Keggle Mash Tun

[AmusedBystander]

How well do keggles hold temps? Also, will a bazooka screen work just as well as a false bottom?

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

To use a keggle as a MLT you'll need to insulate it or provide heat. It won't hold enough heat on it's own. I personally don't think the bazooka screen is a good choice because you're basically drawing all of your liquid from one spot. Mine is a bottom drain and is insulated. I use a false bottom and a voile bag.

Any particular reason you're thinking of a keggle for your MLT over an insulated cooler?

 

[HellBentBrewCo]

I'd like to see some pictures of your bottom drain keggle. I've been thinking about doing something similar

 

[slakwhere]

my keggle doesn't hold heat. i went HERMs to keep my temps where i want them. i used a keggle because i got the keg for free... a buddy used a Home Depot bev cooler and never seems to have any problems even with his 90 minute mashes.

if i had to do it over again i may have gone cooler. still could have used HERMS to adjust temps but would have been set it n forget it most of the time.

only drawback to a cooler is that it doesn't impress people as much as 3 shiny kegs on your stand

 

[AmusedBystander]

Any particular reason you're thinking of a keggle for your MLT over an insulated cooler?

I just don't trust steeping hot water in plastic, I like to do what I can to avoid it. But I'm probably going to gt a cooler anyway.

only drawback to a cooler is that it doesn't impress people as much as 3 shiny kegs on your stand

Do you need 3 kegs for HERMS to work? I still haven't really figured out how the process works.

 

[Hammy71]

My keg MLT is insulated with a modified water heater blanket. I also use a RIMS system to keep my mash at temps. I used a cooler for several years, but in the winter I couldn't hold temps. With the RIMS....I'm golden.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/rims-dummies-114997/

 

[bucfanmike]

i used mine first time yesterday, I did heat the strike water in my MT so as to not lose heat in the water transfer. As the strike temp got close I started circulating to make sure I was getting a good reading, cut the heat and gave it a few minutes to stabilize. Mashed in and was a little hot, kept stirring to get it down and settled about 153. Covered it with a lid and lost about 3 degrees in the first 40 minutes. It was hot outside, im sure that helped. I put a small fire under it and started a recirculation and got it back up in about 2 minutes. I will eventually go with some insulation, was watching the welding blanket thread because i want to be able to direct fire.

 

[JonBoy47]

i used mine first time yesterday, I did heat the strike water in my MT so as to not lose heat in the water transfer. As the strike temp got close I started circulating to make sure I was getting a good reading, cut the heat and gave it a few minutes to stabilize. Mashed in and was a little hot, kept stirring to get it down and settled about 153. Covered it with a lid and lost about 3 degrees in the first 40 minutes. It was hot outside, im sure that helped. I put a small fire under it and started a recirculation and got it back up in about 2 minutes. I will eventually go with some insulation, was watching the welding blanket thread because i want to be able to direct fire.

Im going to do my first mash in a keggle tomorrow. I heard that using something as simple as a blanket to wrap the keg in will help you hold temps. Ill let you know how it goes.

 

[brewingmeister]

Kegs don't hold mash temps all that well. The top and bottom skirts act as heat sinks. On top of not holding temps real good, they are heavy, a pain to clean and um..stolen.
My vote goes for a straight sided stainless vessel.

-cheers

 

[bucfanmike]

Kegs blah,blah,blah and um..stolen.
My vote goes for a straight sided stainless vessel.

-cheers

Hard to count your post as useful information when you brand everyone with a keggle a thief. Many are legitimate purchases.

 

[brewingmeister]

Hard to count your post as useful information when you brand everyone with a keggle a thief. Many are legitimate purchases.

Thanks, I was aiming the stream of piss for your cheerios. You skipped over the fact kegs do heat sink, are heavy and don't clean well because of the skirts.

There's an average of 3 'where can I snag some kegs' posts on this forum every week. Where they come from frankly I could care less. I'd rather not keep seeing them billed as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Fact is there are better bk/mt/hlt vessels out there than kegs. However that's just my opinion and apparently that's been determined as useless.

-cheers

 

[Bezel]

All tgree of my kegs purchased legally for $90, not deposits...my mash tune is insulated with two wraps of foil bubble wrap, has a foil cap and will lose about a 1.5 degrees in a hour...so ya not the best , the fact is you voiced your opinion then slammed everyone with kegs as thieves, that is the point you lost most...only sounded judgmental and a little stereotypical

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks, I was aiming the stream of piss for your cheerios.

...

I'd rather not keep seeing them billed as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Fact is there are better bk/mt/hlt vessels out there than kegs. However that's just my opinion and apparently that's been determined as useless.

-cheers

Opinions shrouded in your brand of accusation and criticism will always be ignored, or ridiculed. Good luck, meister.

 

[wired247]

Mine would count as stolen. I still don't care.

 

[brewingmeister]

OP I hope your mash tun build goes great. I would lean towards a false bottom than the bazooka screen. Even a smaller fb should provide better flow than a screen.

Wow, sorry if anyone thought I gave a rats ass about keg acquisition. I could care less where anybody gets kegs. I hope with all my little black heart everyone across the world wakes up and finds a pile of them on their porch and they are filled with brew. I was just trying to point out I think there are better functioning options. Actually I'd like to try a stand alone single bowl sink as a MT. Great to see any sense of humor has died here though.

 

[Landshark67]

There's no doubt you will lose thermal energy in a kettle during the mash process. Most of us that recirc- direct fire use a thermal couple at the exit point (Brutus style) to make sure we don't go over the target temp. If I'm in the garage and away from wind I don't notice an issue. The 35-40lbs of grain and the volume of fluid works well to keep the temps where they need to be.

In the cooler weather or outside I go with the shiny thermal wrap used by many on this board....water heater insulation. That will cure any issues you may have.

I've checked the grain temps at the top and middle with digital probes and there'maybe a .5 deg difference from the bottom during the recirc. FYI - I have the recirc pumps going at 75% flow rate.

Brew on!

 

[certaut]

I have used a sanke as a MT for years. I have it direct fired, with this I folded it in 1/3's.
it covers both the top and bottom skirts and I lose less than a degree in 60 min.

 

[balto charlie]

Coolers: mine warped w/in a few years of use. Never put water exceeding 180F/82C into it. So I decided to move onto a keggle MLT.
MLT: I am hoping to direct fire the strike water in the MLT, let stabilize, add grains and wrap in sleeping pad (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___37224).
The biggest drawback is wrapping it but it can't be that hard...can it? I figure it will have pre-cut holes for the valves, thermometer and sight glass and a nylon straps to encase everything. I bet I can hold temps with this setup. I'll double the sleep pad if I lose too many degrees. Might even put some insulate under it. Winter will really be the determining time.

 

[JonBoy47]

Well as promised I used my keggle for my first all grain batch. My review will not be of much help as I made a critical error in my process. I missed an apparent key step in the use of a keggle as a MLT which was to let the water temp stabalize before adding the grain. I heated my strike water in the keggle and when it got to temp I added the grain. After thouroughly stirring the grain i checked temp and it was high. I stirred it until i got to my mash temp of 152. I then put the lid on and wrapped the keggle in a blanket. I checked the temp 20 mins later and it was at 164!!! I didnt account for the extra heat absorbed by the steel as I heated my strike water. Rookie mistake. Ill chalk this one up as a learning experience. Hopefully the beer will still taste good!