Mashing in a Keggle question

[Bobby_M]

I agree. Assuming that the FB is full width and is positioned near the bottom weld line and using say a 10 gallon grain bill for the 5 gallon batch, the total mash volume should be about 5 gallons. IIRC, there should be about a one gallon space below the false bottom which would leave 4 gallons above it. The grain bed depth above the FB should be about 5 inches. This is based on using 1.5 qts/lb water to grain ratio. One could easily go up to 2 qts/lb if necessary, but it shouldn't be IMO. Obviously, this all depends on the type of FB and how far from the bottom it is mounted.

My 15" diameter FB only hides 7/8ths gallon under it. I have a feel his is mounted above the bulkhead.

 

[Catt22]

Why is it black in the video and silver in the picture? It's a little pricy, but at 4 x 6, it can be folded over for double insulation or cut long ways to insulate two vessels. Not bad.

I was wondering about the black vs silver thing too and I have no idea why they show it like that. I bought the heavy duty 24 oz 4' X 6' version and plan to make two jackets by cutting it lengthwise as you mentioned. The price for the heavy duty Velvet Shield was $104.50 delivered. Yes, it is somewhat pricey, but if you look at it as $52 each it's not so bad. I may sell the extra jacket to a brew buddy if it works as well as I hope it will. Never thought about folding it over to double the thickness. I'll wait and see how thick it is before deciding on that.

I ordered it from these guys: http://www.mytarp.com/velvet-shield-hd-welding-blanket-24-oz.aspx

 

[Catt22]

My 15" diameter FB only hides 7/8ths gallon under it. I have a feel his is mounted above the bulkhead.

That's got to be it. The one gallon under the FB may well be only 7/8ths. I probably just rounded it off to one gallon. It's been so long since I measured it I don't recall.

 

[Catt22]

Velvet Shield update. The blanket arrived today. This is the 4ft X 6ft 24 oz heavy duty version. I would estimate that it's about 3/8" thick and has the consistency of a wool blanket. It's soft and very flexible. It's also fairly heavy at 4 lbs. I have not yet decided whether to cut it in half or not. I'm gonna do some testing later today when I make up some starter wort. I'm gonna try an infra-red remote thermometer on it to get a feel for the insulation capabilities. Looks promising so far.

 

[Madman_Joe]

Velvet Shield update. The blanket arrived today. This is the 4ft X 6ft 24 oz heavy duty version. I would estimate that it's about 3/8" thick and has the consistency of a wool blanket. It's soft and very flexible. It's also fairly heavy at 4 lbs. I have not yet decided whether to cut it in half or not. I'm gonna do some testing later today when I make up some starter wort. I'm gonna try an infra-red remote thermometer on it to get a feel for the insulation capabilities. Looks promising so far.

Thanks for the update, Catt 22. I am still interested and tracking this thread. One of the cool things about homebrewing is to see what the "other guy" is doing. Sometimes that's led the whole community down a different path; pretty cool. I've always thought there had to be a better mousetrap for this application. LOL.

That's what led me down the road to stainless cam locks, LOL. Thanks to the many folks that tried them, and then the You Tube stuff. You know who you are.

Best,

D

 

[Catt22]

Thanks for the update, Catt 22. I am still interested and tracking this thread. One of the cool things about homebrewing is to see what the "other guy" is doing. Sometimes that's led the whole community down a different path; pretty cool. I've always thought there had to be a better mousetrap for this application. LOL.

That's what led me down the road to stainless cam locks, LOL. Thanks to the many folks that tried them, and then the You Tube stuff. You know who you are.

Best,

D

I should have some time tomorrow to start cutting up the blanket. I have the attack plan worked out. I made a template from brown wrapping paper in order to locate the slots for the kettle handles and ports. I think some heavy duty Velcro will work for fastening it around the kettle. I might have to rivet the Velcro to the blanket, but that shouldn't be too difficult. With a little luck, I might be able to give this thing a try on Sunday.