Alex, I’ll take ‘Things that don’t belong in a mash tun’ for $100.

[AlexKay]

That would be 4.5 gallons of water, 14 pounds of which is frozen.

4 pounds of Briess MaltGems.

“Mash” while recirculating for 1 hour. Remove grains.

Heat to 160 F and mash again for 30 minutes.

No boil.

Cool and transfer 1.009 “wort” to keg with an ounce of Contessa and a packet of S-04.

I’ll be happy with either 1.2% “beer” or <0.5% barley/hop soda.

 

[fluketamer]

CATS - cats dont belong in the mash tun.

seriously tho what are you making i am confused . small beer ?

and is the idea to freeze out the starches? how does this work. whats it called?

 

[AlexKay]

It’s a good way to make small beer, which I’ve done in the past, but I usually throw a little more malt in the regular mash. This may be so lean that it comes out more like hop seltzer with a hint of barley.

The idea is that if you’re way under gelatinization, the starches can’t solubilize and can’t convert. So you can extract flavor and color but not starch.

Room temperatures would work fine for that part, but an hour in water at room temperature and you risk making a kettle sour.

Briess wrote up something about this.

 

[hilljack13]

Eis bock?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Maryland blue crabs... they don't belong in the mashtun.. but when you get a couple bushels and have a 30 gallon mash tun it makes the most sense. Thank God for PBW haha.

 

[Bramling Cross]

A few years after becoming comfortable with brewing and drunk on the power of being able to mash things, I entered that wretched phase where I started to actively seek unusual things to mash. Potatoes broke me out of that terrible phase.

Potatoes don't belong in your mash tun (although I sometimes consider returning to that project as a slightly more competent brewer).

 

[Bramling Cross]

View attachment 872908
That would be 4.5 gallons of water, 14 pounds of which is frozen.

4 pounds of Briess MaltGems.

“Mash” while recirculating for 1 hour. Remove grains.

Heat to 160 F and mash again for 30 minutes.

No boil.

Cool and transfer 1.009 “wort” to keg with an ounce of Contessa and a packet of S-04.

I’ll be happy with either 1.2% “beer” or <0.5% barley/hop soda.

That seems like an fun project and you've clearly thought it through. How does packaging work? Keg and force carb?

 

[AlexKay]

A few years after becoming comfortable with brewing and drunk on the power of being able to mash things, I entered that wretched phase where I started to actively seek unusual things to mash. Potatoes broke me out of that terrible phase.

Potatoes don't belong in your mash tun (although I sometimes consider returning to that project as a slightly more competent brewer).

I have tried kartoffelbier twice. Both were dumpers. The second after tasting it out of the fermenter. The first before it even went in.

 

[AlexKay]

That seems like a fun project and you've clearly thought it through. How does packaging work? Keg and force carb?

Usually, transfer into a keg with a floating dip tube, ferment and serve from that keg. For hop water I use priming sugar, but here I wasn’t sure how much of that 1.009 was fermentable. I may need to force carb.

 

[shoengine]

View attachment 872910

CATS - cats dont belong in the mash tun.

Maryland blue crabs...
View attachment 872912

I don't think I would try to remove either of these things from the tun without some sort of PPE.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I don't think I would try to remove either of these things from the tun without some sort of PPE.

Removal of the crabs is easy for obvious reasons... putting them in is the life threatening part, especially when you have that many, when one slips away and hits the floor things get exciting.

 

[corncob]

Maryland blue crabs... they don't belong in the mashtun.. but when you get a couple bushels and have a 30 gallon mash tun it makes the most sense. Thank God for PBW haha.
View attachment 872912

I don't have a photo, but I have both scalded chickens and rendered lard in mine.

The progression from scalding chickens to brewing is the gom jabbar of cleaning. Everyone should try it once.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I don't have a photo, but I have both scalded chickens and rendered lard in mine.

The progression from scalding chickens to brewing is the gom jabbar of cleaning. Everyone should try it once.

Ohhh yes.. I did meat birds for my neighbors a couple years ago, along with a couple turkeys they raised... by the time I got done cleaning that kettle it looked like the day I bought it, gotta love stainless steel..

Ps I hate feathers.

 

[MaxStout]

Maryland blue crabs... they don't belong in the mashtun.. but when you get a couple bushels and have a 30 gallon mash tun it makes the most sense. Thank God for PBW haha.
View attachment 872912

I've used my boil kettle to boil crab legs more than a few times. Yeah, a long PBW soak was necessary afterwards.

 

[AlexKay]

I used mine to sous vide a whole brisket, several times.

