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dp Brewing Company




Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 664
Location: Midwest

Drinking: Chocolate Taco, Raspberry Mango Cider, American X, Sandy Dunes

Working on: Nothing


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


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kal wrote:

Their mash tun is insulated. That's useless for our setup here that constantly heats. It's an intended replacement for those who use a picnic cooler and batch sparge. Not an advanced HERMS based setup that is constantly recirculated/heated that allows step mashes and is fly sparged.


I have the 20 gallon Ss Infussion Mash Tun and love it. I really like the insulated walls for when I'm doing a protein rest with a wheat beer. I recirculate for a few minutes then turn off the pump for my rest. While the protein rest is going on I can raise my HLT up to the 152. Once the protein rest is over I can start recirculating again and bring it up to mashing temp faster.


kal wrote:

Their false bottom uses a silicone seal to seat itself which means it's more work to clean, can rip over time, etc. That's because they don't have a stepped bottom for the the false bottom to rest on like the Blichmann one does.


The Infussion Mash Tun has a stepped bottom. The silicone seal is not required, just keeps you from scratching the sides.


kal wrote:

None of their kettles have a sight glass. They go with cheaper etched markings on the inside which are impossible read if there's foam or during boiling because the wort's jumping around, and you have to constantly remove the lid to check. The mash tuns do have a manometer that kinda works as a sight glass but it's unprotected, completely exposed.


Correct, the kettles do not have sight glasses. Not that hard to add but cost money. The Manometer is pretty cool. You can tell if you have a stuck false bottom (which I've never had). If the right sight glass becomes lower level than the left sight glass you know you have a plugged false bottom. The sight glasses are somewhat exposed but haven't seemed to be an issue for me.

I originally had the 10 gallon and sold it so I was not limited on what beers I wanted to make. I would of purchased a 15 gallon if it was available.

I really like the sloped bottom of the Infussion Mash Tun. No dead space and you can clean in place. Don't get me wrong, there are some issues with this tank. They put the recirculating bulkhead at 9 o'clock. I had to plug that hole and add a new hole in the location that Kal recommends. The output at the bottom of the mash tun is smaller than 1/2" but so far hasn't seemed to be an issue with flow. The mash tun is also a different finish than their other kettles. The kettles are more of a dull finish and the mash tun is more shinny like the fermentors. The mash tun is larger than the same capacity kettles. I thought that would bug me but it doesn't. More or less draws your eyes to the center.


As Kal has stated before, it comes down to what you want. All one can do is take others input and purchase what you prefer.



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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I have the 20 gallon Ss Infussion Mash Tun and love it. I really like the insulated walls for when I'm doing a protein rest with a wheat beer. I recirculate for a few minutes then turn off the pump for my rest.

Interesting! Why no recirculation during the protein rest? (I've always recirculated but don't pretend to be any expert on protein rests!)


Quote:
The Infussion Mash Tun has a stepped bottom. The silicone seal is not required, just keeps you from scratching the sides.

Good to know!

Quote:
Correct, the kettles do not have sight glasses. Not that hard to add but cost money.

The problem I find with aftermarket sight glasses is that they have no graduation markings on them (because they can't as every kettle is different). Most aren't protected either or as easy to clean.

Quote:
The Manometer is pretty cool. You can tell if you have a stuck false bottom (which I've never had). If the right sight glass becomes lower level than the left sight glass you know you have a plugged false bottom.

A sight glass does that too - if you have poor flow the level in the sight glass will drop like crazy and even empty, as the fluid looks for the path of least resistance.

Quote:
The sight glasses are somewhat exposed but haven't seemed to be an issue for me.

Yep. Depends on the person and how they clean too.

Kal

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dp Brewing Company




Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 664
Location: Midwest

Drinking: Chocolate Taco, Raspberry Mango Cider, American X, Sandy Dunes

Working on: Nothing


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kal wrote:

Interesting! Why no recirculation during the protein rest? (I've always recirculated but don't pretend to be any expert on protein rests!)


I'll be the first to admit, I'm no expert. We both know you have been doing this longer and have more knowledge in most aspects of brewing. I recirculate at the beginning to create the filter bed (few minutes) then I stop the pump so that I can start heating up my HLT (without heating up the mash). I don't feel recirculating is as important in this part of the process. Once the protein rest is done I start up the recirculating again. To raise up the temp of the mash up to the 152 degree mark.

Quote:

The problem I find with aftermarket sight glasses is that they have no graduation markings on them (because they can't as every kettle is different). Most aren't protected either or as easy to clean.


I like things to be as precise as possible. I find things that already have the gallon markers on them from the factory are not as exact as I would prefer. Plus once you had some fittings on the inside the numbers are no longer calibrated. I prefer to add a unmarked sight glass and calibrate it myself. I realize this is a little silly but I like hitting my expected numbers.

Quote:

A sight glass does that too - if you have poor flow the level in the sight glass will drop like crazy and even empty, as the fluid looks for the path of least resistance.


The Manometer on the Ss Infussion Mash Tun is a little bit different. The left sight glass is above the false bottom (like yours), the right one is below the false bottom. This gives you the best reading of how fast fluids are going in the mash tun in relationship to how fast they are leaving the mash tun.

Quote:

Yep. Depends on the person and how they clean too.


On my sight glass in the Boil Kettle I just unscrew the top part and remove the glass. I run some water though it, sometimes it needs a brush.

-David

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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dp Brewing Company wrote:
I recirculate at the beginning to create the filter bed (few minutes) then I stop the pump so that I can start heating up my HLT (without heating up the mash). I don't feel recirculating is as important in this part of the process.

No - agreed. As long as the temp stays fairly stable, and most protein rests are short (20-30 mins) and the temp range you can do them in is fairly wide (113-131°F). I suppose if you went to about the middle point and then turned off the heat you'd not drop below the low point by the end of 20-30 mins.

It's an interesting idea as I've never stopped my recirc when doing step mashes. I simply set the HLT to the temp I want the MLT to be at. So I'd hold at (say) 120F for 20 mins for the protein rest and when that's done I'd just turn the HLT PID up to 150F or whatever the next step is and the MLT follows...

Anyway, we're getting off topic... Wink

Kal

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dp Brewing Company




Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 664
Location: Midwest

Drinking: Chocolate Taco, Raspberry Mango Cider, American X, Sandy Dunes

Working on: Nothing


PostLink    Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You may want to pull this off the original thread...lol

That is why I personally like the Infussion Mash Tun. It holds temps for over an hour before it starts to drop, and it is a very slow drop in temp. Perfect for holding my protein rest at 120 degrees for 20 minutes while I ramp up the HLT.

Granted the one thing we didn't talk about was how pricey it is. The positives might not be worth it to most people.

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JMD887




Joined: 31 Jan 2018
Posts: 120
Location: Akron, Ohio

Drinking: Two Hearted Ale

Working on: American Red IPA


PostLink    Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

great contribution dp Brewing Company.

keep on brewing!

-John
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