el cheap-o lauter for mini-mashing (will this work)

[Walker]

I am primarily an extract brewer, with a few specialty grains steeped here and there in my recipes. I'd like to get a little more out of my grains, but didn't want to bother making or buying a lauter tun and messing with it.

Anyway, last night I was throwing out some old/busted kitchen stuff, and came across a 1.5 gallon tupperware-type plastic pitcher. The lid is missing, so it is not much use anymore....

but then I had an idea.
(disclaimer: many of my life's horror and success stories start with that sentence)

Since I typically only use about 1 lbs of grain in any recipe, I was thinking that I could turn this orphan jug into a mini-lauter if I just drilled a few very small holes in the bottom of it. It has a "D" shaped handle molded onto the side, and I could cut through that at the bottom where it meets the jug.

With those two modifications, I think I can simply hook it onto my boil pot (slide the cut handle over the rim of the pot so that the jug is hanging inside the pot) with 8 inches or so of space between the bottom of the jug and the bottom of the pot. Then, just pour my hot sparge water into the jug and fill it up to the top.

The water should slooowly trickle out through the holes I drill in the jug and fall into the pot. If necessary, I could re-fill the jug multiple times with sparge water utill my runoff is clear.

Does this seem like it would work? I would cost me a big fat $0.00.

Naturally, I can't do an all-grain batch this way, but I'm not that obsessed yet.

-walker

 

[Toilet Rocker]

Not to burst bubbles, but wouldn't the heat from the side of the kettle melt the plastic?

 

[Walker]

the kettle will not be on the heat at this point. It's just a vessle for capturing wort.

and, I missed a detail in my description: I put the GRAIN into the jug,a nd then fill the rest of the way up with water as it hangs on the side of the pot.

-walker

 

[Walker]

think if it as a weird double-bucket system. My false bottom is the pitcher's bottom, and I don't have a tube to carry wort away.. it just falls directly into my pot.

-walker

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I don't understand how you're going to get any conversion just by pouring hot water over the grains. Most people mash their grains for an hour minimum. Also, I'd think if you sparged until you had clear runoff you would have vastly oversparged and extracted undesirables from the mash. Perhaps I'm not understanding the system fully?

 

[Walker]

sorry... i skipped a lot iof details. this is really just for sparging the already mashed grain.

now, remember, I've never done anything other than steep grains before, so maybe I'm not understanding something....

anyway, I would use step mashing:
30 minutes soak at 120*
add hot water to bring to 150* / rest 15 minutes
raise temp to 158* / rest 10 minutes
remove grain from water, throw in jug, sparge with 170* water.

so.. have I misunderstood something?

-walker

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

No, I think I misunderstood. Seems like it would work if your plastic holds up to the heat (grains will hold heat, then the sparge water...). But I would definitely avoid over-rinsing the grains. I believe there was something somewhere in the latest issue of byo about that. I'm not sure if it necessarily offers an advantage over a grainbag, but why not give it a try?

 

[Walker]

the things was most concerned about were

- aeration of the sparge runoff since I would have a huge space between the 'false bottom' and bottom of my brewpot. this could lead to staling, right?

- having to much water in the jug. my reading says "keep an inch of water above the grainbed n the lauter". Is this a MINIMAL requirement, or an OPTIMAL requirement.

-walker

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I'm far from an expert and I'm sure someone knowledgeable will chime in sooner or later. The aeration could certainly be an issue based on all I've read. I do a full mash and just make sure my drain hose is submerged in the collecting wort. As far as keeping water above the grainbed, I'm not sure how much difference it will really make since you'll wash a lot of fines into your wort using this system, anyways, unless you go to the trouble to recirculate a bit of the first running. I'm not sure how big of a concern this is with a mini-mash since you're using less grains.

Basically, I'm and at the limit of my knowledge.

It seems like if you go to the effort to alleviate all your concerns, you'll reach a point of diminishing returns where it makes since to by a cooler, a few fittings, and up your grain bill!

 

[Walker]

yeah... i know. the main thing stopping me from going all grain is that I can't get more than 3 or so gallons to boil on my electric stove.

well.. there's that and fear of The Unknown.

thanks for the responses, neighbor.

-walker

 

[Lost]

I think you'd do just as well to steep specialty grains and sparge them well. I've never really understood the attraction to partial mashes (no matter what the setup). If you're gonna take the time and effort to do a mash (and get the equipment setup and sanitized) then why not just go all the way?

At least that was my thinking when I went AG and I've done 4 sucessful batches so far...

You do know that an all grain setup isn't that expensive (5 gal cooler, copper manifold - $5, and a turkey fryer - $40 oh and an immersion cooler if you don't have one). While it is time consuming it is suprisingly easy (and cheap)...

 

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

having to much water in the jug. my reading says "keep an inch of water above the grainbed n the lauter". Is this a MINIMAL requirement, or an OPTIMAL requirement

The inch of water above the grain bed is to ensure there is enough water to keep the grains suspended in the liquid so they will not compact and clog any manifolds used to drain the wort from the lauter tun. In your case, you essentially have a 'strainer'. What you are wanting to do sounds just fine but something that could actually be accomplished by a typical fine mesh kitchen strainer. You wont get a stuck sparge if you run your grains dry in the setup your talking about so water level is not important IN THIS CASE.

I tend to agree with Lost on this... partial mash would be no benifiet to you over steeping with so few and only specialty grains. There is no reason to mash the specialty grains. Most specialty grains are modified to a point where they cannot do a startch conversion due to the damage the enzymes have taken in the modification process and you are relying on your extracts to be your sugars anyhow.

Put your crushed specialty grains in a bag, submerge them in 150f water for 30mins, put them in your new fangled 'strainer', run 1gal of 170f water over them slowly and your done.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

thanks for the responses, neighbor.

Whoops, didn't even notice that!

I've only done a half dozen or so all-grain batches, but if you ever want to sit through the process sometime let me know. I imagine I'm making plenty of mistakes, yet I'm also making plenty of beer.

 

[Dude]

sorry... i skipped a lot iof details. this is really just for sparging the already mashed grain.

now, remember, I've never done anything other than steep grains before, so maybe I'm not understanding something....

anyway, I would use step mashing:
30 minutes soak at 120*
add hot water to bring to 150* / rest 15 minutes
raise temp to 158* / rest 10 minutes
remove grain from water, throw in jug, sparge with 170* water.

so.. have I misunderstood something?

-walker

I'm curious why you'd step-mash right away? I understand it might make a better final product, but why not a few single infusion mashes first?