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Building a Mash Lauter Tun Copper Manifold

There are three main categories for mash tun manifolds: Wire mesh tubing, Copper or CPVC manifold, and a false bottom. This article will explain how to build a copper manifold and hopefully save you a few trips to the hardware store.

A copper manifold installed in the bottom of the cooler will allow wort to drain evenly without clogging or picking up the husks from the grain. First buy your cooler and install the bulkhead valve. Then you can start thinking about the design of your manifold and how many elbows, T’s, and other parts you will need. For this one, it was about seven feet of 1/2″ copper tubing, 5 elbows and 7 T’s. Do not solder the joints, you will want to be able to disassemble and clean it out. One thing I found out about the copper parts is, some are setup to slide over the 1/2″ pipe, and others are exactly the same diameter as the 1/2″ pipe. Make sure to note this when picking up the materials (get the ones that slide over, these are the larger kind). On my first manifold, after I got home I had accidental wound up with a few elbows that wouldn’t side over the pipe.

The finished copper manifold:

To cut the pipe to length I used a hack saw. I removed the burrs with a file and washed all the parts with a scouring pad and warm water. When everything fit together I then made the slits in the bottom.

Slit Detail:

For cutting the slits, my band saw came in handy. The slits are about ½ inch apart and go half way through the pipe. Be careful using power tools for this and make sure you have not been drinking alcohol before hand! I spent some time deburring the inside of the pipes to get off all the residual copper bits. Banging it on the garage floor a few times removed the last hanging pieces.

Completed Underside:

Each cooler is going to be a little different and there is no perfect design. The main thing is to shoot for even drainage. Secondly, try to minimize the amount of wort left behind inside the cooler after it drains. This is called dead space. There is always loss of sugars due to dead space. The kettle has the same issue. All home brewers have some dead space and it is not a big deal. Recipe software will compensate for you.

CPVC is another option for this style of manifold.  Lots of people use CPVC as you can find by googling CPVC mash tun. Do not weld the CPVC either since it also needs to be disassembled for cleaning.

Posted in Equipment | 18 Comments »

Beer Styles – IBU Chart Graph (Bitterness Range)

NOTE: This chart has been updated with the latest BJCP style guidelines; please see the new chart here: Beer Styles – IBU Chart (Bitterness Ranges) – 2017 Update

Beer comes in a wide range of bitterness. This chart shows the BJCP beer styles and their international bittering unit (IBU) ranges in bar graph format.

Data for this chart comes from the the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).

Posted in Beer Styles | 15 Comments »

Munich Helles Lager – Spaten Clone (Extract)

Makes an excellent light lager, but not an American light lager, slightly maltier and more bitter. Very drinkable beer, easy on the palate but not watered down at all. Helles means ‘light’ in German.
This is pretty close to Spaten.

Posted in Lagering, Recipes | No Comments »

Bulkhead for Cooler style Mash / Lauter Tun

If you are converting a cooler into a mash / lauter tun this guide will show you how to install a bulkhead and ball valve. On the outside of the cooler, a ball valve attaches to a bulkhead. The bulkhead passes through the wall of the cooler. On the inside it connects to the manifold or braid so the wort will drain in a uniform fashion, with the flow controlled by the ball valve. Nuts and washers on either side of the bulkhead pipe (called a pipe nipple), compress against the walls of the cooler and form a water tight seal. Be warned, this is a fair bit of work to get done and may require several trips to the hardware store.

The bulkhead looks awesome when it is installed. It is something you can be proud of. The first time you open the ball valve to drain wort it is exhilarating, like that first ever sip of home brew. Your friends will be amazed by your dedication to the art.

The finished product:

The first step is drilling the hole in the cooler. For a 1/2” nipple make a 3/4” hole.

In this design I am not using nuts to tighten down the washers. By choosing a very short nipple, the ball valve and the copper converter act like nuts compressing the washers against the walls of the cooler. I added some silicone sealant underneath the washers and inside the opening before assembling, then wiped away the excess after tightening.

Test assembled:

You will need to improvise based on what is available at the hardware store. The hardware guys will look at you like you are nuts when you try to explain what you are doing. A quick note about metals, I would not use anything but stainless steel, copper, or brass for the bulkhead. Palmer’s book How To Brew, has a lot of great information about using metals in the brewery.

