Help me upgrade my system - questions

[Inkleg]

When you're in Asheville, ( ,no pressure) we can build you a mash tun (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more). See ya then.

[Kealia]

Dave, I am not sure if you know this, but lead leeches out of brass when heated. not so much as when boiled. Lead is the binder between tin and copper. Just a heads up. There is no such thing as lead free brass.

So should I be looking for bronze or stainless steel?
The one I linked to mentions:

...complete with a brass ball valve offering superior flow control...
...Bronze Ball Valve Cooler Kit with Barbed Hose Fittings...

[FedoraDave]

Vince/Roger, what is the capacity of those 5g coolers? Is it really 5g? That seems tight for a 5g batch considering the grains and water isn't it?

MadBrewer - thanks, I'll check out NB. I'm a buy versus build guy so I want it complete. I've been leaning towards batch sparging, too.



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I am pretty sure they are 5 gallon capacity. Which to me would be way too tight even for a 1.050 brew. I like to mash at 1.75 to 2 qts per pound of mash.

My cooler is 5 gallons, but I mash at 1.25 quarts per pound of grain, which allows me to do 1.060 and even higher beers. I've managed to work with about 12 pounds of grain, maximum. It gets a little tight after that.

I can count on getting half my strike volume back in the first runnings, so if I'm using, say, 3 gallons for the mash, I anticipate getting 1.5 gallons. This makes it easy for me to calculate the volume of the sparges. As I mentioned, I do two batch sparges of 15 minutes each.

I caught an error in my post quoted here, and have edited the original. I use 1.25 QUARTS of strike water per pound of grain in my mash.

[FedoraDave]

Dave, I am not sure if you know this, but lead leeches out of brass when heated. not so much as when boiled. Lead is the binder between tin and copper. Just a heads up. There is no such thing as lead free brass.

So should I be looking for bronze or stainless steel?
The one I linked to mentions:

...complete with a brass ball valve offering superior flow control...
...Bronze Ball Valve Cooler Kit with Barbed Hose Fittings...

Actually, now that I read this, I'm pretty sure I used bronze. But even if trace amounts of lead are leaching into my beer, I don't think that would v9zc xasifn wbdf 1raf)cEHe#

[Kealia]

Because of the other thread I'm now thinking I want stainless steel valves and not brass. As such, I have the option to drop another $50 with Northern Brewer to get the SS valve (I have to buy it separately, they won't charge me the difference and swap them out) OR go with this one from my LHBS.

It's 5G versus the 7G version at NB but:
1) It's local and I can pick it up myself and save the few bucks for shipping
2) It's all stainless steel valves

Based on the link that Jeff posted I should be able to brew my batches in a 5g cooler since everything I brew is generally 1.050 or lower.

I'm going to keep searching for other online options as well but at least I have a solid back-up local plan.

[MadBrewer]

If you like the 7 gal setup from NB, you can't beat the $129 price by the time you break it all down. Everything but the valve itself, the barb fitting and a 3/4 locknut is stainless. The false bottom, pickup tube, coupling and bulkhead is all stainless. All you would have to do is buy a separate SS ball valve and barbed fitting somewhere else which are around $15 for the valve and $5 or so for the fitting. So you would have maybe $25 into it separately vs another $50.

[Whamolagan]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, when using a cooler, you are going to want to boil about 1/2 a gallon of water and pour it in about 5-10 minutes before you put the grain in or your strike water. This will help with temp control at the beginning of the mash so as to eliminate any stratification. As for the valve, I would drop the extra coin for the SS valve, why take a chance on your health.

[Kealia]

Thanks again for all the input guys. I pulled the trigger this morning on the 7G cooler with upgraded S/S ball valve and barbs. I should have it next weekend (or a bit later since I chose the cheap shipping) and Ill let my wife wrap it for me for my Feb birthday. I'll play with it a bit before then though so I can swap out the brass for S/S and to measure the dead space under the false bottom so I can set up my BeerSmith profile accordingly.

I appreciate all the discussion and pointers mentioned, too. I expect a learning curve as I move away from BIAB to a mash tun and sparge but I'm looking forward to learning a few new things.

[braukasper]

A little tip for ya. Make a wedge to fit under the cooler. Place the wedge beneath the cooler 180* from the cooler spigot. Then you have zero deadspace in the cooler, well maybe an ounce or two. Which sparge method are you going with?

[Whamolagan]

Thanks again for all the input guys. I pulled the trigger this morning on the 7G cooler with upgraded S/S ball valve and barbs. I should have it next weekend (or a bit later since I chose the cheap shipping) and Ill let my wife wrap it for me for my Feb birthday. I'll play with it a bit before then though so I can swap out the brass for S/S and to measure the dead space under the false bottom so I can set up my BeerSmith profile accordingly.

I appreciate all the discussion and pointers mentioned, too. I expect a learning curve as I move away from BIAB to a mash tun and sparge but I'm looking forward to learning a few new things.

Do you have a mash paddle? If not I sell them in various configurations. Solid maple for $25 shipped.

[BlackDuck]

Good luck Ron!!!

[Kealia]

A little tip for ya. Make a wedge to fit under the cooler. Place the wedge beneath the cooler 180* from the cooler spigot. Then you have zero deadspace in the cooler, well maybe an ounce or two. Which sparge method are you going with?

Duly noted, thanks for the tip. I don't see any reason to leave any wort behind! I plan to put water on it to check for leaks and play with stuff like this before I brew in it.

I plan on batch sparging and seeing how that goes. If for some reason my efficiency goes to crap I'll then try fly sparging.

[Kealia]

Duplicate post.

[Kealia]

Thanks again for all the input guys. I pulled the trigger this morning on the 7G cooler with upgraded S/S ball valve and barbs. I should have it next weekend (or a bit later since I chose the cheap shipping) and Ill let my wife wrap it for me for my Feb birthday. I'll play with it a bit before then though so I can swap out the brass for S/S and to measure the dead space under the false bottom so I can set up my BeerSmith profile accordingly.

I appreciate all the discussion and pointers mentioned, too. I expect a learning curve as I move away from BIAB to a mash tun and sparge but I'm looking forward to learning a few new things.

Do you have a mash paddle? If not I sell them in various configurations. Solid maple for $25 shipped.

I've got a mash spoon (large, not just a normal spoon, mind you) that I've been using.
But, send me a pic if you have one. Not sure I need one but if I decide I do I'm happy to support another Borg member.

[Kealia]

Good luck Ron!!!

Thanks! I imagine the first brew day with it will be mid-Feb.