Will I regret a lower end Coleman cooler for my mash tun?

Hey all,

Looking to put together a mash tun this week -- my original plan was to grab a Coleman Xtreme 36qt cooler for $45 at Walmart, which is more or less the top of my budget. However, I've just spotted the "lower end" blue Coleman cooler (shown below) for just $25 for the 48qt size. I know that the Xtreme coolers are supposedly better insulated, but has anyone actually used the blue Coleman cooler (shown below) for a mash tun and had good success with it keeping temp? Though I only do 5 gallon batches, I know that 36qt is a bit on the small side even for that, so the 48qt would obviously give me extra capacity. However, I don't want to sacrifice the ability to hold a consistent temp with a smaller 5g batch grain bill with a crappy cooler. Any thoughts?

i bought a super cheapy cooler for my mash tun. I can feel heat escaping through the lid so I know it will not hold heat well by itself. I just wrap it in 3 blankets, and it will stay within 1/2 degree over an hour that way.

First, you should probably have a 48QT. for 5 gallon batches to start with.

But getting a good cooler is also pretty important.

I don't know what model mine is, but it's 48QT and seems to hold heat pretty well as long as I preheat it. I haven't even added spray foam insulation in the lid yet! And adding blankets is always an option.

Definitely put the extra money into it. I have a 48 q that was $20 from Walmart and I'm regretting it. I have a constant struggle to maintain temps and only after I wrap it in 2 blankets can I keep it to about a 4 degree drop over an hour.... Put the money in don't make the same mistake.

I have that blue cooler although I'm not sure if it's that size or one larger. In any case, I struggle with attaining and holding temperature. I'm new to all grain though so take this with a grain of salt. I have a hard time pre-heating it and holding it at 152 degrees. After an hour, it usually drops a few degrees. I'm probably going to abandon the whole mash tun idea and go BIAB instead of investing in a more expensive cooler.

I also have an Xtreme cooler from Coleman that I generally use when traveling. The insulation in the Xtreme coolers is much, much better. I haven't used it as a mash tun and don't plan on it since I use it frequently for non-beer purposes.

I don't do any huge beers, but I find I can work with my 5 gallon igloo for 5 gallon batches with no problems. I can't see why a 36qt (nearly twice the size of my 20 qt) wouldn't be sufficient for 5 gallon batches.

tektonjp said:

I don't do any huge beers, but I find I can work with my 5 gallon igloo for 5 gallon batches with no problems. I can't see why a 36qt (nearly twice the size of my 20 qt) wouldn't be sufficient for 5 gallon batches.

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Same here - but you're limited on how big a beer you can go-

I max out at 13 lbs of grain + water - that is right to the top of my 5gal. So if I wanted to do a bigger beer, I'd have to consider replacing or doing multiple steps to achieve my goal.

I've bought my last couple from the D.I. or thrift store and haven't had problems other than wearing out and cracking if I bump the ball valve hard (how I keep cracking mine).. I use a old comforter to wrap my coolers and have no heat loss