New AG brewer--looking for input

[mongoose33]

Struck gold tonight--Craigslist ad that offered two carboys, refrigerator for fermenting chamber, inkbird temp controller, kettle, all the accoutrements, 16 22 ounce bottles, bottling bucket, capper, the whole nine yards.

And a mash tun. Total cost $150.

I've been doing extract brewing but want to do all grain. The mash tun was the kicker in this deal that had me buy it all--it looks like it would be excellent for BIAB, but maybe I should just do all-grain w/o the bag.

Here are some pics of it; it's 48 quarts, about 16" on a side, but it seems a rather taller cooler compared to some. But maybe not--I'm a newbie at this. It has a nice ball-lock valve and a bazooka screen inside:






So--what do you think? Will this work effectively for AG brewing as a mash tun, or would I be better off doing BIAB with this?

Thank you!

 

[alexacuna]

I'm sure it would be fine for doing AG w/o bag as it's setup for it already. BIAB in the cooler is nice for clean up, but it doesn't spread out as evenly compared to without. Good find!

 

[oakbarn]

No bag

 

[mongoose33]

OK, followup question: I'm thinking these things can be a pain to clean. All that spent grain in there, etc. etc.

I guess what I was wondering is if it would make sense to have a bag that I lined this with, which would make cleanup that much easier (just pull out the bag, rinse and clean the tun, done!).

If I have one made for these dimensions, it would seem to me that it would allow me all the normal advantages of unbagged all-grain brewing with the advantage of easier cleanup.

Am I missing something here? I've never done either, nor seen them done.

 

[JonM]

Put garbage bag over the mash tun, invert to dump the grain into the bag, then hose the tun out. Maybe direct the hose through the valve for a few seconds, and put the whole thing it upside down to air dry. That's all the cleaning it'll ever need.

 

[friarsmith]

+1 for NO bag and the "dump in a contractor bag" disposal method. Or find somebody in your neighborhood who has chickens. Trade spent grains for eggs! Chickens go bonkers over spent grain and it's good for them.

I've done 600+ all grain batches over 20 years and I still have the same two bazooka screens (aka kettle screens) like you have. They have been used in a variety of coolers and kettles. 70%+ efficiency every time. Only one stuck sparge when I brewed a Roggenbier and forgot rice hulls (so my fault).

Good find. Check the carboys for cracks and start brewing yo!

 

[oakbarn]

We have a tippy Stand. We dump grain in a wheel barrel and hose out the MLT into it as well.

 

[Duke145]

I don't see a need for a bag, I used a garbage bag years ago when I lived in an apartment, now I just dump it in a compost heap.

Good find BTW

 

[Upthewazzu]

Definitely no bag in the mash tun. God knows what kinda chemicals can leach off of a plastic bag at 150°+.

I've been giving the spent grains to a friend who raises chickens. In return she gives me eggs!

 

[ericbw]

Definitely no bag in the mash tun. God knows what kinda chemicals can leach off of a plastic bag at 150°+.

I've been giving the spent grains to a friend who raises chickens. In return she gives me eggs!

You know the cooler is plastic, right?

I use a bag in the mash tun for easy cleanup although cleaning a bag is a hassle, too.

 

[kh54s10]

I too have a compost pile. Dump the grain, hose out the tun.... So much easier than cleaning a bag......

P.S. If you want to do BIAB, just do it in your boil pot so that you don't have to transfer hot water to the tun then warm wart back to the boil pot.

 

[signpost]

+1 for not using a bag. No need. It may seem like it would be easier, but it isn't. Like others have said, just dump the grain and hose out the tun.

Also, that was an awesome deal for all that equipment. Well done.