mash pot build????

[jedneck]

I have a 55 gal closed head stainless barrel Layin around that I wanna use for a mash tun/fermenter. Looking for ideas. Thinking about cutting the bottom off and using the 2"bung for a drain and the small one for a steam in line. I would use the cut out piece to make a false bottom. Or just cut the top off and use it.
What would you all grain gurus do?

[S-Cackalacky]

Not a grain guru, but... I remember something Mr. P did with his fermenters - he put ball valves up a few inches from the bottom so he could drain off the cleared liquid without disturbing the sediment. Was thinking that you could use 3 or 4 ball valves spaced at different intervals from the bottom. Use the upper most valve to drain off cleared wash, allow it to further settle and use the next valve down from the first, and so on.

If you cut the lid off on the vertical just below where the join is located, you could still use it as a lid. Mabe even weld a one inch wide piece of ss sheet metal around the circumference of the lid so it seats well. Would make a nice combination tun/fermenter.

Or, you could eliminate about 20 gallons worth of one end of that drum, reattach the lid and have a nice 25 gallon still boiler.

[MitchyBourbon]

I would make a second false bottom without any holes and use it to squeeze corn. I don't ferment on the grain so I would find this very useful.

I have a couple of 10 gallon blichmann boilermakers I use for mashing. They both have false bottoms and ball valves that drain below the false bottom. Sometimes when I mash corn I use both false bottoms. After draining what I can I squeeze the corn by putting my other false bottom on top of the grain bed and push down on it.

It would work better if it were solid ie no holes. I also use a mop bucket, it works but the darn thing is plastic and is a pain to clean.

[corene1]

Not a grain guru, but... I remember something Mr. P did with his fermenters - he put ball valves up a few inches from the bottom so he could drain off the cleared liquid without disturbing the sediment. Was thinking that you could use 3 or 4 ball valves spaced at different intervals from the bottom. Use the upper most valve to drain off cleared wash, allow it to further settle and use the next valve down from the first, and so on.

If you cut the lid off on the vertical just below where the join is located, you could still use it as a lid. Mabe even weld a one inch wide piece of ss sheet metal around the circumference of the lid so it seats well. Would make a nice combination tun/fermenter.

Or, you could eliminate about 20 gallons worth of one end of that drum, reattach the lid and have a nice 25 gallon still boiler.

I like that idea SC. You could even go one step further and use it to sparge the grains after all the wort had been pulled out.