http://cotbm.com/minimash/

A buddy of mine built this and I just loved the idea so much I wanted to share it with you guys. For those rainy days where you want to brew but don't want to get wet, for those experimental batches that you don't want 5 gallons of, because you promised some one a 6 pack, you get the idea. He built it for less than $15-$20 and has already brewed his first 1 gallon batch.

Since I am a lazy POS he heard enough of my yearning and is gonna put one together for me. I know, I know, I could go out and buy and build but with a 5 year old, a pregnant wife and a job that puts me at over 40 hours what can I do.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Has anyone else done something similar, how did it work out???

I did the same thing with a 2 gallon drink cooler I picked up at goodwill. It worked great for partial mash batches. I could do 4# of grain with an equal batch sparge or 5# with two sparges. I got the Idea from the BYO counter top partial mash article on their web sight. I have moved the hardware to a Coleman extreme and have done my first all grain just last week.

Well. this is certainly the subject I've been chewing over for quite awhile. What a perfect way to hone in the the optimum grain and hop profile. A gallon or so at a time. Brew slightly different batches over the course of several days. What a way to compare micro-batches and fine tune.

I built a similar one a couple of months back. I've been using it to make a gallon of starter wort from grain, not being happy with extract. The plan was to try some experimental brews on it, a gallon at a time, but so far just starter wort.

Works great though and somehow it seems just a little more fun. Plus now I've got mash tuns for 1,5 and 10 gallons. Aaahhhh toys.

Tim, I read the same article (thanks, Jerry) and did partial mashes for less than 6 months before moving to a bigger system. It's a great middle-step, and a few club members who do extract batches exclusively are interested in my little set-up.

I really just loved the idea as you can all tell. I am very into trying experimental stuff and it just seemed like a great way to do so. And as cheap as the parts are he decided to make me one! I think with the cooler and all the parts we was able to build it under $30 bucks. I told him he should make a few and see if he could sell them! I would think it would be a good side project and a great way for extract brewers to learn the ropes and something for those guys like me who just want to make a gallon at a time of this beer of that.

Looks pretty much like my original cooler mash tun from 10 years ago. I just ran across it the other day.

It looks like my current cooler sytem but instead of the big dog size it's only 2 gallons. My wife would say it was "cute"!

i know i'm pretty computer illerate but i can't get that address to load on my computers. I just copied and pasted it and it comes up as the page is unable to display.

And you know what Mark's first beer brewed on it is going to be - something sour!!!

I did a similar thing too for experimental batches w/a little Igloo, but took it one step further. I bought a Tap-a-Draft system a while back and started fermenting these small batches right in the 6 liter PET bottle by finding a stopper large enough to fill the hole, inserting an airlock, and rigging a small base so that it can stand upright (those PET bottles are shaped like giant pills so the bottom is rounded). When it's done fermenting, I hook it up to the faucet and add a couple of CO2 cartidges and throw the whole mess into the fridge.

Especially since I moved and have less space, it's so much easier to deal w/small scale equipment and experiment w/different hops/yeast/grains at the same time. And again, since it's so small, I can ferment in the fridge too and have done some lager type styles. Good times--on a small scale. But one restriction I've found (besides having less beer) is that I feel compelled to only use dry yeast as I don't want to pay $7 or $8 for a WY or WLP strain that is meant for a whole 5 gal. batch. Seems like a waste of money for such a small batch, but then again, I could always use these small batches as starters for 5 gals.

Jay, I use dry yeast almost exclusively, because it is so cheap. But I do use Wyeast or White Labs once in awhile due to the greater variety of strains available, so I understand your situation.

I suggest you make up one batch in your mini-system as a big yeast starter and save the slurry in several pint or quart mason jars. You can still drink the beer, of course. Just don't make anything of above average gravity (stay around or under 1.050). I understand that this will be a little different than your normal method, as you will have to transfer the beer out before consuming. But that shouldn't be a big deal wif you have another T-A-D bottle ready to go.

Better yet, save the slurry in a dozen or so smaller jars or test-tubes (all sanitized of course). That way you can use some special yeast and get your money's worth, plus interest. If you keep those jars or tubes refrigerated, I think you could use them for months if not a year or more later, you just might want to make a starter after a few months. With your small system, the starter could be very small. Just keep a bit of DME around or freeze some "extra" wort when you brew next to make the starters. You could make the starter right in your T-A-D bottle a day or two before the main brew and pitch the wort right on there.

That's some good thinking. I think I'll give that a whirl especially since I'm moving this fall and should be back in a bigger place and making more 5 gallon batches.

i really like this idea. so much that i think i'm going to make one in the next few weeks. i'd love to be able to make some small experiamental batches that end up being starters for the next batch.

Just a note on this topic. The guys over at Basic Brewing made one of these as well to use in their mini-batch experiments.

I knew I had seen one before and I really need to give credit to them as to why I built mine, though until I watched a recent video from them I had forgotten where I had seen it first. The side note to this post is that I get a real kick out of James and Steve. They crack me up.

Anyway, these little MTs are really fun and I highly recommend building one just for the hell of it. I'm sure Mark's friend could move a bunch of these to the members of his club.

I basically took the idea from basic brewing. I told Mark that.... He just never listens. As for selling them I am willing to try but I doubt I could sell them to my club. They are just too darn cheap and want to build things themselves.

Wayne is right, I never listen. My wife has the same complaint!

And he is prob right about our club. Everyone is CHEAP!!! BUt what can I say, I still love them, esp you Wayne for building one for this lazy POS.

Mark