularly since I already own a cooler tun. Even if I didn't I probably couldn't. Main attraction I have to SS for brewing is being non-permeable, more resistant to scratches vs plastic, and easy to clean. Everything that doesn't matter pre-boil.

If they made a 15-20 gal plus move the damn Handkes from directly above the ball valve & thermometer I'd definitely give them a look.
Other than cleaning who moves their tun?

Multiple times per brew day. Mash in on the floor as well, then hoist it to a spot for gravity transfer. That's after digging it out of storage, which means putting it back into storage at some point.
 
I'm not endorsing or supporting this product, but if you are interested in it, it would be best to buy it now. I will not be buying one btw. If this product follows similar pricing trends as their conical fermenters when then first came out, expect to see this mash tun creep up in price to easily $500 in a few months.
 
I have a stupid question: is this meant to go on a burner to heat the strike water or do you heat the water in a boil kettle and pour it in like with an Igloo cooler MT? I've also never heard about plastic "leaching" into my mash. Is this just a wives tale or is it real?
 
The design is heat the water in a lauter tank or boil kettle and pump into the mash tun. Right now I haven't heard if this will work on direct fire but I might be cautious about it with foam being on the inside.

As for plastic leeching I personally have no proof to say yes or no. But if you fill up your mash tun with water and put it outside in the sun for an hour or two and then drink the water you do get a little plastic flavor and smell. But chalk that up however you want to.
 
In case this is helpful to anyone... I asked SS Brewtech a few questions about their mash tun, and pasted their reply below. Personally I'm on the fence; it's a unique product with features that are important to me (stainless, insulation, bottom drain, volume markings), but for the price I'd want some features that it currently lacks (e.g. larger capacity, wider drain, additional bulkhead).


1. What's the ID of the fluid path from the drain to ball valve? Hopefully at least 1/2"?

The Tube is a 10mm dia, so about 0.4 Inches. We selected this size for a couple reasons;
a, There is no risk of "plugging" because you are draining off clear wort
b, Effectively, you use an even smaller opening (by keeping the drain valve mostly closed) to slow the Run-Off to take at least 45-60mins.
c, We did use a standard 1/2" 3Pc Valve, so your common fittings can be used

2. Have you done any heat retention tests? How well does it perform vs a cooler?

Yes.
We tested side-by-side with a standard 10 Gal Igloo Cooler.
The testing showed the Igloo cooler lost heat faster than the Ss Mash Tun
You can expect the Igloo cooler to lose an extra 7.5F over a typical 60min mash.

3. For people who use recirculating mash systems, what options are there for adding a return inlet to the wall or lid? Is it feasible to drill a hole through the insulation and insert a bulkhead?

There's no perfect solution for adding another bulkhead into the Ss Mash Tun. You may have noticed in the images, the area where the ThermoWell is located is "Indented" to give it structure for mounting it.
It would be possible to use this area by removing the ThermoWell, and using this port.
But having asked this question, we might make a prevision for a second bulkhead in the future.
 
All this conversation makes me wonder if anyone's done a DIY version of an insulated SS mashtun by basically sandwiching two brew pots together with welded-through fittings.
 
2. Have you done any heat retention tests? How well does it perform vs a cooler?

Yes.
We tested side-by-side with a standard 10 Gal Igloo Cooler.
The testing showed the Igloo cooler lost heat faster than the Ss Mash Tun
You can expect the Igloo cooler to lose an extra 7.5F over a typical 60min mash.

Just for the sake of conversation, does this answer make sense to anyone else? I use a 10 gallon cooler for my mashtun, and if I preheat I don't lose any temperature ( to within the 1 degree accuracy of my thermometer) during a 60 minute mash.
 
Just for the sake of conversation, does this answer make sense to anyone else? I use a 10 gallon cooler for my mashtun, and if I preheat I don't lose any temperature ( to within the 1 degree accuracy of my thermometer) during a 60 minute mash.

I don't use a cooler tun. But I have a friend that does. I have brewed with him plenty and we discuss temperature loss in the mash. He sees a couple degrees maximum. But once again he is preheating the tun. I wonder if they didn't preheat the tun when testing?
 
For me it is much too expensive. I also don't really like the SSBrewTech guys. I sent them an email simply asking if their products were made in USA, and instead of just answering yes or no they sent me back an email saying how they weren't, neither were Blichmann, MoreBeer!, Northern Brewer, but SS were the only ones honest enough to say so.

Give me a break, is this junior high? I'll give me money to someone else.
 
For me it is much too expensive. I also don't really like the SSBrewTech guys. I sent them an email simply asking if their products were made in USA, and instead of just answering yes or no they sent me back an email saying how they weren't, neither were Blichmann, MoreBeer!, Northern Brewer, but SS were the only ones honest enough to say so.

Give me a break, is this junior high? I'll give me money to someone else.

In fairness, just about nothing is fabricated domestically anymore. At least not mass production - economies of scale just aren't there compared to China. You don't have the gigantic nuts factory next door to the gigantic bolts factory next door to...etc etc.
 
All this conversation makes me wonder if anyone's done a DIY version of an insulated SS mashtun by basically sandwiching two brew pots together with welded-through fittings.

I wrapped my converted keg mash tun in 4 layers of reflectix, good enough for me.
 
Seems like a good idea but the only reason I'd switch from my cooler MLT to a SS MLT is either to do direct fire or a RIMS or HERMS setup. With either I wouldn't be as concerned about temp loss and wouldn't need the insulation. I also would be more interested in a 30G version.
 
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