Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing! I decided to assemble a mash tun. It was suppose to be easy from the looks of it, yet I ran into a few minor problems and a cut up finger. First off, the stainless steel threads are sharp and should be respected. Secondly, step away when frustrated and regroup. Lastly, I did not follow any of those rules and I have learned my lesson.
I bought a stainless steel weldless conversion kit, which runs about 30 bucks and a bazooka screen for 19 dollars (you can find it cheaper, but I like supporting my local brew shop). Next, I bought the Coleman Xtreme 70 QT (15 gallons) cooler, which cost 44 dollars. Turns out that the wall was too thick for the conversion kit and I was unable to fit the o-rings. This was annoying, but I ordered a male to male coupler extension piece, which ran me 3 bucks and gave me the room to use the o-rings. All in all this cost me less than 100 duckets and it is cheaper than the pre-assembled mash tuns.
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| Coupler |
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| Bazooka Screen |
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| Inside look |
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| Birds eye |
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| Ball valve |
I will spare you all the boring steps on how to do it, but if you are really interested in building one check out this link, http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Converting_a_cooler_to_a_mash_tun
Don't be afraid to build one, it is a lot easier than you may think!
Can't wait to brew my first beer in this beast! I need help naming the mash tun, so feel free to give me your two cents. That is it for now. Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry. Cheers!
You just named it....The Beast!
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