questions

[alex510]

Hello I just got my brewing rig together from old stuff I had in the garage and all from craigslist. I am into it for about $135.00 bucks.
My question is I thought I had a 10-gallon tun but its a 5-gallon one. So with the grain in the mash tun, it can not be 5 gallons of water I put in the mash. Is this the place to post this question? Also if I/we would like to brew a beer along the lines of piney from Russian river brewery -Where would I post a the million questions I have about the best homebrew recipe to brew?

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

It looks like you're off to a good start but you are leaving some important details out:

What size batches are you planning to brew?

What size BK (Boil/Brew kettle...big ass boiling pot) do you have?

How are you going to heat your wort? - do you have a propane burner? - It will be REALLY difficult to boil 6+ gallons on a stove top.


If you're planning to do 5 gallon batches it will be nearly impossible to brew a Pliney like beer with a 5 gallon Mash Tun. Also, I would highly recommend at minimum of a 10 gallon Kettle if planning to do 5 gallon batches.

Other than that, learn to use the 'search bar' in the top right spot on your screen. You'll be amazed at what you can find on here by using that feature. Like this thread on a Pliney clone recipe, for example


Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the brewing process and someone will always be happy to answer, but learn to use the search! I promise once you do you will usually find the answer to your question and the answer to many other questions you haven't even thought to ask yet. And, by the way, welcome to the forum and obsession! Cheers!

 

[AJinJacksonville]

You could always scale down the recipe and do a 4 gallon brew of Pliney with the mash tun you have without splitting the batch up. It's close, but that's pushing the grain capacity limits like dawnk indicated above. Welcome to the hobby!

 

[alex510]

This is the pot and its size - I think it will hold 5 gallons. But with the mash tun being only 5-gallons I cant brew 5-gallons. So I will have to make 4 gallons.

 

[alex510]

Welp-just tested the pot and I have a very small leak. probably the rubber washer. I will get a new one tomorrow. This is the burner I got off of craigslist for $30.00.I will test the burner tomorrow.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

The mash tun gallon-size is not indicative of the size batch you can brew...only how much grain you can mash. So you could potentially get away with a mash grain volume of say 11-12 pounds, since your mash water volume measurement will typically be a few gallons (not five gallons of water for example).

 

[AJinJacksonville]

And keep in mind...if you're going to make a four gallon batch, a five gallon kettle will not work because the pre-boil volume will more than likely be over five gallons.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I think the writing's on the wall...get yourself a 10 gallon kettle or a keggle to brew with. Maybe that's a blessing in disguise. A five gallon kettle restricts your brews moreso than a five gallon mash tun does.

 

[alex510]

hi, jin and I think you are right! thank you for the save cleaning big mess advice lol. back to craigslist to look for the 10-gallon kettle. hopefully, they are cheap

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I bought a responsibly sourced keg for about $25 bucks...already had the port and weldless thermometer...so it was good to go. You can't go wrong for five gallon batches with a 10 or 15 gallon kettle.

 

[alex510]

I was planning on using a digital thermometer. There are a couple of kegs for $10.00 on CL. But I don't know how to convert them over for brewing

 

[AJinJacksonville]

It would take some work for cutting/filing the hole up top...but you'd probably need at least one drilled hole for the port to drain the beer out into the fermentation vessel. I have lifted 10 gallon kettles full of five gallons of hot liquid to dump into a fermentation vessel...but it can get kinda sketchy lifting it all at once. Depends on what your plans are down the road.

 

[cswant88]

I was planning on using a digital thermometer. There are a couple of kegs for $10.00 on CL. But I don't know how to convert them over for brewing

A used 1/2 barrel keg is THE cheapest way to go for a boil kettle, if they got funk they can be cleaned, a little rust grind off and passivate. Go to harbor freight and get an angle grinder for $15, or better yet, borrow one from a friend or neighbor. Get some cutting and grinding disks to cut out the top, and clean up the edge. A reciprocating saw or jigsaw will work too with the right blades. Just use cutting oil and go slow or you'll burn up blades. Make sure you get discs made for stainless and don't cross contaminate with other metals, or it will rust. You can youtube how to use the grinder if needed. Drill a hole for drain valve, Brew Hardware is a good source for weldless bulkheads and valves. Again, youtube for tips on drilling the keg. You can have yourself a 15gal kettle with drain for as little as $50

 

[alex510]

Hi 88 :0) Great tips! I have all those tools! Just don't have the confidence-I never have seen a brew keg up close before.
question what size for weldless bulkhead would you recommend? What is your opinion on a temp gauge for the keg? Digital ok or a gauge on the keg itself? And where to get it from?

