Eddiebosox
Well-Known Member
So I am putting together my weldless brewstand this weekend and am thinking about next steps equipment wise.
http://www.strutchannelfittings.com...-AND-FITTINGS-BLACK-POWDER-COATED_p_1187.html
The biggest step I am thinking of doing is getting a stainless steel MLT with a false bottom. I use a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler now but its somewhat limiting for two reasons. 1, it limits me to single infusion mashes. This is fine most of the time, but Id like the flexibility of being able to do decoction or step mashes in the future. And 2. Since its a cooler, its gravity drained, and I want to move my whole system to be all done through pumps. Pump the water to the HLT, then to the mashtun, Pump the wort to the boil kettle, and then to the fermenter. Im getting into my mid 40s and am just sick of lifting huge pots. I am not thrilled with the idea if using the pump on the Rubbermaid cooler (although I suppose it could be done).
My big problem is temperature control. The set it and forget it of the cooler is nice to have, even though its not exact. I know some people use a kettle as a mashtun and recirculate as they mash to keep the temperature consistent (meaning the heat from the flame doesn't just heat up the mash on the bottom of the kettle) so I was looking at that setup. Pump my wort through a sparge arm during the mash. I am just worried that this means a lot of babysitting and I could easily screw up my mash temps, not to mention having to constantly turn on and off my burner. Is it more work than I think it is? Should I stick with my cooler? Does anyone else here use a march pump on their rubbermaid cooler after the mash?
http://www.strutchannelfittings.com...-AND-FITTINGS-BLACK-POWDER-COATED_p_1187.html
The biggest step I am thinking of doing is getting a stainless steel MLT with a false bottom. I use a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler now but its somewhat limiting for two reasons. 1, it limits me to single infusion mashes. This is fine most of the time, but Id like the flexibility of being able to do decoction or step mashes in the future. And 2. Since its a cooler, its gravity drained, and I want to move my whole system to be all done through pumps. Pump the water to the HLT, then to the mashtun, Pump the wort to the boil kettle, and then to the fermenter. Im getting into my mid 40s and am just sick of lifting huge pots. I am not thrilled with the idea if using the pump on the Rubbermaid cooler (although I suppose it could be done).
My big problem is temperature control. The set it and forget it of the cooler is nice to have, even though its not exact. I know some people use a kettle as a mashtun and recirculate as they mash to keep the temperature consistent (meaning the heat from the flame doesn't just heat up the mash on the bottom of the kettle) so I was looking at that setup. Pump my wort through a sparge arm during the mash. I am just worried that this means a lot of babysitting and I could easily screw up my mash temps, not to mention having to constantly turn on and off my burner. Is it more work than I think it is? Should I stick with my cooler? Does anyone else here use a march pump on their rubbermaid cooler after the mash?
