I'll be out of town this week ( I'll be in long beach CA ) but when I return I'm going to experiment with the cooler I bought from Walmart. I'll post results.
RichBrewer said:This idea came to me while posting in this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8748
I think we as a team should figure out how to design and build a mini mash system that extract brewers could use to do partial mashes when they brew.
I want to say right off the top that this isn't intended to slam extract brewers. If you enjoy the hobby by doing extract only then by all means stay with it but if you are doing extract with steeped grains this method might not be much more difficult or take much longer. If it works it will make your home brew better.
We need input from everyone.
From the extract brewers:
- Would you be interested in a mini mash system?
- How much would you be willing to spend to build this system?
- What would you want this system to do for you?
From AG and experienced brewers:
-Would a mini mash system even work?
- What procedures and equipment would work best?
- Would the addition of a bit of pale 2 row help in the mash? (Maybe 1 or 2 pounds)
- What would its limitations be? (adjuncts may not work too well)
I think this system should:
1. Not be too costly to assemble so there is not a big expense to step up to PM.
2. Create about 2 to 3 gallons of wort. The malt extract could be added to this in a fairly small brew pot.
3. Be fairly simple to use and not extend the brewing session too long.
4. Strait forward assembly with parts that would be easy to get.
Brewsmith found this link for a 2 gallon cooler. I think this is a good start. for the mash/Lauter tun.
http://www.igloo-store.com/product_detail.asp?T1=IGL+LEG+2G+BLUE&HDR=personbeverage
The cooler will need to contain 3 to 5 pounds of grain and the strike water needed to mash it. (5 pounds of grain would take about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 gallon of water)
A false bottom is needed to strain the wort. What would be best? stainless steel braided hose? A type of false bottom? a manifold made from copper pipe? Any other suggestions? (Thanks again Brewersmith)
What procedures would make this work best? I would say a simple infusion mash at about 150 to 155 degrees and batch sparging with 170 degree water. After the sparge is done the brewing session would be the same as pure extract.
If this would work, I think it would be a system for brewers who either don't have the time or don't want to hassle with doing a full all grain brew. It might be good as well for anyone who wants to step up to AG but wants to first learn through PM brewing.
I would love to get input from everyone.
RichBrewer said:I'm not looking at cost alone. The 5 gallon is a viable option for someone who knows they are going AG but even then, the 5 gallon may be too big for PM brews. The grain bed might be be too shallow. Experts chime in here.
If the 5 gallon cooler works for PM then great. I will caution everyone though. For all grain brewing the 10 gallon cooler works much better. A 5 gallon Mash/Lauter tun can be too small for big beers.
I was also looking for a smaller cooler that takes up less room for folks who are limited on space. I would think the 3 gallon would be better for home brewers who don't plan on going AG for awhile or at all.
That's fine for you and I'm sure that you enjoy the process.david_42 said:All it takes to do mini-mashes in extract equipment is a really big grain bag. Mine is as large at the kettle. I mash in the bag, dump in the rest of the hot water, stir gently for five minutes and drain like a teabag. No sparging, no hassles.
RichBrewer said:I cut the braided SS as shown and crimped one end over. the other end slipped over a piece of old hard plastic racking cane tubing that I had. A tubing clamp was used to secure the SS to the plastic tubing which is about 3 inches long and goes through a drilled rubber stopper that seals the outlet. The stopper is pressed into the hole where the original spigot was until it is secure. (I used the original rubber seal that came with the cooler.)
Continued in the next post...
Now that is a great idea!Mykel Obvious said:The only thing I would change is to use a piece of copper tube with a slight bend in it to reach lower into the cooler... other than that it looks like what I've seen the "big boys" do with 5 and 10 gallon coolers...
Way ta go!!!!
later,
mikey
Yes it will pay for itself and I'm hoping it won't be very difficult or time consuming to do. It will also save on space for those folks who don't have much room.Chimone said:Im going to go ahead and make one of these. It seems easy enough to build.
And I was going over recipes on the recipator, and it looks like it will eventually pay for itself with what i would save from not having to buy so much extract.
The temp might drop in a larger cooler. Be sure to pre-heat the cooler before you add your strike water. Also, heat your strike water about 5 degrees higher than your target. That way the cooler will absorb heat and minimize temp drop. In other words, if you are looking for a strike temp of 170, heat the water to 175. Let it cool to 170 then add the grain. The temp will stabilize at about 153 or 154.Chimone said:Just got back from Wally World. They have 5 gallon Igloo coolers for 20 bucks.I went ahead and picked one up. My only concern is this though.....since I got the 5 gallon, and Im only going to be doing PM at the moment, will the extra air space at the top of the cooler let the temp drop too much?
RichBrewer said:The temp might drop in a larger cooler. Be sure to pre-heat the cooler before you add your strike water. Also, heat your strike water about 5 degrees higher than your target. That way the cooler will absorb heat and minimize temp drop. In other words, if you are looking for a strike temp of 170, heat the water to 175. Let it cool to 170 then add the grain. The temp will stabilize at about 153 or 154.
That is a LOT of crystal malt! I've used up to 2 pound but most folks use about 1/2 pound max. That will be one malty beer.Chimone said:I pretty much spent my day at work looking over PM recipes. (yea I work for the gov't so its time well spent) I found one I think I'd like to try. This will be my first attempt at PM so let me know what you guys think, or if you have another PM recipe for a Nut Brown that may be a bit easier for a first run, please let me know.
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?group=9&item=2893
thanks
My AG Mash Tun had the same stopper and it worked well. Only problem I had was once I lifted it and didn't realize that I was stepping on the tubing. The stopper pulled out and..... wasted wort and quite a mess.brewhead said:you may want to do a wet run with water only on that stopper. they have a tendency to become flacid at 165°.[/IMG]
You are welcome and good luck!Chimone said:RichBrewer and brewhead....you guys rock. Thanks fellas
brewhead said:on the the end of the push buttons you have a rubber grommet holding the pushbutton shaft in place. if you take a pair of needle nose pliers and pull the grommet off the back of the push button assembly - it will all fall out. you can then drill out the pushbutton guide hole slightly to accommodate a 3/8" od PVC tube. when i say slightly i mean slightly - i had to take a mallet and hammer in the PVC tube. no leaks!
your inside may look diff with a bazooka but it's the same principle, quick n easy.
Correct. You will mash all of the grains together. A total of 7 pounds which will require about 1 3/4 to 2 gallons for the mash and about 3 1/2 gallons for the sparge. About .7 gallons will be absorbed by the grains so figure about 4 1/2 gallons into the brew pot.Chimone said:question about partial mashing.....
Ok, Im going to be replacing 3 pounds of DME with 4.5 lbs of 2 row. I have 2.5 lbs of other specialty grains (chocolate, special, crystal 90) which I would normally steep. Now I know most of the specialty provide flavor and coloring, while the 2 row provides the fermentable sugars. But Ill be throwing the specialty grains in with the 2 row and mash all together right? I wont have to steep those seperately will I?
Thanks
Axegod said:I
http://cruisenews.net/brewing/infusion/page1.php
I do have have a few questions about this..and will ask once i get the 5 gallon
cooler. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to to give a total breakdown of parts and hopefully success. I figure the tun will cost about $75.00 CDN for the whole tun system. I may start a new thread once I get going...as this will be an AG and may not fit the mini-mash/extract thread topic.
Cheers at all for the valuable info thus far !
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