On the end of the ball valve, you can convert to vinyl tubing easily with a barbed hose fitting.

Tools:
Drill
3/4” hole saw, spade bit or forstner bit
Medium size crescent wrench
Channel locks

Materials outline:
Ball valve – accommodating 1/2” pipe, stainless steel or brass
1/2” brass or stainless steel pipe nipple, short as possible for your cooler – usually 1”
2 stainless steel washers
Rubber washer for outside
Pipe thread to copper converter
Silicone sealant

One place you can get the parts online is https://www.mcmaster.com/. They are expensive, but this site has everything under the sun, including stainless steel parts.

There is one alternative to the bulkhead approach if you are using a cooler. Some people siphon wort through an outlet in their manifold. I find siphoning to be a clumsy approach. The wort is HOT (around 165 F) so you don’t want to be handling it. I have also seen plastic valves instead of the copper ball valve which attach to a hose.

This site has a related article on how to build a copper manifold for this cooler.

You are welcome to ask questions by commenting below.

Posted in Equipment | 14 Comments »

Choosing a Kettle for All Grain Brewing

If you are going all-grain, you are likely a pretty serious brewer. Eventually you will want to do 10 gallon batches. Even if you are not ready for 10 gallon batches, when going all-grain, it is recommended to jump straight to the 15 gallon size kettle. With a 10 gallon kettle you are limited to 5-7 gallon batches. The 15 gallon kettle is only about 20% more in price over the 10 gallon. It is worth the extra expense now. Otherwise you will have to buy yet another kettle when you are ready for 10 gallon batches.

This 15 gallon kettle covers both the front and rear burners on my gas stove!

A 15 gallon kettle is needed for 10 gallon batches for a couple reasons. Keep in mind with all grain brewing, it is a full wort boil. The original amount of wort collected is above the final amount that goes into the fermenter because of losses due to evaporation during the boil. You also need to leave room in the kettle for the bubbling action of the boil.

Make sure the kettle has an out let for a ball valve:

This kettle also features a second outlet. A sight gauge or thermometer can be added later on. This one also came with a lid which I use when warming up water or after flame out to keep germs out while the wort chiller is going. These ones came pre welded. You can also buy bulkhead kits to add your own outlets, but be warned many trips to the hardware store may be in order!

Brew kettles are often advertised in quarts. At 4 quarts to a gallon, a 15 gallon brew pot is 60 quarts. This is a side by side comparison of my original 20 quart kettle which I started off with (on the left). The 15 gallon version is on the right. The old kettle is great for heating sparge water.

Posted in Equipment | 3 Comments »

Beer Styles – Alcohol By Volume Bar Graph

NOTE: This chart has been updated with the latest BJCP style guidelines; please see the new chart here: Beer Styles – ABV Chart (Alcohol By Volume Ranges) – 2017 Update

Beer comes in a wide range of alcohol content. This chart shows the BJCP beer styles and their alcohol by volume (ABV) in bar graph format.

Data for this chart comes from the the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).

Perhaps it’s time you call an alcohol helpline If you think you’ve been having too many alcoholic drinks lately, and you’re finding it hard to stop.

Posted in Beer Styles | 24 Comments »

Glass vs. Plastic for Fermentation

There is a lot of debate out there regarding glass versus plastic for the fermentation vessel. It is really a toss up and comes down to personal preference.

Which is better, a glass carboy or a plastic bucket as a fermenter?

In terms of cleaning, buckets are way easier. However plastic buckets seem to hold the smell of the previous batch. Plastic can get small scratches in the surface from abrasive cleaning which can harbor germs. Plastic can also discolor over time.

Carboys are more work to get clean on the inside compared to buckets. Glass stands up to more use because zero smells seep into its surface and it will last forever. Glass carboys are clear, allowing you to see what is going on inside.

I avoid using plastic as a secondary fermenter because you want to avoid head space in the secondary. See this article for more about choosing the correct size secondary.

