Cooner
Active Member
Hi All,
My first thread. This site is great.
Here's my history. I have been doing 5 gallon batches using a big coleman cooler for my HLT filled by pouring preheated water in manually, a Rubbermaid 10g for my MLT, and a 7.5 SS pot for my boiler. I have been fly sparging and am all gravity fed and dough in directly into the MLT.
So, I have procured two Kegs that I am having converted into Keggles with bulk head fittings and ball valves to be used for my HLT and boiler. These are my concerns -
Filling the HLT - In my present process I fill the HLT by preheating the water in my 7.5 g boiler to about 185F to account for heat loss and pour it into the coleman cooler. Should I, with my new keggle HLT, fill it via hose (hose taste concerns even with good RV hose) with a filter (good filter to remove the hose taste?) and direct heat the HLT to my sparge temp? The reason i ask is if I do 10 gallon batches it's either more small fills or a lot of weight to lift to the top of my gravity tier.
Doughing In - Should I dough in the MLT for the mash like I do know, heating my strike water in the boiler and then manually pour it in the MLT or should I now do something different (fill from the HLT?)
Wort Chilling - I have a very mediocre IC. only 25 foot of 1/4 inch copper coil I made my self. It works in the 7.5 gallon boiler for 5 gallon batches, but if I move up to 10 gallon batches i thought of getting a CFC or something more robust for a IC. I'm a little concerned about using the CFC in a gravity fed system that it would be too slow.
I've considered dropping the HLT and going back to Batch Sparging, but I have seen good efficiency gains going with the fly. Honestly, I'm not sure of my questions. I guess I'm just looking for ideas on the best way to handle the new keggles and potentially 10 gallon batches.
Thanks everyone,
Mike
My first thread. This site is great.
Here's my history. I have been doing 5 gallon batches using a big coleman cooler for my HLT filled by pouring preheated water in manually, a Rubbermaid 10g for my MLT, and a 7.5 SS pot for my boiler. I have been fly sparging and am all gravity fed and dough in directly into the MLT.
So, I have procured two Kegs that I am having converted into Keggles with bulk head fittings and ball valves to be used for my HLT and boiler. These are my concerns -
- Filling the HLT
- Doughing in
- Wort Chilling
Filling the HLT - In my present process I fill the HLT by preheating the water in my 7.5 g boiler to about 185F to account for heat loss and pour it into the coleman cooler. Should I, with my new keggle HLT, fill it via hose (hose taste concerns even with good RV hose) with a filter (good filter to remove the hose taste?) and direct heat the HLT to my sparge temp? The reason i ask is if I do 10 gallon batches it's either more small fills or a lot of weight to lift to the top of my gravity tier.
Doughing In - Should I dough in the MLT for the mash like I do know, heating my strike water in the boiler and then manually pour it in the MLT or should I now do something different (fill from the HLT?)
Wort Chilling - I have a very mediocre IC. only 25 foot of 1/4 inch copper coil I made my self. It works in the 7.5 gallon boiler for 5 gallon batches, but if I move up to 10 gallon batches i thought of getting a CFC or something more robust for a IC. I'm a little concerned about using the CFC in a gravity fed system that it would be too slow.
I've considered dropping the HLT and going back to Batch Sparging, but I have seen good efficiency gains going with the fly. Honestly, I'm not sure of my questions. I guess I'm just looking for ideas on the best way to handle the new keggles and potentially 10 gallon batches.
Thanks everyone,
Mike
