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I'm looking to use my 58 lt keg as a kettle/ mash tun, only issue so far is finding away to insulate it as the grains germinate... does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

I never insulate. With a full volume mash the temperature drop isn't a lot. I think there may be benefits to the temperature dropping through a small range during the mash, though most would argue with that. A did a side by side insulated and non insulated BIAB (full volume mash) brew and there was no difference in gravity readings. A lot of BIABers don't bother to insulate their full volume mashes. With a smaller volume mash the heat loss would be more significant. When I did insulate I used an old parker.

Check out this thread:

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/viewto ... 499#p46499

Do you think it would make any difference doing a biab? I was just going to buy one of those keg size false bottoms/

I have a 20 gal Blichmann pot for a mash tun. It has a false bottom. I didn't have much luck with it. I ended up getting a bag for it from Becky and Jimmy and it works like a charm now. I still use the false bottom under the bag but I don't really need to. http://www.biab-brewing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What process are you planning? Not sure how you plan to go about it.

jamesoliver wrote:Do you think it would make any difference doing a biab? I was just going to buy one of those keg size false bottoms/

Single vessel BIAB is pretty simple to start with - no sparging or other vessels required.

Ive been doing all grain with an old rectangle cooler for some time now but i recently picked up a keg to make into a brew kettle, and i was thinking it would be nice to use as a mash tun as well because my cooler isn't large enough for 10 gal batches. Ive never thought about using a bag before, would that make any difference in the mash tun other than being easier to clean out?

It sounds like you are setting yourself up for BIAB. I think the bag is the best option, you can pull out the bag and start the boil, easier to clean as you say, no risk of stuck sparge. There's a thread going at the moment here: http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/viewto ... =43&t=6403" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you are doing a full volume BIAB you might want to look at a 20 gal vessel for 10 gal batches.

With my 15 gallon pot I loose efficiency if I don't insulate especially if it's in the 149-152 F range. I wrap a winter jacket around it and then throw a sleeping bag zipped up on top. I like to keep it simple.