The mash tun is a vessel in which hot water is mixed with the grains in order to extract the sugars from the grains. This process is called mashing in home brewing. The grains then get lautered, or rinsed, with additional water to maximize the amount of sugars extracted. All of this is done to increase the efficiency and make better beer.
In commercial breweries, the mash tun and lauter tun are two separate pieces of equipment. For home brewing purposes, they are combined into one piece of equipment. The mash tun is typically a converted cooler. You can buy a mash/lauter tun, but this is one of the most common do it yourself projects in home brewing. Check out the home brewing forums on the net, and you can also Google and You Tube to find step by step instructions and videos showing you how to convert a cooler into a mash tun. This project isn't that hard, and it is also cheap.
There are many options as far as what cooler you want to use, as well as how to set it up. Chances are, you have an old cooler around the house already. Make sure to some research on recommendations of other home brewers to ensure you choose the right cooler. The debates are endless as far as what is the best cooler to use for a tun. Different factors apply such as size, shape, and what type of strainer/filter you will use.
What type of sparging you will do is also important. Cooler isn't so important to batch sparging, but for fly sparging you will probably want a round cooler. For folks just getting started with all grain home brewing. the common question is how big does the mash tun have to be? This will depend on your batch size, efficiency and desired OG. These all work in conjunction to determine how much grain will be needed for the batch, as well as the amount of water to be used for mashing and sparging.
The cooler will need to be big enough to hold all of this. A basic way to calculate for mash tun size needed in quarts is (at 80% efficiency): (Desired OG X Batch Size)/17 = mash tun size. For example, 1.085 X 15 gallons is (85 X 15)/17=75 quart tun.
You may want to think ahead when purchasing a cooler to convert. Chances are you will start with 5 gallon batches, but at some point you may decide to try brewing a 10 gallon batch. In order to do this, your mash tun must be big enough to hold all that water and grains. You can start with a cooler big enough to handle the larger batches now, and still use it for the smaller batches until you are ready to make the jump to the bigger batches.
This way, you won't outgrow your tun. Plus, it will also allow you to make higher gravity beers, which require larger grain bills. Don't bother with a 5 gallon cooler because it is too small and will limit the beers you can make. If you never plan on making anything larger than a 5 gallon batch, or making higher gravity beers, then you can opt for one, but then you will limit yourself.
The design of the tun is dependent upon the type of sparging you will do. For batch sparging, tun design doesn't really factor in. It is more important in fly sparging. Most brewers new to all grain home brewing will try batch sparging because it is quicker and easier. Plus, many people convert coolers they already have, which typically will be a rectangular cooler. Be sure to research both methods first, to see which one might be your preferred method.
For most brewers, they simply modify a rectangular cooler and batch sparge. With just a few items from your local hardware store, you can make your own mash tun for dirt cheap. Some parts needed include a ball valve, water supply line, washers, teflon tape and barb adapters. Look online and you will find step by step instructions and video tutorial showing you how to do it, and what pieces of hardware you need to get the job done. Besides the cost of the cooler, you will spend less than $30 at the hardware store. You can even find resources online that have the necessary parts together in a kit.
The thermal capacity of the cooler, how well it is insulated and retains heat, is another important factor. The cooler needs to be able to hold a constant temperature for up to 90 minutes without losing too many degrees, so a well insulated cooler helps. Remember, they are designed to keep things cold, not warm. This is something to be sure to research thoroughly online home brewing forums to find what experienced home brewers have found to work best for them.
For fly sparging, round coolers are often the preferred choice. Fly sparging uses false bottoms for filters, and these usually come in round shapes. False bottoms evenly distribute the water over the grains, and help prevent channeling. Plus, the round shape of the cooler also helps prevent channeling.
In commercial breweries, the mash tun and lauter tun are two separate pieces of equipment. For home brewing purposes, they are combined into one piece of equipment. The mash tun is typically a converted cooler. You can buy a mash/lauter tun, but this is one of the most common do it yourself projects in home brewing. Check out the home brewing forums on the net, and you can also Google and You Tube to find step by step instructions and videos showing you how to convert a cooler into a mash tun. This project isn't that hard, and it is also cheap.
There are many options as far as what cooler you want to use, as well as how to set it up. Chances are, you have an old cooler around the house already. Make sure to some research on recommendations of other home brewers to ensure you choose the right cooler. The debates are endless as far as what is the best cooler to use for a tun. Different factors apply such as size, shape, and what type of strainer/filter you will use.
What type of sparging you will do is also important. Cooler isn't so important to batch sparging, but for fly sparging you will probably want a round cooler. For folks just getting started with all grain home brewing. the common question is how big does the mash tun have to be? This will depend on your batch size, efficiency and desired OG. These all work in conjunction to determine how much grain will be needed for the batch, as well as the amount of water to be used for mashing and sparging.
The cooler will need to be big enough to hold all of this. A basic way to calculate for mash tun size needed in quarts is (at 80% efficiency): (Desired OG X Batch Size)/17 = mash tun size. For example, 1.085 X 15 gallons is (85 X 15)/17=75 quart tun.
You may want to think ahead when purchasing a cooler to convert. Chances are you will start with 5 gallon batches, but at some point you may decide to try brewing a 10 gallon batch. In order to do this, your mash tun must be big enough to hold all that water and grains. You can start with a cooler big enough to handle the larger batches now, and still use it for the smaller batches until you are ready to make the jump to the bigger batches.
This way, you won't outgrow your tun. Plus, it will also allow you to make higher gravity beers, which require larger grain bills. Don't bother with a 5 gallon cooler because it is too small and will limit the beers you can make. If you never plan on making anything larger than a 5 gallon batch, or making higher gravity beers, then you can opt for one, but then you will limit yourself.
The design of the tun is dependent upon the type of sparging you will do. For batch sparging, tun design doesn't really factor in. It is more important in fly sparging. Most brewers new to all grain home brewing will try batch sparging because it is quicker and easier. Plus, many people convert coolers they already have, which typically will be a rectangular cooler. Be sure to research both methods first, to see which one might be your preferred method.
For most brewers, they simply modify a rectangular cooler and batch sparge. With just a few items from your local hardware store, you can make your own mash tun for dirt cheap. Some parts needed include a ball valve, water supply line, washers, teflon tape and barb adapters. Look online and you will find step by step instructions and video tutorial showing you how to do it, and what pieces of hardware you need to get the job done. Besides the cost of the cooler, you will spend less than $30 at the hardware store. You can even find resources online that have the necessary parts together in a kit.
The thermal capacity of the cooler, how well it is insulated and retains heat, is another important factor. The cooler needs to be able to hold a constant temperature for up to 90 minutes without losing too many degrees, so a well insulated cooler helps. Remember, they are designed to keep things cold, not warm. This is something to be sure to research thoroughly online home brewing forums to find what experienced home brewers have found to work best for them.
For fly sparging, round coolers are often the preferred choice. Fly sparging uses false bottoms for filters, and these usually come in round shapes. False bottoms evenly distribute the water over the grains, and help prevent channeling. Plus, the round shape of the cooler also helps prevent channeling.