Mash Tun - 5 or 10 gallon cooler?

Background: Right now, I'm doing 5gallon partial mashes, but I'm thinking about just going all grain/batch sparging. I don't plan on ever doing batch sizes over 5gallon.

Should I buy the 10gal cooler even if I still do a few more partial mashes and then switch to AG? Would it really be that bad if I did a partial mash with only a few lbs of grain in a 10gal cooler? After searching quite a bit, it seems that there are a mix of people that are happy with their 5gal and happy with their 10gal. I suppose it comes down to this: does it hurt anything to have a much bigger cooler than you would ever use, even if there's lots of extra headspace? Or should I just stick with the 5 gal cooler since that should theoretically meet all my brewing needs?

I use a 5 gal rubbermaid drink cooler with a false bottom. I double batch sparge with it. It can hold a max of about 17lbs of grain depending on the ratio you use. I think it is perfect. It would probably work great for you unless you are making very high abv beers.
A bigger cooler would allow you to have a bigger grain bill and single batch sparge.

I have the same question as my Christmas gift to myself is a AG setup. Everything I have read is pointing to the fact that I need larger than a 5 gallon cooler. I plan on going with the 10gallon.

Lefty said:

I have the same question as my Christmas gift to myself is a AG setup. Everything I have read is pointing to the fact that I need larger than a 5 gallon cooler. I plan on going with the 10gallon.

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+1

I am slowly switching to better All Grain setup (doing BIAB for now), but when the time comes, I'm getting a 10g, because even though I plan on sticking to 5g batches, from what I have read you can't really do high gravity brews comfortably on a 5g MLT - might as well just get the 10g and be ready for anything.

ruffdeezy said:

I use a 5 gal rubbermaid drink cooler with a false bottom. I double batch sparge with it. It can hold a max of about 17lbs of grain depending on the ratio you use. I think it is perfect. It would probably work great for you unless you are making very high abv beers.
A bigger cooler would allow you to have a bigger grain bill and single batch sparge.

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Wow...17 lbs in a five gallon tun...oh my! W/ a false bottom no less. 17 lbs at .8 qt / lb is five gallons, how do you batch sparge?

I've been using a 5 gallon with braid for several years and never have had a problem.
At 1.25 quarts/pound you can get 14 pounds in there, and like someone else said, you can squeeze more in by changing the grist to water ratio. I am limited by space, so I couldn't really go larger with a cooler.

And honestly I've not come up to a recipe yet where I've needed to use a larger cooler.

I could squeeze 15# of grain in my old 5 gallon cooler with a hose braid (1.0 qt/lb ratio). With my regular efficiency of about 90%, that much grain would give me a 1083 beer but realistically the efficiency drops when my gravity goes up so the cooler can probably handle about a 1073 beer.

I found that if I wanted to do a bigger beer, I would have to do two consecutive mashes with half the grain in each mash. With a 30 minute mash and batch sparging, it doesn't add too much time to the brew day but it was enough to make me upgrade to a 52 qt square shaped cooler.

wow, 17lb in a 5 gallon cooler....and I thought 10lb was nuts...

guess i'll have to take off the sally pants.

My 5 gallon was nice... but I had to do really thick mashes if I wanted anything over 1.050. The other thing was once I switched to the 10 gallon I could use the 5 gallon as a HLT for fly sparging.

I used a 5 gal because it was free, but after only two batches bought a 10 gal. I like making higher gravity beers like IIPA's and barleywines pretty regularly, so the 5 gal just didn't cut it for me. Just like bernerbrau, I now use my 5 gal as a HLT.

I have both a 5 and a 10, both with false bottoms. I don't know if there is any science behind it, but I find that when batch sparging I get more stuck mashes with the 5. Maybe it has something to do with the depth of the bed and overall size of the false bottom (also maybe the false bottom fittings). With the 5 gallon, I run off slowly, the 10, I just open it up.

from the poll, it looks like a lot of people are using 10gal coolers for 5gal batches.

I still haven't heard any answers to one of my questions though.. what's the harm in having a much bigger cooler than you will ever need, or is there any? I've read that the temperature in the MLT will drop faster if it's not filled all the way, but how much faster? fast enough to make it not worth getting the bigger cooler?

boogyman said:

from the poll, it looks like a lot of people are using 10gal coolers for 5gal batches.

I still haven't heard any answers to one of my questions though.. what's the harm in having a much bigger cooler than you will ever need, or is there any? I've read that the temperature in the MLT will drop faster if it's not filled all the way, but how much faster? fast enough to make it not worth getting the bigger cooler?

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As long as the cooler is small enough that the grain bed is at least 4" deep, I can't think of any major disadvantages to a larger MLT. The difference in temperature drop rate is pretty minor between my 5 gal filled all the way, and the 10 gal half full. If there is any chance you'll want to brew a barleywine or IIPA sometime in the future, you'll be very glad for the extra capacity.

So, has anyone changed their opinion on this, or have new data/thoughts to share?

I am ready to pull the trigger on a round cooler MLT with a false bottom and am starting to think that just getting the 10 gallon now would be the prudent choice. For me, there's a possibility of doing 10 gallon batches in the future (neighbors are getting interested in learning). And, I also wonder if there is ever a concern with the grain depth on 5 gallon batches in a 10 gallon cooler? I assume 99.9% of the recipes will have enough grain to achieve a 4+ inch depth, but would prefer not to assume and would rather defer to the experienced folks here on HBT! Thoughts, advice, stories/experience to share?

Thanks in advance! Can't wait to do my first AG batch - my current thought is to do a Fat Tire clone! Yum!

I ended up getting the 10gal cooler. I'm glad I did. I do 5 gal batches -- the cooler holds heat perfectly, and the grain bed is deep enough. I'm now thinking about moving to 10gal batches, so this is just one more piece of equipment I don't have to upgrade. Definitely get the 10gal cooler even if you only do 5gal batches.

I went with a 52qt square shaped cooler for my 5gal batches. The grain depth is adequate even on a mild or bitter. I picked it up at Target for $20 a few months back.

I found this website, which has amazingly low prices on round coolers - $23 for 5 gal and $47 for 10 gal. I think shipping runs around $5 depending on your zip.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=30855

johnnybrew said:

I found this website, which has amazingly low prices on round coolers - $23 for 5 gal and $47 for 10 gal. I think shipping runs around $5 depending on your zip.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=30855

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I've ordered food grade buckets from them before. Good company.
I just saw the 10gal round coolers for $50 at my local home depot the other day.

Alrighty, gonna go with the 10 gal. Thanks for the responses.

You can get a 15.5 gal keg for $30.
Look around and you can find some good deals.
Just be prepared to insulated the keg to prevent heat lose.
Worth the time and effort IMO.

Cheers