Taking the plunge

[sTango]

Yay!!! i'm taking the plunge. I'm working on my Lauter tun (its a 54 quart cooler I already had) and decided to go ahead and buy the stuff for my first couple of batches. I'm pretty excited.

I tried making the filter with the stainless steel mesh from a toilet supply line, but it appears that it is not really stainless steel, but some stainless steel-looking fiberglass stuff....I'm concerned that it will be compressed by the weight of the mash and not drain properly. Has anyone else found this?

I may just go back to the LHBS and get their cooler conversion hardware and drain stuff.

So heres my order today from AHB

Hobgoblin Extra Stong Ale (Wychwood)
Old Speckled Hen (Morland

i went with milled grain because I do not have a grinder yet.

Im considering making my own starters from either:
1. The IPA I have brewing now which is just nottingham dry yeast OR
2. Making a starter from some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale I have

I'm assuming either of these options would work, though I am leaning towards the SNPA because it seems more fun to do it from just a bit of yeast.

Ideas/comments?

 

[ebeer]

Personally I'd be sure to use stainless for the mesh tubing. If you're worried about the tubing getting crushed, you can buy a length of stainless spring from McMaster and put it inside the ss mesh to keep it's shape.

 

[shunoshi]

I tried making the filter with the stainless steel mesh from a toilet supply line, but it appears that it is not really stainless steel, but some stainless steel-looking fiberglass stuff....I'm concerned that it will be compressed by the weight of the mash and not drain properly. Has anyone else found this?

I've heard of several people accidentally buying the plastic toilet hose instead of the stainless steel. They look almost identical. Ditch that hose and go out and buy the stainless steel one. I know that it works great for PM setups, but am uncertain of how they handle under AG amounts of grain. I see a lot of setups with false bottoms and manifolds. FWIW, my assumption is that the stainless steel mesh would still do a fine job.