Why a Mash Tun

[widsith]

I have been doing BIAB for a bit. What is the advantage of moving to a mash tun? Other than it seems a fun, quick DIY project?

I am guessing that it will allow me to hold temperature better, and therefore let the mash process proceed a little more hands off. (Now, Im checking temperature every 15 min or so.) Will it produce better beer? Increase efficiency? Make it easier to brew "big beers"?

What if any are the disadvantages? Other than cost and an extra item to clean afterwards? (Although, Im guessing the floor stays cleaner. )

 

[BackAlley]

I wonder if being able to vorlauf means you potentially can end up with a more clear beer?


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[Yooper]

I think that the major advantage for someone like me (besides holding temperature well, and not mashing in a pot over a burner) is simply that I do 10 gallon batches, and many of my grainbills are 25 pounds or so. Since 25 pounds of grain will "hold" about 2.5 gallons of water, a grainbag to lift out of the pot would weigh about 45 pounds, and be hot and sticky.

I brew indoors, and do not want to think about lifting, a hoist, sticky dripping bags of grain, etc.

Otherwise, the quality of the beer should be about equal and I don't see any reason to go to a traditional two or three vessel system unless you would like to.

 

[Jupapabear]

I brew biab, and my most recent blonde is as clear as my old blondes via traditional mash tun. I can read through them. I hate brewing big beers biab. Lifting hot grain bags is a pita. I'll probably build a lift system for this.
When not brewing biab, I spend about an hour draining my mash tun, and it is an extra piece to clean like you say. My time is worth alot to me so I moved to biab for time saving and for the sake of simplicity.

Jupapabear

 

[Bobby_M]

Agree. It's mostly about batch size/OG restriction of combining your grain bill and all water required. You can certainly go bigger and bigger and if you don't mind using a hoist of some kind, it's doable. It's actually pretty dangerous to hoist a 40 pound sack over a vessel filled with 170F liquid. If something breaks, you're going to get burned.

 

[bajaedition]

brew in a bag was developed to brew with less equipment, the theory is sound and many guys do really well with it, but it is limited by the fact that you use less equipment. A mash tun will allow more control over the mash. Water amounts, sparging, step mashing, rim systems etc etc etc, are all simple with a mash tun and require some mcQuiver skills with brew in a bag.
Nothing wrong with BIB but the step up to a mash tun and your evolution to brewing will be worth it.

now I think the flames will start about how much BIB is better.

 

[prohl84]

I mash in a cooler tun and I check my temperature for every rest (when step mashing) I used to check it every so often throughout the mash until I realized I only drop a degree or two after 60 minutes. (52 Qt. Coleman Xtreme + SS braid FWIW)

Never tried it when doing BIAB but I think a decoction schedule might be tough. Making a second runnings beer might be difficult in a bag too.

I made plenty of clear beers with BIAB but I had far more trub in the fermenter- i.e. trub loss/ less beer. Vorlauf FTW.

 

[widsith]

Im only doing 5 or 5.5 gallon batches, but I am tending to "big" IPA's. My last has about 15lb of grains, holding that over the pot was a bit tiring.

Those of you that BIAB, how much attention do you pay to the water temp while mashing? (Ie, are you adding heat several times during the process?)

How long does sparging take?

I suspect that in the end Ill try it and see which I prefer, Im trying to get a handle on the pros and cons before hand.

 

[vNmd]

Those of you that BIAB, how much attention do you pay to the water temp while mashing? (Ie, are you adding heat several times during the process?)

I pay fairly close attention like most everyone should. Since I have done 20ish batches BIAB I know the setup fairly well. During summer months I usually don't have to add heat (I wrap a winter down coat around). It drops maybe 2 degrees. In the winter I check every 20 - 30 minutes and usually have to add a little heat (2 or 3 minutes). I guess it would depend on how close you want to be at your target temperature. I am ok with +-2.

 

[Yooper]

Im only doing 5 or 5.5 gallon batches, but I am tending to "big" IPA's. My last has about 15lb of grains, holding that over the pot was a bit tiring.

Those of you that BIAB, how much attention do you pay to the water temp while mashing? (Ie, are you adding heat several times during the process?)

How long does sparging take?

I suspect that in the end Ill try it and see which I prefer, Im trying to get a handle on the pros and cons before hand.

Many BIAB'ers do a no-sparge, mashing with the full volume of water. So 0 time spent sparging. I have a traditional mashing friend who has done no-sparge as well, so it's not exclusive to BIAB but more common.

Some BIAB'ers who do sparge will do a "dunk sparge", which is a batch sparge, so it takes minimal time as well.

 

[widsith]

Many BIAB'ers do a no-sparge, mashing with the full volume of water. So 0 time spent sparging. I have a traditional mashing friend who has done no-sparge as well, so it's not exclusive to BIAB but more common.



Some BIAB'ers who do sparge will do a "dunk sparge", which is a batch sparge, so it takes minimal time as well.

The "dunk sparge" is what I've been doing. From what I've read, there is a concern about the ph if your water to grain ratio is too high during the mash. And for the bigger beers there is a problem with all the grains and water fitting in a 8 gal pot.

So I drop the grain bag into the top up water (which I have already preheated) for 10-15 minutes while I start heating the original wort to boil. Since I am heating the first pot while the grains soak in the second, I don't think it costs me any significant time at all.


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[vNmd]

I BIAB and have read that with traditional mash tun you stop collecting run off when you reach the certain leval you are going to boil. With BIAB obivously everything is used. For people who use a mash tun - is that true? I wonder if there would be a difference in that respect.

 

[DSorenson]

I use a mash tun and calculate my sparge water do that by the time the tun drains I have my pre boil volume. It is very effective, but I couldn't argue that it is easier than biab.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I've used a mash tun since I began AG brewing. Recently I took a notion to make 1 gal. "sampler" batches to try new recipes without the commitment to a whole 5 gals. BIAB seemed like just the ticket so today I tried my first attempt at this process.

I used a no-sparge method and found I had to add sterilized water to the wort to get the gravity down to where it was supposed to be! And the whole process, including clean-up, took just over 3 1/2 hours. I came away from the experience thinking that, so long as I am doing simple 5 gal. beers BIAB may be a much more time-efficient way of brewing. At the very least, I intend to look into the process and experiment with it further.

 

[MikePote]

Im only doing 5 or 5.5 gallon batches, but I am tending to "big" IPA's. My last has about 15lb of grains, holding that over the pot was a bit tiring.

Those of you that BIAB, how much attention do you pay to the water temp while mashing? (Ie, are you adding heat several times during the process?)

How long does sparging take?

I suspect that in the end Ill try it and see which I prefer, Im trying to get a handle on the pros and cons before hand.

I have done 5 or 6 AG batches all BIAB. I brew on my stovetop so keeping mash temp is as simple as preheating the oven to 170 (lowest temp) and mashing inside the oven. I shut the oven off before the brew /mash pot goes inside and it holds perfect. I figure the oven drops a handful of degrees when I open the door to put the pot in and winds up right about the temp of my mash.

I then dunk sparge in whatever volume of 170 degree water gets me to 6.5 gallons, put the grains in a colander on top of the boil kettle, squeeze as much as I can out of the grains with a potato masher and combine the two pots for my boil. So far I have hit all of my numbers except for one beer which I accidently mashed low.