I decided I wanted to take the next step in homebrewing, which is undoubtedly the jump from extract to all grain brewing. All grain brewing includes the step of actually creating a sugary wort by "mashing" grains, instead of just adding extract like I have been doing in the first three homebrews. So before the boil starts, you have to soak all your grains at a precise temperature (multiple times) in order to most efficiently break down the enzymes and create a sugary wort liquid. Once there is enough liquid, the wort is brought to a boil and the hops and other ingredients are added, just like in extract brewing. All grain brewing allows you to have more control of the profile of the beer since you can tweak grain amounts and types, where as there are only a hand full of malt extracts to mix and match with.
In order to be able to do all grain, I needed a bigger boiling kettle (I got a 9 gal stainless steel one for a hell of a price online), but more importantly, a mash tun. A mash tun is the vessel in which you soak grains in order to get a liquid rich with fermentable sugars. You can buy mash tuns from local or online homebrew shops, but it is quite a bit cheaper and not very hard at all to make your own.
Here is what I went out and bought from McGuckins Hardware:
-48 qt rectangular Coleman Cooler
- (4) 3/4" Stainless Steel Washers
-1/2" to 1/2" Brass Nipple
-1/2" Brass Ball Valve
-1/2" Brass Barb to 1/2" FIP Hose Barb Adapter
-1/2" Stainless Steel Hose Barb Adapter (don't know the dimensions but it is a male piece)
-16 gauge Stainless Steel Wire
-Stainless Steel Hose Clamp
-Braided Stainless Steel Water Supply Line
-Teflon Tape
Before I put everything together, I had to clean the brass in a 3:1 white vinegar/hydrogen peroxide mix in order to make it safe to be in contact with the beer. Apparently there is lead in the outer coatings of the the brass pieces, so it was pretty important to take the necessary steps to get rid of that.
The basic steps I took in putting together the spout of the mash tun:
1) Remove the drain pieces from the cooler. It comes off in three pieces, one of which is a rubber washer that is used in the conversion.
2) Stick the rubber washer from the cooler somewhere near the middle of the Brass Nipple. Wrap ends of Brass Nipple in Teflon tape
3) Put together the drainage system by assembling the pieces in this order on the Brass Nipple:
-Brass Hose Adapter -> (2) Stainless Steel Washers -> Rubber washer from the cooler-> Cooler Wall -> (2) Stainless Steel Washers -> Brass Ball Valve -> Stainless Steel Hose Adapter
Then I made the filter that is inside the mash tun, which allows water the run out the spout while leaving almost all the grains and sediment behind in the cooler. I bought the braided stainless steel water supply line, which is used for appliances like washing machines and hot water heaters, simply for the braided stainless steel mesh. This meant I had to cut the hose adapters off the ends with a hacksaw (I am now a proud owner of a $7 hacksaw!), and finagle the braided mesh off of a rubber hose that was inside the mesh. The braided stainless steel mesh is like one of those Chinese finger traps, so I had to push the ends towards each other in order to compress it enough to get the rubber tube out from inside it. It is a lot easier then it sounds. Once I had the braided mesh by itself, I folded one of the ends over with pliers in order to seal it off. I twisted the 16 gauge wire around a pen and put it inside the braided stainless steel mesh to keep it from collapsing under the pressure of the grains. I then attached the open end of the mesh to the brass hose adapter inside the cooler with the stainless steel hose clamp.
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| Finished. |
And that is it. One homemade mash tun. All grain here I come.
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