Help me upgrade my mash tun...

[hornet303]

Cheers guys, I've been using my 10 Gal Igloo cooler as my mash tun for a few years now. It was what I started all grain brewing with and it's been great! The cooler itself is a typical 10G cooler from Lowes. The false bottom is this from homebrewing.org. My brewing equipment always goes in stages and typically piece by piece. I do my best to make sure my purchases are well thought out and compliment the direction I want to go towards. Price isn't always an issue, but I do want to make smart decisions that will last a lifetime. I want to get to the point where I can mash fairly big beers (1.080 max) and yield 12 or so gallons post boil.


I have 3 kettles:
1x10G Bayou Classic (I wish I would have bought bigger from the start, I don't use this much).
1x15G SS Brewtech (typically my BK)
1x20G SS Brewtech (typically don't use, or use as HLT).



I've been weighing all the options:
- Keep using the Igloo cooler
- Upgrade one of the kettles with a false bottom and use my Riptide to recirculate (heat using burner when needed)
- Look into the eKettles (but dont have 20a circuit in my garage)
- Stainless insulated MLT (I wish SS made a 15G InfuSsion).
- HERMS/RIMS.

I typically fly sparge, it that makes a difference. Essentially I'd like to see what other people have done when they came to this crossroad. What do you think?

 

[MGamber]

You could use that big kettle and do BIAB with a ton of grain and skip the mash tun altogether. A friend did that with great results.

 

[d3track]

The option I'd probably go with is turn the 15gal into the mash tun. I'm guessing that it is tri-clad, so you wouldn't be able to do a bottom drain (the feature of the InfuSsion that I think is beneficial). I would then pair that with a RIMS set up - using a 5500W or 4500W element (or cartridge heater) on 120v should maintain temps just fine.

When I got to that point, I wanted a bottom drain MLT, and converted a keg with an "iRIMS" setup - I really like the bottom drain feature.

 

[hornet303]

You could use that big kettle and do BIAB with a ton of grain and skip the mash tun altogether. A friend did that with great results.

So what would you suggest that I use to maintain temps? False bottom and bottom fire, and recirculate the heated liquid up to the top?

Also, if I'm doing BIAB, and a ton of grain, wont I have to get into pulleys and such to lift the grain bag?

 

[MGamber]

You do need a pulley but they're cheap. Not even $10, as I recall. To maintain temps, you can use any kind of decent insulator, wrap it around the kettle and across the top and bungie cord it. At room temp you only lose a couple degrees which isn't really any worse than a cooler. My friend uses a sleeping bag and it works fine. Check brewinabag.com for details about a bag and pulley.

 

[wilserbrewer]

So what would you suggest that I use to maintain temps? False bottom and bottom fire, and recirculate the heated liquid up to the top?

Also, if I'm doing BIAB, and a ton of grain, wont I have to get into pulleys and such to lift the grain bag?

A 10-12 gallon batch full volume mash in a 20 gallon kettle is a lot of thermal mass and will not lose much temperature at all unless you’re brewing in Alaska lol.

Wrapping the kettle in a blanket will keep you plenty close ime, or don’t even bother if you mill fine, conversion is over in less than 10 minutes

20 gallon bag and double acting 1/4” ratchet pulley is $43....$48 w/ shipping.

Just my biased opinion lol.

 

[MGamber]

BIAB will also shorten your brewing day a bit as you don't need to sparge (45 minute fly sparge for me) and clean up doesn't include a mash tun. I don't BIAB because I have a lot invested in equipment and a process that yields consistent and excellent results but I do admit that I'm a little jealous of my friend's shorter brew day and he, too, makes excellent beer with his set up and process.