Temperature Controlled Mash Tun / Fermentation Chamber

[Yevmeister]

I have been lurking around the forum for too long, so i would like to share my recent concoction.
I brew in apartment in chicago so the space is limited so i built mash tun, that could be used for step mashing. Once mashing is complete i could quickly clean it up as use for primary fermentation and chiller.

So first decided to go with sanke keg upside down to use mouth as a dump , and cover it with 50 feet of copper

 

[Yevmeister]

Then i added insulation with pink foam and filled the gaps with goodstuff

 

[Yevmeister]

installed sanitary valve on the mouth of the keg built a stand and tested it with cheap $7 submergeable pump from ebay. works great for cleaning kegs too

 

[Yevmeister]

made false bottom out of cheap lid from walmart, made hole buy hammering it with the nail . lined opening with spliced beer line hose as a gasket

 

[Yevmeister]

used stainless stem and eye hooks and bolts to clamp down the lid during the fermentation

 

[ncbrewer]

Interesting. I like the double use of the vessel, and the way the insulation works to keep it both hot and cool. I don't see the airlock on the fermenter photo - around on the other side?

You're probably well aware of the contamination on the grain and the need for really thorough cleaning and sanitizing before use as a fermenter.

 

[Yevmeister]

still need to drill a hole in the lid for the airlock and thermo couple

yup plan to really clean the tun. as extra precaution the Boiling wort will be pumped into the vessel to kill rest of contaminants
Vessel then will be sealed and ice water be pumped through the coil chilling the wort to yeast pitching temperatures.

The wort will stay there for a primary fermentation cycle depending on the style, then beer will be transferred into the cornies for further conditioning.

Once its empty i can brew another batch

-Yev

 

[ncbrewer]

Will you have automatic fermentation temp control?

 

[Yevmeister]

yes STC 1000 is going to control mashing at the HEAT setting (turning on/off solar pump that pumps 170 degree water.
Fermentation at the COOL setting (pumping ice water through the coils) i am only worried about wort getting hot during fermentation

i got lazy and bought this temp control unit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271782572156?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

got best offer for 22.75

-Yev

 

[Yevmeister]

this is pump for cool water. i also use it for keg washing
its does a good job you i bought it for $8.62 w free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261720708581?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[Yevmeister]

Official Test Results

so Heat transfer is not great but works.
during the brew day the PID was not properly calibrated and my mash was 10 degrees below.
it took about 30 minutes to raise temperature from 144- 154 however the insulation jacket made it easy to maintain temperatures once they were reached.

After mashing the tun was cleaned and ready for fermentation. i squirted the vessel with some star san, but to make sure everything is sterile also transferred boiling wort right in there sealing it.

Chilling was major pain it took 24 hours for temperatures to move from 200- 90 then i decided in needed much more cooler water. and picked up window A/C on craigslist for $30.00 to make my own water chiller

once temperature reached 65 to pitch yeast. it stayed pretty uniform and makeshift chiller would only cycle 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes
-Yev

 

[Yevmeister]

to improve chilling efficiency i plan to add immersion chiller to fast chill work to yeast pitching temperatures. then leave the jacketed coil to maintain fermentation temps.

The plan to use it as a primary so the brew wound't be there for more than 10 -14 days. after it would be transferred in kegs to age.

-Yev

 

[ncbrewer]

I understand the no-chill method works, so I doubt if you'll get a DMS flavor, even though it has long been accepted that slow cooling will result in DMS. I imagine on the next batch you'll have it working just about the way you want it. Very impressive.

 

[Yevmeister]

thanks!!!

and now i will just need to clean it up, and make it all professional looking!!!

-Yev

 

[TxBigHops]

Very interesting build! But I'm curious, why didn't you run the copper tubing on the inside of the keg, instead of the outside? Wouldn't you get more responsive temperature changes if the tubing is in direct contact with the mash or wort?

 

[Yevmeister]

i read somewhere about oxidation in copper and effects on wort. it could have been a myth.

the real reason is that since i used the vessel as a mash tun . i thought it would be better to keep coil on the outside for sanitary purposes. also less cleaning involved . no stuck grains .

we learn and experiment right!?

-Yev

 

[TxBigHops]

i read somewhere about oxidation in copper and effects on wort. it could have been a myth.

the real reason is that since i used the vessel as a mash tun . i thought it would be better to keep coil on the outside for sanitary purposes. also less cleaning involved . no stuck grains .

we learn and experiment right!?

-Yev

Yes we do. I have a brewing friend who also doesn't trust copper, so he made his immersion chiller out of stainless steel tubing. It's not as efficient as copper, but it works for him. In your situation where the tubing would need to be cleaned quickly between mash and fermentation, SS might do the trick.

So now I have this thought in my head of an immerion chiller that could be inserted into, or removed from your keg, with little paddles mounted on it. You put it in before you mash, it could have a handle mounted on the outside so that you could turn it to stir the mash, pump hot water through to raise temps, and easily remove after mash for cleaning, then reinsert for cooling wort, and maintaining fermentation temps. Might work...

 

[Yevmeister]

i got this one that i will install into the lid

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290754390013?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

i like the fact that coils are spaced for better flow.

i this point 50 feet of copper is buried under jacket. its was a pricy lesson . it works, but could have been more efficient for sure

-Yev