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I bought a big pot to cook my mash, it's 150 liters (~40 gallons) and a 100 liters fermenter (26+ gallons).

After I prepared my mash, converted my starch into sugars and then boiled it to sterilize it, I want to filter the grains out and keep the liquid part only for further fermentation.

I'd also like to sparge the grains, but it's so much and so heavy, I'm not sure how to do it alone. I can't use brewing bags because they aren't big enough (and they would become too heavy anyway).

What can I do?

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  • I hope you aren't brewing now and suddenly encounter this problem?
    – chthon
    Mar 11, 2021 at 15:21
  • No, my fermenter should arrive next week. I'm not that silly (yet) LOL
    – Leevo
    Mar 11, 2021 at 15:32
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    Read howtobrew.com, first and foremost.
    – dmtaylor
    Mar 13, 2021 at 11:52
  • How long did it take to heat that much grain and water to boiling? Are you using a steam jacket? Normally we run the liquid our and only boil that for beer making. Are you just making wash for spirits? I'm just curious.
    – brewchez
    Mar 15, 2021 at 15:24

1 Answer 1

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First of all, you should never boil your mash before filtering. (1)

  1. Heat water to correct temperature
  2. Add milled grains
  3. Mash for the time needed
  4. Filter and sparge wort
  5. Boil filtered wort

In your case, the best way to filter and sparge would be to use a false bottom, a manifold or a filter screen. If you go BIAB, you need a hoist to lift up your bag and let it drain into your kettle.

(1) Except when doing decoction brewing, but in that case only parts of the mash are boiled separately with the intention of raising the mash temperature by adding the boiling decoction to the mash.

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  • Thank you, I have two questions at this point. 1) What happens if you boil the mash before filtering?, and 2) The pot I use for my mash has a tap on the bottom, would a bazooka filter inside the pot work, in order to keep the grains in?
    – Leevo
    Mar 11, 2021 at 15:35
  • Question 1: well, taste wise, nothing, because if your mash pH is correct (let's say lower than 5.8), you will not get astringency. However, you will need more energy, and there is more chance that while bringing the temperature to the boil, your mash might get burned. And that will be the death of your beer.
    – chthon
    Mar 11, 2021 at 15:55
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    Question 2: yes, a bazooka filter is a solution I have seen in use more than once. It is a bit like a manifold. Make sure that your grain bed does not collapse due to not enough liquids, keep sparging until you have enough wort.
    – chthon
    Mar 11, 2021 at 16:12

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