Mash Tuns

Mashing is an important process in making beer, and many all-grain homebrewers prefer to use a dedicated vessel for this purpose called a mash tun. This stage is when hot water is used to steep and hydrate the barley grains to activate the malt enzymes and convert the grain starches into fermentable sugar. Without this phase, beer's fermentation will never commence because there is too little sugar found in the wort.

This particular process in brewing beer is usually done in a vessel called a mash tun. Mash tuns are similar to brew kettles, but they are well insulated to maintain a constant temperature. Moreover, most also come with false bottoms and a spigot to separate the grains from the wort. These accessories allow you to sparge the wort in the mash tun.

If you operate a big home brewing system, you need to use a dedicated mash tun to handle larger volumes of mash. It should also have a thicker bottom to prevent the grains from burning during the mashing period. (continue reading below)