How much grain in converted keg MLT?

[pkpdogg]

I have some high-gravity brews lined up with 48lbs of grain for a 10gal batch, but I'm wondering if my 15.5gal keg MLT will be up for the task and whether or not I should scale back to 5gal batches ...

What is the most grain you've had in your converted 15.5gal keg MLT?

 

[Rothman]

I haven't ever used a converted keg but I have used this calculator for a couple of mash tuns and it hasn't led me wrong.

Calculator

 

[pkpdogg]

Damn, 18.8gal of MTL required ... I figured this'd be the case after my first 13lb batch. Didn't look like there'd be room for 48lbs of grain. Thanks for the help!

 

[944play]

You can perform an reiterated mash. Mash half your grains and use that wort as liquor to mash the second half.

 

[wilserbrewer]

.....high-gravity brews lined up with 48lbs of grain for a 10gal batch...

Damn that's impressive!

 

[pkpdogg]

Damn that's impressive!

I converted the extract recipe of the Avery Imperial Stout clone from the "Extreme Brewing" book. Think I'll get a few more AG's under my belt before trying this one though ... only hit 48% efficiency on my first batch and would like to get that up.

You can perform an reiterated mash. Mash half your grains and use that wort as liquor to mash the second half.

Solid advice ... didn't think of that. Or maybe that's just because I still have nightmares of when I spent 3hrs working on a stuck sparge. The thought of going through that twice gives me the shivers.

 

[beerthirty]

I just finished 37 lb batch. I think I could have stuffed another 7lbs in. Word of warning you would have no room for batch sparging and fly sparging has to be done a little differently or grain bed compaction will result. I almost stuck mine today.

 

[krausenmustache]

You can perform an reiterated mash. Mash half your grains and use that wort as liquor to mash the second half.

where were you with this advice last weekend when I brewed an imperial IPA using 16lbs in a 5gal MLT