I think I've spent enough money at MoreBeer to warrant them giving me a 401(k) plan that matches my investment in their products. They had their annual 15% off sale yesterday, and, so help me, I may have upgraded my mash tun. You see, the homemade 5 gallon water-cooler mash tun works great for low to normal gravity beers in a 5 gallon batch. Sounds great, you say? It is!
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But?
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Yes, but, not so great for high to very high gravity beers. I ran into the problem with brew 17, the Ruination clone. Anything above an original gravity of say, 1.06 becomes difficult due to the thick mash required to fit all the grain in the cooler. My water ratio was about 1:1 quarts water to pounds of grain, and temperature maintenance was trouble because the top of the cooler didn't fit on all the way. I think I managed to semi-rescue this delightful double-IPA with the extract and sugar additions, but I wasn't happy about it. So, I resolved to improve my arsenal. After a couple weeks of looking, I discovered that I would save a whopping $5 by building my own 10 gallon tun ($50 cooler, $34 false bottom, $30 in fittings, etc., +tax) compared to buying one new at a 15% discount ($128 after tax). Not worth the time and gas. And, why the hell not, another keg. As a result, I am trying to sell my old mash tun and avoid the store for a few weeks to save some dollars. Also, the guy recognized my voice on the phone. Definitely time for a break.
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