Polar Opposite.

The #1 Question I hear about Mash Tun N00bs is HOW MUCH GRAIN WILL FIT IN MY MLT?
My question is a polar opposite.
I'm looking at a 48 Qt Cube, and I'm thinking that I can not get a deep enough grain bed with my typical 8 or 9 pound grain bill, unless I do 10 gallon batches, or Imperialize EVERYTHING.

So My question to you, what is the smallest grain bill you mash in a big cooler?

I am sure I'll be the guy with 2 or 3 mash tuns for different grain bills, but for now, I'd like to not screw up a batch....or get worse efficiency than normal.

Are you batch sparging? I think the depth of the grain bed is not nearly as important with batch sparging compared to fly.

I use 10 gallon cylindricals, so I'm afraid I'm not much more help

flyangler18 said:

Are you batch sparging? I think the depth of the grain bed not nearly as important with batch sparging compared to fly.

I use 10 gallon cylindrical, so I'm afraid I'm not much more help

Click to expand...

Yes, I do Batch Sparge.
Currently I'm using a 5 gallon round cooler, and I am using about 4 to 4.5 gallons of capacity.

I have both, 5 gallon cylinder and the big cube. If the mash volume is close to 4.5 gallons I use the cube.

So i guess my answer to you would be anything thats bigger than 4.5 gallons. Not much help huh?

BadKarma said:

Not much help huh?

Click to expand...

No, not a lot of help, but somewhat verifying my plan to have 2 mash tuns, and use them as appropriate. Same with boil pots?

If you're batch sparging the grain bed thickness is not nearly as important. I'd say your plan to use whichever MLT is appropriate makes a lot of sense to me if you don't mind having duplicate equipment.

As for boil pots, are you asking if you should have two different sizes for different size boils? Because I don't think it makes any difference if you boil the same amount in a larger vessel.

I have a 9 gallon pot for my 5 gallon batches and a 5 gallon pot for my 2.5 gallon batches. I only do the 2.5 gallon batches to experiment and tweaking and sometimes just to brew variety, otherwise known as playing!!!!!!!

I've got a 48qt cube and haven't had any problems....I batch sparge as well. Most of my 5gal recipes are around 10lb of grain if that helps any....

Green Bay Rackers--Mash Calculators

Towards the bottom is a mash tun calculator. It calculates the volume you'll need to mash.

BadKarma said:

Green Bay Rackers--Mash Calculators

Towards the bottom is a mash tun calculator. It calculates the volume you'll need to mash.

Click to expand...

Yup Totally aware of that.
The question is: How SMALL of a grain bill do you use in a big mash tun. I am not worried, nor asking about capacity, I'm worried about ending up with less than 1/3 of the mash tuns vertical capacity, and having a hard time with dead space or efficiency.

Good question kahuna I'm going to be watching this thread. I'm gathering the equipment to do some ag and was looking at the large square coolers. Although walmart has a 5g round cooler i've been looking at too.

As others have said, with batch sparging, it's not that important. Especially if you sparge hot enough to get the bed up to 168 or so, which I assume you're already doing.

With an SS braid, I don't even have to vorlauf more than twice.

BK, I'm not sure about the dimensions of the 48 qt cube, but perhaps you could experiment with an average (for you) grainbill to see what kind of space that would occupy in terms of depth. I would say, though, that even my 10 gallon round with a smallish (<10 lb) grainbill holds temp extremely well with preheating (at most, 2 degrees over 1 hr+ mash)- and the dead space can be sizeable. I've seen some use a piece of closed cell foam on top of the water level to minimize heat loss, but I've never found it necessary.

BK,

I batch sparge with a 50 qt rectangular cooler and do only 5-gallon batches with it, very often with about 10 lbs of grain. No issues at all. You're fine with the cube.

You can use your small cooler for those times you have to pee while managing a potential boil-over.

The question has already been answered but I dont see why dead space would be any kind of an issue with efficiency. Heat loss would be the only thing but even that isnt much of a problem.

BigKahuna said:

Yup Totally aware of that.
The question is: How SMALL of a grain bill do you use in a big mash tun. I am not worried, nor asking about capacity, I'm worried about ending up with less than 1/3 of the mash tuns vertical capacity, and having a hard time with dead space or efficiency.

Click to expand...

I've done several 8.5 to 9lb grain bills in my 52 quart rubbermaid cooler, near 80% efficiency, zero dead space and mabey 1 to 2 degree heat loss. Don't be afraid my large friend.

I have a 48qt rectangular cooler and the smallest I've done is 6.25lbs for an English Bitter with 80% efficiency. As long as you can maintain the temps the depth doesn't matter in batch sparging

I've got that Cube and do mini-mashes; but I batch sparge.

I also use a 48 qt. rectangular cooler, and I've done from a 1.030 wheat to a 1.100 barleywine in there. If you're batch sparging, 48 qt. cooler is fine with a normal 1.25 qt/lb ratio.

Okay, the smallest mash I've done in the 5 gallon tun was 5.5 lbs grain bill. took up just a tad over 2 gallons of tun volume. Turned out a very nice Bitters.

I picked up a Coleman Xtreme 70 today. It will replace my 36qt Igloo which is not as well insulated and has dead space. The Xtreme has a drain slope so the manifold will sit flush on the bottom. I will batch sparge with <4" of grainbed (already do that anyway) and hybrid fly for >4" of grainbed depth. No worries.

I'll be able to do 5 gallons of mild, or brew 10 gallons of Vertical Epic 8-8-8 in this thing. :rockin: