esky brewing

[speedie]

As a suggestion to all of you esky brewers have you tried this approach to mashing?
One urn Two eskys one setup for your lautering system the other for your hot liquor tank (vessel)
Use the urn to boil enough water for your sparging and empty it into your second esky
Assuming that the temperature want drop below 77c and if it doesn’t use water to cool it down to 77c once sparge time comes around
Use your urn to mash in and to do all of your temperature adjustments
Be careful of exposed elements etc
Once you are satisfied with your mash schedule move the grain and wort from the urn to your sparging esky
Rinse urn and set below your sparge esky which is below your top esky or hot liquor tank and start to lauter away
I am only throwing up some ideas!
Let me know what your thoughts are
speedie

[rotten]

You're probably looking for a more experienced response but here is my 1st initial thought.
As mash is like porridge, how would it move through the tap on the urn without getting blocked, or being very slow at least. Only done 2 AG with my urn as of tonight, but like to start at the beginning.
Cheers

[Bum]

In an more historical sense, I believe speedie's position is more of a true "beginning" position, but I do agree with you that the method he's fighting against is more graceful and, frankly, intuitive. If the earliest brewers had access to vessels (eskies) that could hold a mash at the desired temp over the mash without temp drop direct fired mash tuns might never have been used.

That last bit speculation, of course.

I don't think he's suggesting moving the mash from the urn via the tap but I guess he can explain what he means, as I don't understand why he's wanting to complicate peoples' processes.

[rotten]

All I know is I will make many sacrifices for beer, But I ain't gettin burnt tipping it from a urn to an esky!! (ice box if it's not the 'esky' brand.

[Bum]

Same here.

[rotten]

If it's temp holding you are worried about Speedie, my 'new fan dangled' ice box holds it's temp, hot or cold, for much more than an hour or two, within 0.5 of a degree, with no added insulation, blankets, foil etc. Has ice capabilities eg of 5-16 days. 3V (three vessell) i get that now, good enough for me.

[Bum]

Me too but there are stepped mashes and such which some people prefer a direct fired tun for (they absolutely can be done in an eskie too but some people may not wish to accept that).

[bullfrog]

I believe he is trying to say, and I'm paraphrasing my assumption here, "hey, you people that brew in a method I'm unfamiliar with, how about you try doing another mode of brewing that has been around for centuries and yet I'll try and act like I'm creating it right now!"

Stop trying to convert people from the way that they make great beer to the only way you know how, simply because you haven't done it before. You mentioned a couple of times that you'd like for people to learn from your experience -- two-way street, champ. Why don't you sit down, set yourself a few hours aside and just read about new (read: since 1980) processes. Either that or shut the f**k up.

[warra48]

Those of us who use a cooler type mashtun also do our lautering in the same vessel.

If you look at the diagrams of the process on some of the commercial brewers websites, you'll see they mash in one vessel, then transfer the mash to a lautering vessel.

In a small HB situation, for me, I'm happy using the same vessel, and see no advantage in using and cleaning yet another vessel.

My system consists of a 4 level gravity fed system, with seperate burners under the HLT and the kettle:

1. HLT
2. Run water into mashtun
3. Drain into kettle
2. Run sparge water into mashtun
3. Drain into kettle
4. Run off from kettle into fermenter

If I want to do a decoction, I can do that on the burner I use for my kettle in either an 11 or 19 litre SS pot, so no need to direct heat the mashtun for me.

What advantage would changing this system give me?

[speedie]

Do you step mash via hot water additions?

With smaller masses of grain there is a greater thermal loss during rests, the use of the kettle will maintain constant temperatures.

There is also reading on water to grist ratios, I stay with 2/to 1 ratio. It doesn't make it right, it's just how I mash.
cheers

[Bum]

With smaller masses of grain there is a greater thermal loss during rests, the use of the kettle will maintain constant temperatures.

A good esky is actually really good at holding temp. I think you'd be surprised.

It doesn't make it right, it's just how I mash.

Any chance you could take this attitude to the rest of your posts?

[warra48]

Do you step mash via hot water additions?

With smaller masses of grain there is a greater thermal loss during rests, the use of the kettle will maintain constant temperatures.

There is also reading on water to grist ratios, I stay with 2/to 1 ratio. It doesn't make it right, it's just how I mash.
cheers

I have yet to do a brew where I've wanted to do step mashes. Most of mine are single infusions. My next planned brew is a generic German style lager, and I'll problably step mash that. I've worked out all my volumes and temps etc in BeerSmith, so I'm ready to go.
I have done some decoction brews, and they're no problem, but they do significantly lengthen my brew day.

As for temperature loss, I cover my mash in my cooler with a fitted piece of yoga mat, so it insulates the headspace from the mash, significantly eliminating temperature loss. Is a .5ºC loss over 90 minutes during the mash of concern?
No, I don't think so either.

[gregb]

It doesn't make it right, it's just how I mash.

Any chance you could take this attitude to the rest of your posts?

Please.

[Tipsy]

As a suggestion to all of you esky brewers have you tried this approach to mashing?
One urn Two eskys one setup for your lautering system the other for your hot liquor tank (vessel)
Use the urn to boil enough water for your sparging and empty it into your second esky
Assuming that the temperature want drop below 77c and if it doesn’t use water to cool it down to 77c once sparge time comes around
Use your urn to mash in and to do all of your temperature adjustments
Be careful of exposed elements etc
Once you are satisfied with your mash schedule move the grain and wort from the urn to your sparging esky
Rinse urn and set below your sparge esky which is below your top esky or hot liquor tank and start to lauter away
I am only throwing up some ideas!
Let me know what your thoughts are
speedie

This seems to be too much stuffing around and too much work cleaning.

I like my brew days to be enjoyable.

[SuperBroo]

My esky can sometimes lose up to 3 degrees over an hour, so i just add a cup or 2 of boiling water half way thru, quick gentle stir and all's fine.


I think the first 5 or 10 minutes are the most important anyway ? (please correct me here if necessary)

cheers,
Grog

[Bum]

The time usually quoted as being the most important is the first 20 minutes.

If you're worried about that temp drop you could try pre-warming your esky with some boiled water before you start your mash, tip it out then go as usual - this should get you a bit of that temp drop back if you aren't doing it already. Also you could insulate the mash itself as Warra describes above (I do the same but with a couple layers of foil). Just bunging an old blanket or sleeping bag over it should help too.

But if your beers are coming out exactly as you want them then please ignore the above.

[rotten]

But if your beers are coming out exactly as you want them then please ignore the above.

I reckon I can do that.

[Bum]

Oh, I didn't think of it being read that way. I meant my advice above that sentence could be ignored, not you know what by you know who. Sorry for any confusion.

[speedie]

seems like some of you do suffer temperature drop in your masn proflie
it would nt hurt to try something different
we are all in it for the adventure

[Bum]

So you're gonna do a small batch with an esky as a mash/lauter tun?