first all grain batch soon

[brewyourown4life]

getting ready to do an all grain batch and just want to get some feed back on the mash tun. if i should use a manifold or stainless braid? any input on why one is better than the other or easier to use will help me decide

 

[wildwest450]

I've used both, I see no difference between the two. Pick which one is easier for you, and do it up.

Of course there will be 10 people who disagree with me, but that's what you get here.

 

[jmick]

When I was converting my cooler to a MLT, I thought the braid would be easier to do than a manifold, so that's what I went with. works great as far as I'm concerned

I agree with wildwest - I don't think it really matters which way you go.

 

[pretzelb]

I started with a SS braid in a square cooler doing batch sparges. I kept tweaking things until I ended up with a homemade cpvc manifold on the bottom and another on the top to do fly sparging. I'm not sure I've noticed a clear winner yet but part of me really wishes I had just bought a kit that comes with a round cooler complete with a SS false bottom and be done with it. Or even an expensive SS pot with a SS false bottom. I still struggle with my numbers but I bet the SS braid and batch sparging would give me decent numbers if I went back to it.

I think the key is following steps and paying attention to details like temperature, volumes, and time. As long as your cooler does a decent job at holding temps and you get a good crush, the rest should work out.

 

[Bulls Beers]

+1 for the SS braid...It's worked for me from the get go...

 

[Teaman]

I started with a manifold and switched to a braid in my new tun. See no difference really. Both drained well and haven't had a stuck sparge with either. Efficiency seems constant. Braid easier to clean in my opinion.

 

[DrawTap88]

I think the key is following steps and paying attention to details like temperature, volumes, and time. As long as your cooler does a decent job at holding temps and you get a good crush, the rest should work out.

The efficiency is in the details, like pretzelb pointed out. So long as you manage those details fairly well, it shouldn't matter if you use a manifold or braid.