Keggle mash tun

[Joon75]

I'm currently putting together the parts to build my mash tun. I have some one that is going to weld the couplings to the keg. So far I have three couplings for the ball valve, thermometer/sight glass, and one for recirculating the wort. I plan on doing both 5 and 10 gallon batches. My question do I need to install another coupling in the middle of the keg to recirculate when I do 5 gallon batches? Also any other advice on building my mash tun would be greatly appreciated. I just want to have everything ready for when I take it to get welded. Thanks!

 

[Hammy71]

I use the same coupling for my 5 or 10, gallon batches. I use one of these doohickies from Bobby M.

http://brewhardware.com/accessories-62/114-mashtube

You can adjust your return to any height in your tun.

 

[Joon75]

I'm a newbie here, so while you recirculate you also sparge?

 

[Joon75]

Do you recirculate only if you have the Jed under direct fire? Then you sparge?

 

[Hammy71]

I batch sparge. I use a 15 gallon keg as my mash tun. I have a false bottom. My system also uses a RIMS to maintain the temperature during my mash. Lots of info about RIMS setups here:



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

So, no direct fire for me. I heat my strike water in my HLT and pump over to my MLT. After I mash in, I will recirculate the wort from the bottom of the keg (using my pump), through the RIMS tube and back to the top of the mash. This not only maintains the heat in the MLT, but makes sure I have an even temperature in the mash tun as well. I will occasionally stir the mash to make sure I don't have any hot/cold spots. After a few minutes of recirculating the wort is clear coming out of the top. So, after 60 minute mash it is a snap to get clear runnings over to my kettle. After the first runnings are transfered to the kettle, I simply transfer my sparge water over to the tun and recirculate for 5 minutes and drain to the kettle again.

Here's on old pic. Hasn't changed much.

 

[Joon75]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Gumbys_Brew]

I use a herms and for my recirculation return i also use the locline from the link above. It works great and also doubles as my fly sparge arm after the mash schedule is done.