I have been brewing partial grain for 5 yrs. looking to take the plunge into all grain. I typically brew 5 gallon batches. do I need the 7 gallon kit or the 10 gallon all grain kit to achieve 5 gallon batches.
I would save money and build your own mashtun rather than spending the $200+ for the kits here. Though if you do decide to buy those kits I would suggest the 10 gallon cause this will allow you to use larger grain bills and mash a little thinner if you chose. I think 7 gallons might be a bit close if you start making bigger beers and your grain bill exceeds 15 lbs.
I agree with Matt. Very simple to make. Buy a cooler at Walmart 15 gal minimum and buy a valve and bulkhead at Home Depot. The two cooler system is a wasted of money. Don’t know anyone that uses that setup.
There is a lot of good info at www.dennybrew.com for building a mash tun plus, batch sparging, and other issues for going all grain.
I do Allgrain (and PM) batches in a 5G cooler with a braid. 10-12 lb grists, no problem at all. Above that, the mash gets pretty thick and efficiency starts to fall, but I did do a 15lb grist Bock last weekend. If the recipe calls for a 2-step mash, I do a decoction to raise the temp.
Do I wish I had a 10G cooler? Yes, but for the past 3 years, my 5G system has worked well.
And, by the way, I second Old Guy’s suggestion of checking out Denny’s site.
Have you considered BIAB? How big is your kettle?
I went with the “Denny” method to build my own mash tun. Much cheaper than the kits here, although I am sure the quality of the kits here is just great!
You could always do BIAB if you don’t want to build anything or spend a bunch of cash!
Denny method. So good! I’m not handy, but made this with little issues at all. But don’t expect the Home Depot folks to have any idea what you are describing as your outcome when you ask about valve and cooler fit and stainless steel sleeve. I got the weirdest looks. “You are trying to do what now?”
