Bill Cardiff
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- Jun 20, 2018
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I lurk all over the interwebs trying to learn as I go.
I am thinking of setting up a 15.5 LEGAL keg as a kettle of sorts. It would have many different purposes, but on brew day it would act as my HLT. I would like to have the mash in say a food safe 50 gallon barrel thing. Is that ok ? I am thinking of corn, up to 185 lets say, and from what I can see HDPE food grade should be good up to boiling temps. As it would be for at most of 90 minutes and no pressure at all I feel ok with this.
I would be looking for a 30 gallon mash, using a 15 gallon HLT.
My thoughts are to start with 15 gallons of 190F water into the barrel, then refill the HLT and start heating it immediately. I could start the pump near after that to start recycling which should actually help heat the HTL initially. With 5500W element, it shouldn't take long for the HLT to get up to temps, and all of a sudden I am heating the 15 gallons in the barrel instead of trying to pre heat the HLT.
I think it should work, it would be slower. I am hoping for a 25' coil in the HLT. I have no issues with the time it would take to get control of temps. My main cook point would be the corn and it's time to release the starches. If I waited for the 15 gallon initial dump into the barrel to stabilize, then added the corn, I feel like it should be ok.
I am hoping for no flames, just sort of feed back. I have limited resources, but some ok equipment. I am thinking the HLT would have a dedicated coil, stainless or copper, 1/2", residing permanently in the top two thirds of the keg, while a drain and the element live in the bottom third.
I could still use the keg for other purposes, the coil would just live there like some sort of odd symbiont useful for cooking but otherwise just living off the host (keg).
I am thinking of setting up a 15.5 LEGAL keg as a kettle of sorts. It would have many different purposes, but on brew day it would act as my HLT. I would like to have the mash in say a food safe 50 gallon barrel thing. Is that ok ? I am thinking of corn, up to 185 lets say, and from what I can see HDPE food grade should be good up to boiling temps. As it would be for at most of 90 minutes and no pressure at all I feel ok with this.
I would be looking for a 30 gallon mash, using a 15 gallon HLT.
My thoughts are to start with 15 gallons of 190F water into the barrel, then refill the HLT and start heating it immediately. I could start the pump near after that to start recycling which should actually help heat the HTL initially. With 5500W element, it shouldn't take long for the HLT to get up to temps, and all of a sudden I am heating the 15 gallons in the barrel instead of trying to pre heat the HLT.
I think it should work, it would be slower. I am hoping for a 25' coil in the HLT. I have no issues with the time it would take to get control of temps. My main cook point would be the corn and it's time to release the starches. If I waited for the 15 gallon initial dump into the barrel to stabilize, then added the corn, I feel like it should be ok.
I am hoping for no flames, just sort of feed back. I have limited resources, but some ok equipment. I am thinking the HLT would have a dedicated coil, stainless or copper, 1/2", residing permanently in the top two thirds of the keg, while a drain and the element live in the bottom third.
I could still use the keg for other purposes, the coil would just live there like some sort of odd symbiont useful for cooking but otherwise just living off the host (keg).
