Mashing....

I have been contemplating changing things around a bit. I've been mashing my grains via the brew in a bag method.

It works ok and it is pretty simple. The materials are cheap... I use paint strainer bags that barely stretch over the lip of my boiler.

The stretching and the lifting of the bag out of the boiler are the pain in the ass parts of the process.

So.. I've been contemplating the manufacture of a false bottom for my boiler. Then.. I can just set my grains directly in the thing, drain out the wort and then I can dump out the grains, rinse the boiler out and use it again.. to boil. :)

Now I shall cruise the internet for ideas. Hopefully I can find some existing materials around the house. The cheapest store-bought ones are in the $30 range and there's no guarantee they'll work in my boiler...

Some ideas from google images...