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Need False Bottom and Burner Advice

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Dec 5, 2012
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Want to set up a 10 gallon Polar Wear brew pot with SS spigot as a mash tun. The inside diameter measures 15.7", same as the Megapot 15 gallon pot so the 15 gal FB should fit the 10 gal pot I have.

The three false bottoms are:

Universal False Bottom $49.99
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/universal-false-bottom.html
that will also need:
Mash Tun False Bottom Adapter, Stainless $9.49
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mash-tun-false-bottom-adapter-stainless.html

This FB is only 11.5" dia and would leave 2" all around the bottom of the pot.
Concerned the grain in that area will not get rinsed well.

False Bottom for 15 Gallon Megapot 1.2 $89.99
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/15-5-8-diameter-false-bottom-with-feet-stainless-steel.html

This may be the best choice. Should fit tight and leave about a 1/8" gap between the FB and pot walls.

Blichmann BoilerMaker - 10 Gallon False Bottom $76.99
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/blichmann-boilermaker-10-gallon-false-bottom.html

Like this technology. Although my pot does not have the ridge for the FB to rest on, I can make a ring out of copper tubing that will serve the same purpose.

Mostly interested in hearing from people who have used these false bottoms and what you liked or didn't like about them.

How much heat will I loose from a 10 gal SS brew pot in a 1 hour mash? Use a cooler now and have no heat loss. Should I get a small burner? Someone on Home Brew Talk said not to direct a mash tun. Why? Have not got back to him yet but will. He recommended RIMS or HERMS. Have heard of those systems but don't really know what they are.

The burner I am thinking about is a The Dark Star Burner, $49.99
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/the-dark-star-burner.html

This is a small 54,000 BTU burner. I use a Blichmann 72,000 BTU burner to boil wort. Plan to heat water on the Blichmann, add grain and use the small burner to keep the mash at the right temp if needed.

Burner is rated to hold a 10 gal pot. I assume that means with 7 gal water for a 5 gal batch. I make high gravity beers with 22 pounds of grain and 7 gallons of water. Anyone think the burner will not support this weight?
__________________
"Ask not what your country can brew for you ; ask what you can brew for your country."

"ich braute dieses Bier mit meinem Hund" (Life is indeed short: Get a Beagle and a Beer
 
I recommend you read    dennybrew.com

Denny Conn is a very experienced and well-respected brewer. The mash system he recommends is so simple most people discount it. It works very well. If you want a direct-fired mash tun, consider using Denny's plumbing supply line mesh in your tun in place of the false bottom. It's so inexpensive you won't be financially ruined if you decide to throw it out after one try.

I used a false bottom for several years. It was a constant problem. I switched to a bazooka system a few years ago and have been delighted. Had I heard of Denny's system sooner I could have saved the cost of the bazooka.
 
Thank you. I went to the Denny site. Interesting site. Will return to reread what he said about fly vs batch sparging.

For me, RIMS and HERMS has no attraction. Too much trouble and too expensive for marginal gain. Right now I fly sparge in a 10 gal round Igloo cooler, have no heat loss over a 1 hour mash and consistently hit 80% mash efficiency, fly sparge and hit SG, OG, FG, batch volume and expected ABV. Now need to concentrate on consistently getting the beer to have the aroma, initial and after taste, body, colour and head retention I am looking for. Have done that but have also made some dogs.

Brewing is science and art. Without being a chemist, I have got close to the science. Now need to improve the art for a consistent brew.

Thanks again for the Denny site. I agree with Denny, keep it simple. For me, if it's not broken, don't fix it. 

Comment: The Beer Smith spell checker flags SPARGE. I would think a brewing spell checker would know common brewing language.
 
I brew a lot of hi gravity mad hop brews also and I have a propane rims setup it gets stuck and burns when making large brews. I switched to a bazooka tube, works great. Rims has a pump to recirculate over a flame and Herm's has a pump to recirculate through a heat exchanger on a outside heat source
 
HERMS does not need to be expensive.  I have a stove top HERMS rig that I built form odds and ends.  Love it. The recirculating immersion chiller does double duty.  It is the heat exchanger & chiller.  I had to swap out the bazooka tube as it always clog completely when I did a hop whirlpool.   
 
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