Keg Mash Tun

[Orfy]

Those who know my brewing style know I like KISS and CHEAP.

I use a cooler mash tun but it's not big enough to do more than 6.5 gallon of 6% Ale.

I have the option of sticking with it.
Buying a larger cooler for around $70 dollars
Converting a keg (already owned) and finding a lid and insulating it.

What do you think are the pro's and cons of going to a keg instead of a cooler.

I'm thinking that conversion takes place in 20 minutes so if I insulate it then I can get away without direct heat.

I use single infusions and batch sparge.

I was thinking I could clad it like this.

 

[thebikingengineer]

Keg mash tuns tend to hold a pretty decent amount of heat because of the mass of the metal. As long as you heat strike water in the MLT (thereby doing away with pre-heating) you shouldn't need to insulate it, even for extended mash rest times. If it's direct-fired, the mass of the foot ring can even heat the mash after the burner is turned off.

Very nice looking cladding BTW.

 

[Vermicous]

I am in the process of converting a keg over. It won't be direct heated for a while, but I intended to use water heater insulation to help retain. Frankly, I am hoping that the sheer mass of grain/water will keep the heat from dropping more than a couple of degrees.

My main reason for switching is size. I simply couldn't find a cooler larger than 52 quarts. Some of my larger recipes suffered a severe drop in efficiency.

 

[swampdog]

I use a keg for a MLT with no insulation whatsoever. I do have a burner installed under it, but have found that I never need it unless I'm doing step mashes. I do heat the strike water in it. After the initial drop when the grain is added, it will only lose three degrees at most over a sixty minute period, if I keep the lid on. I love the false bottom for batch sparging, and the stainless steel is incredibly easy to clean. Just my two cents.

 

[Desert_Sky]

that looks pretty classy, I like that

 

[krispy d]

nice work man! I was thinking of doing something like this just cause since I moved and have more room for brewing most of my equipment stays out and visible. I wanted to make something a little classier looking than just a big orange cooler. Do you have any bigger or higher res pics? how well does it hold temp? did you cut all the slats at an angle so they sit nicely together or are there "points" all the way around?

 

[Monster Mash]

The nice thing about using a keg is being able to direct heat the strike water. I fill my MT and HLT and then heat them both up to temp.

I don't use the heater after mashing in because I have a HERMS