BrewmeisterSmith
Well-Known Member
Okay, so a friend of mine bought a top tier system from blichmann. It has three kettles. We ran it for the first time today and made a 10 G batch. I had a lot of trouble keeping a consistent mash temp, unlike my insulated cooler. It seems that from my research there is a TON of work involved in keeping a consistent temp for an hour. So why buy this as a mash tun? We tried direct fire and using a pump to recirculate. Nope, first of all the pump (even when slowed way down) tries to pull more liquid from the bottom than there actually is. At least that is my theory. Plus, it crushes the grain bed, resulting in a slow, to stuck, sparge. Anyway, I feel like I have all grain brewing down to a simple science. But this blew my mind. How are other people making a non insulated mash tun work? I'm particularly nervous when it gets 14 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Any advice? (please dont tell me to use a cooler either).