Moving to all Grain, equip question

[krc333]

Right now I've been do extract brewing and want to make the switch to all grain. i have a $75 GC tp Midwest but im not sure what to get. my current setup is a cajun cooker, keg shell that i cook in, boottling bucket, and two carboys. can i use my keg with false bottom to do all grain?

 

[Donner]

i'm certainly no expert, but i moved to AG recently as well. From your list it looks like you are doing full boils with your keggle and burner... is that right? If so the two items that i would suggest is 1) an immersion chiller (whether you jump to AG or not, it's still helpful) and then 2) you'll need a MLT of some form. There are lots of options out there, but a rubbermaid cooler with valve is a very popular option. You can decide if you'd want a ss braid or false bottom or what, but there are several threads about the pros/cons of each here. There are other methods for creating a MLT, but for my money, the cooler is easy and works well.

Really, after that you can do all grain. You just need a container large enough to hold all the lbs of grain and water at a temperature for long enough to have the conversion.

I'm sure you can use a keg with a false bottom, as well. I just wonder how much heat it loses over an hour. Either way, you are well equipped to do AG. If i misunderstood your setup and you aren't doing full boils then you will have to invest in equipment to get up to a full boil.

 

[pkpdogg]

I think the keg w/ false bottom is a great idea. It gives you plenty of room for high-gravity beers AND 10gal batches. Mine didn't drop temp much during the mash, so I wouldn't worry about that, but do make sure you pre-heat it before doing the mash. I made the mistake of not doing that and had efficiency issues. Feedback I got was to use it to heat the water for your mash and just dump the grains in.

 

[krc333]

So you think using a false bottom on the keg would be ok? i was worried that temp wouldn't hold. I need to get a lid or something for my keg to help hold the heat in. If not i think i might just buy a cooler and make the mash tun myself. I watched a handful of videos on Youtube yesterday watching people doing AG and it really helped.

What's the point of adding water to your cooler as you're draining the wort? I think it's called sparging? I noticed that some people do it and others don't.

 

[joety]

If you do it while you are draining, it's fly sparging. If you do it after you drain, it's batch sparging.

If you are trying to make do for now with less equipment, just batch sparge.

 

[bendavanza]

TO do fly sparging, you will need another vessel to run your heated water over the grain bed.
If I were in your position, I would get a 10g round cooler for the mash tun and look for another vessel for hot liquor tank. With 3, you can use each directly and purposely, otherwise you're going to be draining into buckets and dragging liquids around. Look at the wiki to learn a lot, and also the thread show us your brewing rig or something like that, it will help a lot.