Mash tun capacity

Any hardware used for mashing, fermenting or aging.

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oilguy
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Mash tun capacity

Post by oilguy »

I have done one small run of AG to date (20 litres) 3kg corn, 2 kg of malt barley, boiled water ,then poured into a cooler that I have, was a pain to get it out after words, currently use a 50L keg pot still, and have a 60 l keg for BOP,
I would like to do a full run, (40L), rather than use my cooler do you thinkI will have room in my 60L BOP to do full mash in, I was thinking boil50 L water add my 6kg corn let cool add 4 kg malt ,
Do you all think I will have the room in my BOP to achieve this?
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MitchyBourbon
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by MitchyBourbon »

I think you would be pretty close, if not right on. I have a 10 gallon mashtun and I routinely get 6 gallons out with a mash of corn wheat and rye. 13 to15 lbs of grain total. I do squeeze and discard the grain before fermenting.
Last edited by MitchyBourbon on Tue Sep 08, 2015 4:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BaxtersDad
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by BaxtersDad »

The "strike liquor" temperature is very important in mashing. Boiling water is too hot. Strike liquor is the hot water you add to the grains in the mash tun, and what is activates the alpha and beta amylase in the malted barley. The goal is to have the strike liquor be the correct temperature, given the liquor to grain ratio and the insulating characteristics of your mash tun, to have the mash settle in at a temperature between 140 degrees and 160 degrees F, the lower temperature giving you the most fermentable wort and the higher temperature giving you the most dextrinous wort, i.e., a higher percentage of unfermtable sugars. The best info on this is on homebrewing sites. Corn needs to be gelatinized before mashing. In the brewing industry, pre-gelatinized flaked maize is used but is pretty expensive. Good luck with your AG efforts!
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still_stirrin
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by still_stirrin »

BaxtersDad wrote:....Corn needs to be gelatinized before mashing...
And that requires boiling for a bit...or, soaking and then rolling between rollers like they do rolled oats.
BaxtersDad wrote:....In the (home) brewing industry, pre-gelatinized flaked maize is used but is pretty expensive....
So, I'd recommend gelatinizing the corn first...by boiling (it's discussed extensively on the recipe forum). And then once cooled to temperature, add the malted barley and other adjuncts to mash. Strike with water to bring your water/grains ratio to proper balance and mash as usual, holding the step temperatures accordingly.

If you use enzymes for the mash, then go to the proper temperature for them to be working (adjust pH if necessary too).

Making a good ferment is important whether you're making a beer or a whiskey. Pay attention to the ingredients and the way to extract the sugars. Boil the wort, if so desired. But it often isn't necessary for whiskey brewing because no hops are needed to make the sweet liquor.
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oilguy
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by oilguy »

Thanks for all the info,however my question was will 10kg of grains,and a total of 40l of wort fit in my 60l keg boiler
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still_stirrin
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by still_stirrin »

oilguy wrote:Thanks for all the info,however my question was will 10kg of grains,and a total of 40l of wort fit in my 60l keg boiler
Well, I guess you're the one who's gonna' tell us!

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MitchyBourbon
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Re: Mash tun capacity

Post by MitchyBourbon »

I think I answered your question.
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