Woot! I have just scored a coolbox to be converted into a mash tun. As soon as i can get the parts together, i'll post my progress here!
w00t!
ONe small problem though. The cool box doesn't look nearly big enough to hold five gallons of liquid at any given time. Is that a problem?
Coobox Mash tun!
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tubby_shaw
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maxashton
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tubby_shaw
Sounds from your description that it is an 18 liter ish coolbox which should be fine for normal gravity ales.maxashton wrote:hm. if i fill it so i leave about an inch or two of dry at the top, when i pitch it into my FV it is about 2/3rds full.
That should be sufficient, no?
I guess i'll just have to buy 5kg of grain or something to test it, won't i?
The horror!
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tubby_shaw
You've just got to persaude SWMBO that it's perfectly natural to commandeer the kitchen for a whole day, you are also going to have to work on your signature phrase too when the boil gets goingmaxashton wrote:Right then!
I'm very nearly without excuse to try AG brewing..
"smell ? what smell love ?" "No I'm not boiling my socks, that's what Fuggles smell like!"
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eskimobob
Re: Coobox Mash tun!
What's this then - can you write it phonetically? - Is it a regional dialect saying??maxashton wrote:Woot!
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maxashton
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eskimobob
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SteveD
Nice one, but....sorry to p1ss on your barbeque, but I feel that's too small. Any container is big enough if you say 'it's fine, it'll hold (insert small weight of grain here)'. 5kg of pale will give you 24L at OG1050 at 80% efficiency which is fine if you never want to brew a stronger beer than that without sugaring. Also, you'll have to be careful about grist to liquor ratios. Step mashing by adding boiling liquor will probably be excluded - small point, so what. But...if you need to fix a cool mash by adding boiling liquor you might be in trouble if you're already near the capacity limit. A smaller tun will tend be less temperature stable as well.
As the conversion is cheap - a bit of copper and a plastic drum boiler tap or similar, I'd say go ahead if it's to try out mashing, but I'll bet you'll upsise sharpish once you get into it...and you will get into it. There will be no turning back, young apprentice.
As the conversion is cheap - a bit of copper and a plastic drum boiler tap or similar, I'd say go ahead if it's to try out mashing, but I'll bet you'll upsise sharpish once you get into it...and you will get into it. There will be no turning back, young apprentice.
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maxashton
. I must confess, i thought this coolbox was bigger than this. I guess i was a lot smaller when i last saw it. Heh!-
confused
Is there a benefit in larger mash tuns.
I ask because . . .
each time we walk around makro I stand and stare longingly at their ice boxes. They are solid plastic oblong boxes with lid all encased in 2 inches of moderate density expanded polystyrene. I guess around 50 - 60 litres (24 inches long x 15 wide x 15 high, approx) but the shape looks perfect, very flat vertical sides, looks ideal for the job.
Can't find any temperature / recycle codes on the plastic but I haven't really looked properly.
They are intended for frozen food deliveries and the like.
I ask because . . .
each time we walk around makro I stand and stare longingly at their ice boxes. They are solid plastic oblong boxes with lid all encased in 2 inches of moderate density expanded polystyrene. I guess around 50 - 60 litres (24 inches long x 15 wide x 15 high, approx) but the shape looks perfect, very flat vertical sides, looks ideal for the job.
Can't find any temperature / recycle codes on the plastic but I haven't really looked properly.
They are intended for frozen food deliveries and the like.
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maxashton