Stainless steel, the third option:

Commercial breweries use neither glass, nor plastic, and opt for giant stainless steel fermenters. For the home brewer, canonical stainless steel fermenters are super expensive, I hope get one someday. In the mean time, there is a simple and affordable third option for fermenting. Use a corny keg. Attach a blow off tube to one of the outlets and close the other by screwing on the quick disconnect. Pour the beer into the corny keg and seal the lid. Now you have a fermenter with a small foot print, ideal for lagering.

Posted in Equipment | 2 Comments »

English Pub Bitter II, ESB – 2008

This was the second attempt at an English Pub Bitter, and it is actually more like an Extra Special Bitter (ESB) this time given the IBUs at 43+. I am very happy with the results, the beer is definitely bitter, but not flooring. It has a nice malty flavor, a pretty deep golden hue, and a crisp finish. Head retention has been good.

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How to Brew – By John Palmer

How to Brew – By John Palmer
Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time

This is the book to own for home brewing. I found it especially useful after I had done a few extract batches and was looking to go into the all-grain realm. The book goes into a lot of detail and it can move quickly at times. As I continued to brew I began to rely on it more and more. Other books out there were either too detailed, or too basic in terms of all grain brewing. This book is very detailed about all grain brewing and it gives a really nice chapter on ‘how’ to do it. There are several other chapters on the specifics behind all grain brewing as well. The appendices on building out your own chiller, mash tun, and gravity system present interesting challenges to tackle as you move ahead with brewing.

The entire book is also available online at this url: https://www.howtobrew.com.

Topics unique to this book:

• Best explanation out there on your first all-grain batch

• Covers details on milling mashing, mash pH, lautering.

• Formulating recipes

• Building your own wort chiller

• Building a mash/lauter Tun

• Metallurgy and brewing

• Gravity systems

• RDWHAHB – Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Home Brew

Posted in Book Reviews | 4 Comments »

Extremes of the BJCP Guidelines 2008

The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) puts out a set of style guidelines for beer, mead, and cider. Across the categories of beer there is a wide variation in average alcohol content, bitterness, and color. This article examines the average for OG, FG, ABV, IBU and SRM for the beer categories and reports the maximum and minimum values found and the accompanying styles.

Alcohol By Volume (ABV) :

Highest, 11.5%:
5. BOCK D. Eisbock

Lowest, 2.85%:
9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE A. Scottish Light 60/-

International Bittering Units (IBUs) – Higher numbers represent a more bitter beer.

Highest, 60 for a tie between:
14. INDIA PALE ALE (IPA) C. Imperial IPA
19. STRONG ALE C. American Barleywine

Lowest at 0 for:
20. SOUR ALE D. Straight (Unblended) Lambic
21. SOUR ALE E. Gueuze
22. SOUR ALE F. Fruit Lambic

Standard Reference Method (SRM) – Measure of color on the Lovibond scale, higher means darker:

Highest, 40 for a tie between all the Stouts:
13. STOUT A. Dry Stout
13. STOUT B. Sweet Stout
13. STOUT C. Oatmeal Stout
13. STOUT D. Foreign Extra Stout
13. STOUT E. American Stout
13. STOUT F. Russian Imperial Stout

Lowest at 2 for the following:
1. LIGHT LAGER A. Lite American Lager
1. LIGHT LAGER B. Standard American Lager
1. LIGHT LAGER C. Premium American Lager
2. PILSNER A. German Pilsner (Pils)
15. GERMAN WHEAT AND RYE BEER A. Weizen/Weissbier
16. BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE A. Witbier
17. SOUR ALE A. Berliner Weisse

Original Gravity – OG, how much fermentable sugar is present:

Highest, 1.130:
9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE – E. Strong Scotch Ale

Lowest, 1.028:
1. LIGHT LAGER A. Lite American Lager
17. SOUR ALE A. Berliner Weisse

Final Gravity – FG, how much sugar is left behind (how sweet the beer is):

Highest, 1.056:
9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE – E. Strong Scotch Ale

Lowest, 1.001:
1. LIGHT LAGER A. Lite American Lager

Extreme brewers, even a few breweries, have successfully pushed far past theses ‘guidelines’. For example, Dogfish Head’s 120 minute IPA pushing 21% alcohol by volume! It would be difficult to calculate IBU’s for a 5 gallon batch of beer that was brewed with several pounds of hops, but at that point who is counting?

Posted in Beer Styles | No Comments »