Flip2spin23
Well-Known Member
If this has been covered sorry, I'm looking to buy or build a 15 gallon MLT . In a home brew setting what is the best way to hold consist temps and keep consistency ?
What is the ultimate mashtun
- Thread starter Flip2spin23
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Wow- that's a great question!
I think that you could easily get 100 different answers on this, though. When I used a cooler for a MLT, I thought it was the best. It was light, easy to clean, held temperatures well, and was durable. I still use it sometimes.
I like my keg MLT, but I do use a HERMS so holding temperature isn't an issue at all. I have a tippy-dump, which helps, but it's still HEAVY. I mean, it's like 30 pounds empty. I have a few more pounds in hardware for the tippy dump, false bottom, attachments, etc. Add a few pounds of grain and water, and there is no way I could lift it. Still, I like it.
You may find that you don't mind heavy things, but something that is over 30% of my body weight (empty!) is a pain sometimes for me to deal with!
I think that you could easily get 100 different answers on this, though. When I used a cooler for a MLT, I thought it was the best. It was light, easy to clean, held temperatures well, and was durable. I still use it sometimes.
I like my keg MLT, but I do use a HERMS so holding temperature isn't an issue at all. I have a tippy-dump, which helps, but it's still HEAVY. I mean, it's like 30 pounds empty. I have a few more pounds in hardware for the tippy dump, false bottom, attachments, etc. Add a few pounds of grain and water, and there is no way I could lift it. Still, I like it.
You may find that you don't mind heavy things, but something that is over 30% of my body weight (empty!) is a pain sometimes for me to deal with!
Wow - that is a great question!
Like yooper said, I think you can get a different answer from everyone here.
I started out with a 10 gallon DIY cooler mlt - like Yooper said - it's light, holds temps well, easy to clean, inexpensive, great for 5 gallon (and some 10 gallon) batches. I added a chugger pump and recirculated a bunch - got better efficiency and clearer wort with the pump.
I then "Upgraded" to a direct fire RIMS system with 15 gallons pots, Honeywell gas valves and a BCS to control it all. After a year of spending an hour a brew day fiddling with honeywell valves and wiring, I decided to try it manually. It works fine but I have over shot mash temps a few times and I do have to turn a valve and light a burner a few times during the 60 or 90 minute mash but overall I like the simplicity and not having to deal with finicky honeywell valves.
I think if I were doing it over again, I'd probably go with a e-rims tube with an auber PID. This gives you all the temperature control you want and lets you change the actual vessel you mash in to suit what your mashing for.
One thing to keep in mind is to know how large ***or small*** you need your mash tun to be. With my 15 gallon pot, if I want to do a 5 gallon batch of a low gravity beer, it may mean mashing with a much higher water to grain ratio just to get the grains completely covered by water.
Like yooper said, I think you can get a different answer from everyone here.
I started out with a 10 gallon DIY cooler mlt - like Yooper said - it's light, holds temps well, easy to clean, inexpensive, great for 5 gallon (and some 10 gallon) batches. I added a chugger pump and recirculated a bunch - got better efficiency and clearer wort with the pump.
I then "Upgraded" to a direct fire RIMS system with 15 gallons pots, Honeywell gas valves and a BCS to control it all. After a year of spending an hour a brew day fiddling with honeywell valves and wiring, I decided to try it manually. It works fine but I have over shot mash temps a few times and I do have to turn a valve and light a burner a few times during the 60 or 90 minute mash but overall I like the simplicity and not having to deal with finicky honeywell valves.
I think if I were doing it over again, I'd probably go with a e-rims tube with an auber PID. This gives you all the temperature control you want and lets you change the actual vessel you mash in to suit what your mashing for.
One thing to keep in mind is to know how large ***or small*** you need your mash tun to be. With my 15 gallon pot, if I want to do a 5 gallon batch of a low gravity beer, it may mean mashing with a much higher water to grain ratio just to get the grains completely covered by water.
Similar threads