 

[sibelman]

I get that these big vessels may be required for non-beer use. So far, though, nothing but water, malt and hops (okay, some sugar, rice hulls, molasses, PBW, BKF, etc.) have visited my mash tun and kettle. Only water in my HLT.

Seems impressively super-neighborly to lend your brewing gear to scald their poultry.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I get that these big vessels may be required for non-beer use. So far, though, nothing but water, malt and hops (okay, some sugar, rice hulls, molasses, PBW, BKF, etc.) have visited my mash tun and kettle. Only water in my HLT.

Seems impressively super-neighborly to lend your brewing gear to scald their poultry.

Well, I've known these folks for a long time and we trade favors regularly. Plus I got some fresh, high quality meat out of the deal.

@AlexKay .. how'd that brisket turn out? Did you dry rub it before putting it in the bag? Any smoking? Curious how that turned out and how long it took.

 

[shoengine]

I get that these big vessels may be required for non-beer use. So far, though, nothing but water, malt and hops (okay, some sugar, rice hulls, molasses, PBW, BKF, etc.) have visited my mash tun and kettle. Only water in my HLT.

Seems impressively super-neighborly to lend your brewing gear to scald their poultry.

Same for me, although not a tun I did let my brewing buckets be used to brine a turkey.

 

[sibelman]

Now that you mention it, I did once brine a turkey in a former brewing vessel.

 

[AlexKay]

Well, I've known these folks for a long time and we trade favors regularly. Plus I got some fresh, high quality meat out of the deal.

@AlexKay .. how'd that brisket turn out? Did you dry rub it before putting it in the bag? Any smoking? Curious how that turned out and how long it took.

It’s a pretty darn good way to make a brisket: sous vide for 36 hours at 155 F. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a genius.

As I recall, I used a dry rub and then threw it in the pellet grill afterwards to try to get a little smoke, but it didn’t smoke enough and the bark was meh.

I’ve since, in this order:

• acquired a vastly better smoker,
• discovered short ribs, and then
• given up eating meat.

So I’m out of the brisket game, sadly.

 

[beren]

A few years after becoming comfortable with brewing and drunk on the power of being able to mash things, I entered that wretched phase where I started to actively seek unusual things to mash. Potatoes broke me out of that terrible phase.

Potatoes don't belong in your mash tun (although I sometimes consider returning to that project as a slightly more competent brewer).

You should ferment some beans for some beer that’s gassy at both ends

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Ohhh yes.. I did meat birds for my neighbors a couple years ago, along with a couple turkeys they raised... by the time I got done cleaning that kettle it looked like the day I bought it, gotta love stainless steel..

Ps I hate feathers.

For this very reason, I just skin my birds now; takes the feathers and all with no scalding.

 

[InspectorJon]

Thank God for PBW haha.

And Old Bay

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

And Old Bay

J.O. #2 is my go to. But I always have old bay on hand.

 

[corkybstewart]

I get that these big vessels may be required for non-beer use. So far, though, nothing but water, malt and hops (okay, some sugar, rice hulls, molasses, PBW, BKF, etc.) have visited my mash tun and kettle. Only water in my HLT.

Seems impressively super-neighborly to lend your brewing gear to scald their poultry.

A friend and I bought used kegs from a junkyard for $15 each. I cut the lid out of one and have used it as a 15 gallon kettle ever since. It's perfect for large quantities of bratwurst, crabs, or steaming large quantities tamales. All without having to use my brewing equipment.

 

[Rish]

tamales

15 gallons of tamales sounds awesome (and a lot of work)!

 

[wsmith1625]

Same for me, although not a tun I did let my brewing buckets be used to brine a turkey.

That's bonkers! Hot side maybe, but I could never do this with my cold side equipment. I'm guessing you had no issues?

 

[shoengine]

That's bonkers! Hot side maybe, but I could never do this with my cold side equipment. I'm guessing you had no issues?

Now that you mention it, my subsequent beers tasted a bit gamey...

 

[BrewZer]

A friend and I bought used kegs from a junkyard for $15 each. I cut the lid out of one and have used it as a 15 gallon kettle ever since. It's perfect for large quantities of bratwurst, crabs, or steaming large quantities tamales. All without having to use my brewing equipment.

Does anyone else see the irony in this???

 

[kohalajohn]

I am doing a sous vide chicken right now. In a plastic bag, so no pbw

 

[Halfakneecap]

Ive done Sous Vide duck breast, and also steaks in my robo.

Its big enough to fit a good sized brisket. May try it