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Mashing with a roaster

cowboy up

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Has anyone ever used or tried to use a 22 qt. roaster for mashing? I think one could maintain a steady temp in it for the mashing process. If this would work I would then ladle the wort and grains into a mash tun and fly sparge the grains. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!! :)
 
I've never done it but I've seen where some have done partial mashes in the oven so as long as the roaster and your pot can get to the right temp and hold the that temp then there shouldn't be any problem.  Good luck and let us know how it goes, sounds like your adding some steps to me though whenever you mash and lauter in different tuns so I'd like to know how it works out
 
Thanks for the response Wildrover. I'll keep you informed when I try it. It'll be a couple of weeks before I get to it. I have multiple sclerosis and I'm hoping that by using the roaster oven I might be able to manage all the weight of the water and grains better. I no longer work so I have the extra time to do what ever I need too in order to get the job done.  :)
 
Godspeed Cowboy.  A friend and fellow brewer has MS too.  Last time I asked it was in remission.  His only problem is inadaquate brewing time.

That is a common issue for homebrewers.
 
I use the standard 20 qt brewing pot for mashing exclusively.  I actually had two of them from my earlier bout with brewing in the mid-90's.  I heat the sparge water in the second one. 

I keep the mash in the oven to maintain temps, then "Pyrex" it over to a stainless pasta strainer to collect the first runnings, which I run back thru the grains into the first (mash) pot after I first clean it out.  (The strainer size and my back strength limit my grist to eight pounds and ten quarts of water.) 

So the mash pot becomes the boil pot, and I continue to sparge and add wort to the boil pot until it's full and topped off.  It is labor intensive and creates a few dirty pots, but I'm utilizing assets paid for long ago.  The primary physical demand is lifting the full mash pot in and out of the oven, ~30 pounds. 

I personally prefer to stick with all-grain, so my batch size is about 3.7 gallons, but you could easily add DME to reach normal gravities and 5 gallons for most beers.  I brewed a pumpkin ale Wednesday and my friend brought his bigger boil pot, so I sparged more and we only needed 0.5 pounds of DME to reach 1.052 for ~4.5 gallons. 

Cowboy - If you are interested or have questions, feel free to PM me.  Below is an ESB I did today if you want to see how the numbers play out for a small-batch, all-grain recipe using this type method. 

Particularly with BeerSmith, this method is very accurate with strike water forecasts since the pot is pre-heated.  I was within 0.5 degree F this morning.  Pour, stir, put in oven. 

Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Recipe: 08C English Pale Ale v2 TYPE: All Grain
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
Est SRM: 12.8 SRM SRM RANGE: 6.0-18.0 SRM
Est IBU: 52.3 IBU IBU RANGE: 30.0-50.0 IBU
Est OG: 1.061 SG OG RANGE: 1.048-1.060 SG
Est FG: 1.016 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.016 SG
Est BU:GU: 0.858 Calories: 275 cal/pint Est ABV: 5.89 %
EE%: 78.00 % Batch: 3.90 gal      Boil: 4.50 gal BT: 65 Mins

Total Grain Weight: 8.19 lb Total Hops: 2.00 oz.

---MASH PROCESS-----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time    Name              Description                        Step Temp   
60 min        Mash In            Add 10.24 qt of water at 164.2 F    152.5 F     
10 min        Mash Out          Add 0.00 qt of water at 168.0 F    168.0 F     

---SPARGE PROCESS---------------------------
Add first wort hops during sparge
Amount        Item                                      Type        % or IBU     
0.50 oz      Challenger [5.70 %]  (70 min) (First Wort Hops        17.8 IBU     
0.50 oz      First Gold 7 [6.70 %]  (70 min) (First WorHops        20.9 IBU     
Sparge with 2.92 gal of 168.0 F water.

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.053 Est OG: 1.061 SG
Boil Ingredients
Boil        Amount      Item                                      Type       
30 min      0.25 oz      Challenger [5.70 %]  (30 min)            Hops       
30 min      0.25 oz      First Gold 7 [6.70 %]  (30 min)          Hops       
15 min      0.25 oz      Challenger [5.70 %]  (15 min)            Hops       
15 min      0.25 oz      First Gold 7 [6.70 %]  (15 min)          Hops       
13 min      1.00 items  Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 13.0 min)          Misc       
10 min      2.20 gm      Wyeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 min)          Misc       
9 min        1.00 items  Wort Chiller (Boil 9.0 min)              Misc       
---NOTES----------------------------------------------------
 
Thanks to all for the encouragement and advice. Tried to email you back but I couldn't get my computer to send them.
 
I believe using a 22 qt. roaster would work quite well on a partial mash, but with a grain bill (over 6lbs.) there wouldn't be enough room for the mash water and a large amount of grain. Wildrover was right if one is going to do a large grain bill then it would be easier to use a large mash tun, which I did and everything worked out well. The roaster would just be an extra step that can be avoided if you have a mash tun.  :)
 
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