Moving to all grain...MLT size question

[Veronis]

Hey all,

I have a polar ware 15 gallon brew kettle (601BP), purchased with future brewing in mind. I'm still doing 5 gallon extract kits in it at the moment because I'm still learning.

When I move to all-grain, I plan to make some 5-gallon and some 10-gallon AG batches.

Will I need a 15 gallon mash/lauter tun for a 10-gallon AG batch, or is a 10 gallon sufficient?

I'm a huge fan of big beers, so I will be making a lot of ~11-12% ABV imperial stouts, wee heavy, etc. I would need a 15 gallon MLT to make 10 gallons of ~1.100 OG wort, right?

 

[plumber_bob]

Hey all,

I have a polar ware 15 gallon brew kettle (601BP), purchased with future brewing in mind. I'm still doing 5 gallon extract kits in it at the moment because I'm still learning.

When I move to all-grain, I plan to make some 5-gallon and some 10-gallon AG batches.

Will I need a 15 gallon mash/lauter tun for a 10-gallon AG batch, or is a 10 gallon sufficient?

I'm a huge fan of big beers, so I will be making a lot of ~11-12% ABV imperial stouts, wee heavy, etc. I would need a 15 gallon MLT to make 10 gallons of ~1.100 OG wort, right?

I'm a 10 gallon brewer, and I use a 10 gallon MLT. No problem for me so far. Not sure on the high ABV beers though. I think I have enough room to do it but never tried as of yet.

Don't forget the HLT. I think 10 gal. would work, but mine is 13 gallons.

Happy brewing.

pb

 

[Veronis]

You lost me at HLT :/ Did I miss some reading somewhere? I don't even know what that is. I thought I could get a converted igloo and use it as a MLT, and drain that into my 15 gallon brew kettle.

Is this a third item I need?

 

[gcdowd]

HLT stands for hot liquor tank. I just use an extra kettle for mine. It's basically what you use to heat your water in

 

[plumber_bob]

HLT, Hot Liquor Tank.

A fancy name for hot water tank. But you need one to heat the water before you add it to the mash tun. Plus you need more hot water for sparging as well.

I go through about 15 gallons of water from start to finish.

pb

 

[revco]

Personally, I don't think there's a good one-size-fits-all MLT for both 5 and 10 gallon all-grain batches. I originally purchased a 10G MLT cooler and used it for 5 gallon AG batches with no problems, big and small beers alike. When I migrated to 10G batches, though, I quickly found the limitations of the 10G MLT. For small beers, a 10G MLT will do just fine...but the first time you have a mash that approaches 9.5+ gallons, you're quickly going to find the limitations of a 10G MLT. To comfortably do 10G, you'll want a larger 15+ gallon MLT to give you the room to stir without making a complete mess. Problem is, though, a large MLT is almost too much for a 5 gallon batch and you can't get a good grain bed unless it's a big 5G batch.

Then again, if you exclusively do low gravity 10G batches, a 10G MLT should be just fine for you for both 10G and 5G. With appropriate planning, you can also do big beers in a 10G MLT using a thicker mash with a double batch sparge, but that adds a fair bit of time to the brew day.

To me, the relatively low cost (less than $200 total) of a couple coolers, two manifolds and the appropriate fittings make it practical to have both on hand, giving you ultimate flexibility for whatever you want to make without limitations. Do what's right for you, though...considering money and the typical brews that you make.

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

The HLT is the Hot Liquor Tank, which you use to hold the heated mash water (and later, sparge water) before use. It can be a just a boiler on your stove, or a cooler you fill with hot water, it doesn't really matter as long as it let's you get the right amount of water to the right temp at the right time.

In a gravity-fed system, you generally want the HLT above the MLT, so that you can feed the water directly into the MLT via the HLT spigot. You generally want a burner under the HLT and the boiler, but not the MLT (which can then be insulated to retain heat, rather than having to be heated directly). There are any number of variations o this, though.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

HBT has a pretty good search function: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-big-your-mash-tun-needs-123585.

 

[tonyp063]

There are a couple of stickys related to this.

Please see
How big your mash tun needs to be

and

Attention: New all-grain brewers