Homemade Mash Tun

[rohman]

I have one of those 48qt Ice Cube coolers and I am wanting to convert it to a mash/lauter tun. How did everyone go about getting the wort out of the tun (homemade bulkhead? rubber stoper in the drain?)

[BrewDog]

I bought RealBeer member Chris1Kanobe's Wort Hog (http://www.freewebs.com/candcinnovations/). It really does work great. You could build one yourself, or save the time and just buy his.

[toneyc]

I used a rubber stopper and stainless steel braid:

http://www.hwy71.net/images/cork-assy.jpg
http://www.hwy71.net/images/cooler-out.jpg
http://www.hwy71.net/images/crimp.jpg

Hope that helps.

:)
Toney.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by BrewDog
I bought RealBeer member Chris1Kanobe's Wort Hog (http://www.freewebs.com/candcinnovations/). It really does work great. You could build one yourself, or save the time and just buy his.

I think he sells them on ebay

[Vienna Lager]

Check out John Palmers 'How to Brew' and his section on mash/lauter tun assembly /configuration. The easies is 1/2" copper tubing for the manifold and come up over the top side of the cooler with clear plastic tubing and siphon the wort into your cook pot. Don't have to mess with the bulkhead fitting and the possibility of it leaking and getting between the walls of your cooler setting up a nice environment for infection. jmo

[rohman]

Check out John Palmers 'How to Brew' and his section on mash/lauter tun assembly /configuration. The easies is 1/2" copper tubing for the manifold and come up over the top side of the cooler with clear plastic tubing and siphon the wort into your cook pot. Don't have to mess with the bulkhead fitting and the possibility of it leaking and getting between the walls of your cooler setting up a nice environment for infection. jmo


I was thinking of doing that, but I was afraid of temp loss while with the top off. I found a site that sells pretty reasonable plastic bulkheads and fittings www.savko.com so I ordered bulkheads valves and fittings for my mash/lauter tun and HLT. Will also do the copper manifold.

[Vienna Lager]

rohman:

Don't leave the clear plastic tubing out of the cooler, just chuck that into the cooler as well and put the top on. It is easy to fish it out when the time comes.

[rohman]

Don't leave the clear plastic tubing out of the cooler, just chuck that into the cooler as well and put the top on. It is easy to fish it out when the time comes.

Yea that makes sense, but putting bulkheads and a ball valve will allow me to do fly sparging, not to mention it will look alot better

[Grog]

Originally posted by rohman
Yea that makes sense, but putting bulkheads and a ball valve will allow me to do fly sparging, not to mention it will look alot better

Always choose function over form!

[rohman]

Always choose function over form!

Good point, but what about function AND form!

[Bilbo Beergins]

I used a 5 gallon water cooler from Walmart. When I took the existing valve out, the plastic was solid through the container breech, so you won't get leakage into the body wall with whatever their selling right now. I got some fixtures from the local hardware store, including a stainless steel ball valve, and made a header out of copper, cutting slits in the bottom with my dremel blade.

It seems like if you're a do-it-yourselfer, you can come in at 40-50 cents on the dollar from kit bought, with no added shipping charges. May not look quite as pretty, but functional...a lot like myself. And, speaking for myself, part of the joy of making beer is making it in equipment I put together.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Yeah Bilbo, I just put together a mash tun myself...

I traded a case of beer for a brand new 10 gallon Rubbermaid water cooler (cost one case of homebrew) Ball valve and other Misc. hardware $11.00 (using stainless steel braided hose for the header)

Will be doing my first All-Grain in 5 years as soon as my order gets here from Austin Homebrew Supply.
It's going to feel good getting back into all-grain brewing again.
Extract brewing is quick, easy and can make some good beer, but it just doesn't compare to an good all-grain brew.

I'll let my Lambic beers wait until I get back into the swing of all-grain brewing again....

First on the agenda will be an All-Grain American Honey Wheat ale.

After that a Nice Nut Brown Ale.

Currently in my Tankard Belgian Triple.

[HogieWan]

I'm about to attempt my first AG batch as soon as I bottle my christmas ale. I got a keg with the top cut off and I need to drill the hole for the bulkhead, but I've got all my pieces ready for assembly.

[Big Cat]

I made a bulkhead with a ballvalve. On the inside I ran perferated copper pipe covered it with a sheet of perferated food grade plastic. This has allowed for a farly even sparge and I haven't had a stuck sparge with it. It uped my efficiency by 5% =) and allowes me to serculat my sparge for 15 min. to 30 min. whithout the need for raking (well there was the one time but that was a reallllly big bach).