 

[cmac62]

Hi 88 :0) Great tips! I have all those tools! Just don't have the confidence-I never have seen a brew keg up close before.
question what size for weldless bulkhead would you recommend? What is your opinion on a temp gauge for the keg? Digital ok or a gauge on the keg itself? And where to get it from?

Unless your using your keggle with BIAB, there is no need for a thermometer, but it looks like you plan to do biab, so i would go with analog, less to worry about.

 

[marc1]

Unless your using your keggle with BIAB, there is no need for a thermometer, but it looks like you plan to do biab, so i would go with analog, less to worry about.

You really don't need a built-in thermometer for BIAB either.

 

[alex510]

hi to all and thank you to all the nice people helping
well a brew keg that is welded and quick release came up on CL for $40.00 dollars/hope I did well

 

[alex510]

I will be moving to the recipe section from here thank you to all for the help

 

[IslandLizard]

hi to all and thank you to all the nice people helping
well a brew keg that is welded and quick release came up on CL for $40.00 dollars/hope I did well

You did very well, sir!

Welded ports are a nice bonus, indeed. Can't see the inside of the welds, which is a little more important, but if they look anywhere near the outside, you've got a real gem! Just don't lift that keggle up by the valves, though...

Use some form of windscreen around that burner. You want the heat to go up, not sideways.

Onto your first (big) brew!

 

[alex510]

Hi Island
I do not know why there is a 2nd fitting /next to the ball valve . not sure what it is for. I am assuming it for a temp gauge? I ordered 2 gauges from adventure brewery for 10.00 each. I want to add a gauge to the mash tun. What would you recommend for windscreen? The burner sits on a tower 3 feet tall tower.
I will be going to the brew store on Saturday - want to make something along the lines of Pliny from Russian River brewery.
Any tips would be great

 

[marc1]

Hi Island
I do not know why there is a 2nd fitting /next to the ball valve . not sure what it is for. I am assuming it for a temp gauge? I ordered 2 gauges from adventure brewery for 10.00 each. I want to add a gauge to the mash tun. What would you recommend for windscreen? The burner sits on a tower 3 feet tall tower.
I will be going to the brew store on Saturday - want to make something along the lines of Pliny from Russian River brewery.
Any tips would be great

IIRC Brewing Classic Styles has a recipe based off of Pliny

 

[IslandLizard]

Hi Island
I do not know why there is a 2nd fitting /next to the ball valve . not sure what it is for. I am assuming it for a temp gauge? I ordered 2 gauges from adventure brewery for 10.00 each. I want to add a gauge to the mash tun. What would you recommend for windscreen? The burner sits on a tower 3 feet tall tower.
I will be going to the brew store on Saturday - want to make something along the lines of Pliny from Russian River brewery.
Any tips would be great

That port is pretty low placed, so it measures the temp closer to the bottom (heat source). They're usually mounted 4-6" up.

Ah! because it's that close to the fire, a thermometer in that low position may get more likely damaged due to direct heat from the propane burner. Those gases are hhhhot! I've seen people put heat shields under them to prevent melting their faucets and hoses.

Frankly, I don't see a need for a mounted thermometer in a kettle. You should own a much better one (more precise, faster reacting) for checking the strike or mash temp. It's probably OK for checking the wort temp when whirlpooling.

I would probably use that low port as a whirlpool return. Put a good shield underneath them!

I just saw your burner already has a built-in windscreen. Make sure it's adequate for your keggle setup. My Blichmann burner's windscreen is much higher (extending farther downward), providing more shielding.

With stronger and colder winds you may also need to use an external windscreen (fence?) a few feet from your kettle setup. Without a windscreen, stronger winds will blow the flame and hot gasses away from the bottom of your keggle, while also chilling the outside of the keggle too much. In that scenario you may never reach or keep a boil, while going through propane at record speed.

Safety:
Make sure that tallish 3' burner stand with your keggle on top, filled with 8-13 gallons of (boiling) water/wort, is very stable. You don't want that toppling over at any point. Not just for your sake, also for others' who can be nearby, bystanders, kids, pets, etc.

 

[alex510]

Thank you so much for the great tips -you are right with the kettle on stand/I will check tonight when
I get home. ps. going to brew shop tomorrow to buy the ingredients -might brew on Sunday