I received the doweled mash paddle Northern brewer carries for fathers day. It rocks. Breaks up dough balls better than the cheap plastic paddles and better than most of the wood paddles others offer.
Very nice! I could see paying the extra $20 or so for a quality, strong paddle like that. I’m golden with my dowel paddle, but I really like your work.
If you go to any of the 3 NB stores they have mash paddles that are for in store sale only.
They come in 2 different lengths 30 in and 36 in they are made out of ash which is used for bats and canoe paddles they have been using one of these paddles for years in the St. Paul store.
The only reason the are not available on line is I don’t think I can keep up with the demand.
I’m thinking of creating a web site and selling them there I’ll see if I can’t post a pic.
I bought the giant stainless steal mash paddle from NB. I have the 10 gallon rubber made cooler and plan to brew this weekend. I am concerned it will scrape up my MT and will likely just use my long plastic spoon that I use for extract. Wish I did not buy the SS.
Maybe you could save it for when you get a SS tun?
I designed my woody for the mash tun- and im not afraid of scraping any plastic up with it either. The end is angled about 30 degrees to make a little tip to get the outside corner without disturbing the stainless braid and if I turn it the other way the tip will move the braid into position while the other edge is riding the inside of the cooler. It is an awesome design and the only thing I would change about it is to make bigger holes. Those in the picture are 5/8" 'cause that is the first bit I grabbed that was sharp, but I think 1" would be more ideal. Round over every edge and I’d even mark the handle end as a measuring stick for sparge water vols. I’m sure the next iteration will undergo some spontaneous changes but the thing is so rugged i don’t know if I’ll ever need another.
Whats it matter if the mashtun gets scraped a little?
Here’s my homemade paddle. I gave it a little character with a propane torch.
[quote=“tom sawyer”]Here’s my homemade paddle. I gave it a little character with a propane torch.[/quote]I like your wallpaper Lennie :cheers:
That is some serious wine you’ve got working there!
300 or so bottles on the racks, another 700+ in case boxes on shelves. Almost all is homemade. It keeps increasing because I mostly reach for a mug of beer rather than a glass of wine. But wine is fun to make.
The carboys are sours.
Not sure why i haven’t thought of this myself, what kind of brewer doesnt have paddle! Must make myself one pronto!
It became necessary when I set up for 10-15gal batches. Even the stainless spoon was too flimsy to hold up to 30lb of grain and 15gal of water. I should really make one for my 5gal MLT, one like Mullerbrau’s dowel rod thing would scale down nicely.
Lennie, I have always used the dowel version, and it still makes the most sense to me of the various designs out there. Of course its wood is unlikely to scratch steel or plastic mashtuns (even moreso IMHO since it has few hard edges), and the dowel design by its high flow-through will not push as much grist around the sides as a paddle design and so is more efficient, even if a paddle has holes. I really think the dowel model is the fastest stirring device for a mashtun, and can still break up dough balls easily. The faster the stir, the less mash temperature drop to accomplish the same result, so you are less likely to blow past your desired mash temp.
Still, a well-designed paddle design will certainly also do a great job. I’m probably splitting hairs here, but I guess I’m saying that I’ve always regarded my dowel stirrer as a great piece of equipment.
By the way, thanks for sharing your wine cabinet photo. Very cool, and copyable… maybe, sometime.
Steve
At work, my friend and I routed out four of these on the CNC. They still need to be sanded. I can’t wait to try mine out.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... 1ec6e1.jpg[quote=“Porterman”]At work, my friend and I routed out four of these on the CNC. They still need to be sanded. I can’t wait to try mine out.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... 1ec6e1.jpg[/quote]That’s a nice looking paddle.
I just used my SS mash paddle yesterday and it worked awesome. I am now glad I bought it.
[quote=“paultuttle”]
That’s a nice looking paddle.[/quote]
Thanks. We made them from a really cool piece of figured beech. I can’t wait to get it sanded up so the figure will really stand out.
I have a basic wooden paddle a friend of mine made for me. He was over one day while I was brewing, watched me stir with a big plastic spatula and decided to help me out. Honestly, the spatula worked fine as I typically brew 5 gallon batches, but the paddle has been nice. It really helps stir the grain around. I probably wouldn’t have bought one on my own, but now that I have it I use it. I named a beer in his honor and pass a sixer his way every once in awhile…and help his wife brew a saison she enjoys.
I knew there was a reason I do 10 to 12 gallon batches -so I don’t have to wonder if I need a mash paddle! Thanks for helping me get to the root of the “need” behind this repetitive behavior! Although it must be said that I might still wonder if it weren’t for the fact that both my Rubbermaid picnic cooler mashtuns are BLUE.
