Mash Tun/ Lauter Tun Question

[newbeerfan]

Originally posted in wrong forum...

I am relatively new to homebrewing but after gathering/building equipment I am now willing to dive into the deep end by trying an all grain recipe. I have been reading all the good advice offered by all the experienced brewers---thank you.
While I still have many questions, I want to know what to do if my mash tun and lauter tun is not the same. I bought a turkey fryer setup for step mashing option and modified a 40 qt cooler with a manifold for lautering and fly sparge built into the lid.

Is it
1) OK to move my grains from the mash tun to the lauter tun without ruining the brew or
2) should I just use a single infusion and not worry

Is malto-dextrine OK to use in all-grain recipes if my beer lacks body? I see it used in extract recipes but not in all-grain.

 

[BigEd]

Originally posted in wrong forum...

I am relatively new to homebrewing but after gathering/building equipment I am now willing to dive into the deep end by trying an all grain recipe. I have been reading all the good advice offered by all the experienced brewers---thank you.
While I still have many questions, I want to know what to do if my mash tun and lauter tun is not the same. I bought a turkey fryer setup for step mashing option and modified a 40 qt cooler with a manifold for lautering and fly sparge built into the lid.

Is it
1) OK to move my grains from the mash tun to the lauter tun without ruining the brew or
2) should I just use a single infusion and not worry

Is malto-dextrine OK to use in all-grain recipes if my beer lacks body? I see it used in extract recipes but not in all-grain.

1) Yes it's OK but I think 99.9% of homebrewers are using mash/lauter tuns rather than separate vessels.
2) It depends. What are you brewing and what malt are you using? Even if you have a beer that you want to mash with multiple temperatures consider doing additional infusions or a decoction using your fryer and leave the main mash in your converted cooler. It just makes things simpler IMO.

Re malto-dextrin: Sure it's OK to use it in a all grain beer but if your recipe is formulated properly along with your mash schedule, there shouldn't be a reason to use it. It's used in extract recipes because they lack the capability to control a beer's body/viscosity/texture through the use of body building ingredients and mash techniques.

 

[MacBruver]

You should be using your lauter tun for mashing too. Unless you are doing extremely complex step mashes where some type of direct heating is necessary, using a cooler is a much, much better choice. With the pot, you'll have to hover over it like a hawk, manning the burner as necessary. With the cooler you can hit your mash temp and just leave it. You won't have to spend as much time worrying about mash temperatures, since the cooler is insulated.

Going for complex step mashes is pretty ambitious for just getting started with all grain... I would stick with doing a few simple mashes, and trying stepped mashes with the cooler first.

As for the malto-dextrin... I just brewed an all grain porter that called for it. Yes, you can get dextrins through different mashing procedures, or through specific grains (like cara-pils) but if a recipe calls for it, use it. Or hell, if you want to use it, use it!

 

[ewbish]

Originally posted in wrong forum...

I am relatively new to homebrewing but after gathering/building equipment I am now willing to dive into the deep end by trying an all grain recipe. I have been reading all the good advice offered by all the experienced brewers---thank you.
While I still have many questions, I want to know what to do if my mash tun and lauter tun is not the same. I bought a turkey fryer setup for step mashing option and modified a 40 qt cooler with a manifold for lautering and fly sparge built into the lid.

Is it
1) OK to move my grains from the mash tun to the lauter tun without ruining the brew or
2) should I just use a single infusion and not worry

Is malto-dextrine OK to use in all-grain recipes if my beer lacks body? I see it used in extract recipes but not in all-grain.

1) 99.9999% use the same rig for both.
2) Step infusion is more trouble than it's worth for 99.9999% of the time. IMHO, for the amount of effort........the benefit is questionable. You'll brew just as good a beer doing a single mash at 152 degrees, 99% of the time.
3) Sure..........you can throw anything you want in there.......but why? Your beer will be just fine.......unless you're doing a recipe that calls for it.

 

[cvstrat]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

Makes a KILLER MLT. I only ahve 4 batches under my belt, but I can tell you that as a beginner in AG brewing, there is no way in hell I'd use two separate devices for mashing and lautering. No matter what you have setup wise now I'd recommend setting up your cooler as an MLT. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

 

[newbeerfan]

When I bought the turkey fryer rig it was more for the boil than anything else. I needed to get the hell out of my kitchen. So I'm not bent on mashing and lautering in separate vessels.
At the risk of hijacking my own thread... I modified a rectangular cooler because I read somewhere that round coolers were more likely to get stuck if at all(or did I dream that?)

 

[Bobby_M]

Getting "stuck" is more related to your separation medium, your crush, and how much sticky, huskless adjuncts you use. Either way, you're good.

 

[Denny]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

Makes a KILLER MLT. I only ahve 4 batches under my belt, but I can tell you that as a beginner in AG brewing, there is no way in hell I'd use two separate devices for mashing and lautering. No matter what you have setup wise now I'd recommend setting up your cooler as an MLT. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

HEY!!!! Somebody ripped off my name and that's not even cheap! See dennybrew for the _real_ Cheap'n'Easy system!