Plastic mash turn?

[Beer604]

Hi,

I'm am interested to try my first all grain batch. My LHBS has a plastic
mash turn that basically consist of a fermentation bucket, false bottom,
and the drain fitting, for only $24,-.

I can't imagine keeping the temperature constant is possible in
a plastic bucket?!

What do you think? Is this worth buying? Just wrap a blanket around it?
Or forget about it and get a something better?

 

[Greenh]

It will work. If you want to go really cheap just stack two buckets. The top with drilled holes in the bottom and the bottom with a drain fitting.

That being said I would spend the money on something nicer.

 

[Boar Beer]

A plastic bucket will work fine. the two bucket method is good just make sure you are using a food grade bucket. I would not be concerned about the temp loss as the mass of even a 5 gallon batch is going to maintain a good amount of heat. I mean dont set it in a bank of snow. Good luck with your first AG batch. It depends on your budget if its not too tight and your not a big DIY guy spend the 24 bucks. remember its beer your making not buckets

 

[hybrid3y3]

Wrap the bucket in 2 layers of "Thermal Foil" (silver coated bubble wrap) apply liberal amounts of Duct tape & make a lid cover. Not only will your Mash tun look snazzier, but it will keep the heat in nicely. Mine, made with the 2 buckets, a drill and wrist ache after drilling hundreds of holes approach retains it's heat over the course of an hours mash, mash temp started at 67oC and an hour later was measured at 65oC which was well within my target range.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Brewery-for-Under-100-STEP-1-/

 

[theredben]

Living in BC I know the store. Just ask Dan about it, he knows what he is talking about. If he recommends it, it is because it has been used by many people many times. That much water+grain doesn't lose that much heat, and a towel/reflectex will make it even better.

Make sure to buy the bigger bucket though. Ask for one that will fit at least 15 lbs of grain. You will need it eventually. I know I do.

 

[Beer604]

Thanks for all your help.
I will give it a try and see hot it works.

Hybrid3y3, that is a fine looking mash turn you got there.

Theredben, the funny thing is,whenever I go to
Dan's Dan himself is never there.

 

[camus]

Just my opinion but if you are going through all the effort wrapping reflectix etc. why not just use a cooler? Really if one counts the the cost of the tun, the wrap and the effort you are pretty close in cash and effort to a cooler which is probably more durable (exterior wise), easier to clean and will hold temps better.

 

[williamnave]

+1 to a cooler.

I have cooler, and I can't even imagine using a 5 gallon bucket. I make 5 gal batches, and I have a 9 gallon Coleman Xtreme. I have just about the right amount of room, It gets tight when I want to do an Imperial.

Yeah it costs more, but you can figure out how to do things yourself and save a bunch. If you are not a DIY'er, I bet you can find a plumber/welder etc. that will be happy to trade for some nice homebrew

 

[jeffjm]

My first mash tun was a double bucket like the one you describe. It worked fine for a while but eventually started to leak around the outlet.

 

[kanzimonson]

My first mash tun was also a double bucket, but I recommend conducting the mash in your BK, and then when it comes time to lauter and sparge, pour the mash into the bucket system.

I like mashing in the BK because you can add heat if necessary. It's a little messy when you're pouring, but it's nice to not have to worry about missing your mash temps. And hot side aeration from pouring be damned.

 

[Revvy]

Long before folks decided to modifiy coolers the bucket mashtun was "state of the art" for homebrewers. Didn't you read Papazain's book? It's still in there, and called the zap a pap or something stupid.

It may not be as effective as an insulate cooler, but it revolutionized the homebrewing hobby by allowing folks to do allgrain easily and cheaply.

 

[geezerpk]

I mash in a 6 gallon plastic bottling bucket with spigot. I use a $1.50 plastic kitchen strainer from Dollar General with the handles trimmed off a bit to fit tightly in the bottom of the bucket.

I have a huge Voile bag that i made from curtain material from Walmart. If you're not into sewing, you can just cut a huge swath of the material, push it down into the bucket and let the excess over the edge. A bungie cord around the top will hold it in place. I do have a homemade insulation blanket I wrap around the bucket, an I've made a lid from foil-covered styrofoam to trap the heat escaping from the top. The strainer in the bottom of the bucket has sloped sides that keep the bag from plugging up the spigot.

The setup's easy to use and easy to cleanup. You just mash and sparge as if you had an official tun with a braid or manifold. It really has some upsides to the traditional tun. No stuck sparges, and usually no need to vorlauf as the fine mash filters the mash debris.