5, or 10 gallon rubbermaid circular for 5 gallon batches

becksbolero2 · Aug 25, 2009

so i'm going to be switching from my rectangular coleman cooler to the circular rubbermaid cooler. I feel like I'm loosing to much heat out of the coleman. I can see the steam seeping out from underneath the lid while mashing.

I was wondering if I should go with the 5 or 10 gallon cooler. I will be doing only 5 gallon batches for the forseable future, but heard that bigger grain bills for 5 gallon batches wont fit in a 5 gallon cooler.so my concern is that if I go for the 10 gallon cooler will there be to much head space (heat loss) if say i'm just mashing 12 punds of grain.

thanks

~joe

The Pol · Aug 25, 2009

With first hand knowlege on this, and since this is asked weekly here. 10 gallon cooler for 5 gallon batches.

cimirie · Aug 25, 2009

For a great reference, go to...

Green Bay Rackers--Mash Calculators

There is a "can I mash it" calculator that will tell you if your particular grainbill + liquor can fit in a given volume mash tun. it's a great site.

For the record, I actually went through the same dilemma this weekend: 5 gallon, 10 gallon, 5 gallon, 10 gallon... I ended up with a 12 gallon (how's that for breaking a tie?).

I like making bigger beers and the truth is, anything over 1.050 is going to be a VERY tight fit in a 5 gallon. But if lower gravity is your thing (or less than 5 gallon batches) the 5 gallon cooler will be fine. Good luck!

TacoGuthrie · Aug 25, 2009

Not really :off:

but sort of:

It seems like the cylindrical coolers are preferred over rectangular for MLT. Is there a reason for this?

Kauai_Kahuna · Aug 25, 2009

It allows for a thicker grain bed, I could not find a 10 gal at a good price so I went with an Ice Cube, not quite as thick on the grain bed, but I can still get a decent bed for a low gravity beer.

rico567 · Aug 25, 2009

I got the Rubbermaid 10 gal. cylindrical at Home Depot, and am glad I did. My biggest beer so far was around 1.060, and I mash pretty thin, around 1.75 qt. / lb., so my initial mash filled that thing around 3/4 of the way. By all means, unless you're doing nothing but light beers / short batches, get the 10 gallon model.

bad coffee · Aug 25, 2009

Sooner or later you'll want the 10. Buy it first and you don't have to get rid of the 5 gal later.

B

DankBrewHa · Aug 25, 2009

I have the same question, but I am doing partial mash. Would a 5 gallon be sufficient?

humann_brewing · Aug 25, 2009

Go with the 10G and you won't regret it, no matter what your efficiency and gravity of your brew, I think you can fit it into that 10 gallons.

Buffman · Aug 25, 2009

I had the same question several months ago and went with two 10-gallon coolers (one MLT and one hot liquor tank). No regrets at all. It has plenty of space to brew just about any gravity beer. My only concern was whether I'd lose heat during the mash because of the large headspace for lower-gravity 5-gallon batches. Not an issue - I preheat the tun before mashing (or start with hotter strike water), and I might lose a degree over an hour.

You may want to move on the purchase soon. Not certain, but I suspect that places like Home Depot carry those coolers only seasonally (I found them in the nursery section, so . . .). When it gets colder, they may disappear until next year.

ShortSnoutBrewing · Aug 25, 2009

Get both...To say you can't do 5 gallon batches with a 5 gallon cooler is incorrect. You can't do Big beers with a 5 gallon, but you totally can do your normal, everyday batches. I find that I use my 5 gallon more often then my 10. Rather have a full 5 gallon than a half full 10 gallon...

That said, if you get a 5 gallon you will at some point be wanting a 10 gallon or larger depending on what you brew.

TheH2 · Aug 25, 2009

I do 5 gallon batches in a 5 gallon cooler and would recommend getting 10 gallon. It is doable, I've made beer up to a little over 8 percent, could increase that a little, but would be nice to do one sparge instead of two and have a little more space, etc.

Sigafoos · Aug 25, 2009

I use a 5 as my HLT. Thinking about it, though, I should switch them around if I'm doing a smaller beer; I have the same parts (Flyguy's conversion) so I'd just have to move my braid over.

So, to conclude, get a 10.

Synovia · Aug 25, 2009

Kilted Brewer said:
Get both...To say you can't do 5 gallon batches with a 5 gallon cooler is incorrect. You can't do Big beers with a 5 gallon, but you totally can do your normal, everyday batches. I find that I use my 5 gallon more often then my 10. Rather have a full 5 gallon than a half full 10 gallon...

That said, if you get a 5 gallon you will at some point be wanting a 10 gallon or larger depending on what you brew.

With my 5 gallon cooler, at 80% efficiency, I'm about maxed around 1.060. At that point I'm splashing water out of the MLT when I try to stir the grain.

I'd rather have the half full 10, simply because I won't have to worry about spilling.

Arkador · Aug 25, 2009

Bobby_M said:
There seems to be a huge uprising in the number of new all grain brewers and the persistent question is "how big of a tun do I need?" It depends on what your batch size, efficiency, and desired OG is. Here's the easy way for you to decide based on your needs.

Keep in mind that even if you think you might want to do both 5 and 10 gallon batches, odds are your really high gravity beers will be 5 gallon batches. Who needs 10 gallons of barleywine?

Just for example, a 10 gallon mash tun can do 5 gallons of 1.118 barleywine (~11% ABV) and 10 gallon batches of 1.060 IPA (~6% ABV). I personally think something in the 50-60qt range is most flexible in that regard if you don't mind a square/rectangular cooler.

If you want to figure for larger or smaller batch sizes, take the number in the "Max Gravity Units" column and divide that by your desired batch size.

Bobby M Quote FTW

BuckBros · Aug 25, 2009

I bought a 5, then a 10. Do the right thing the first time, it is cheaper.

spin02 · Aug 25, 2009

I started with a 10, then ended up getting a 5 too. Both work great. Temperature lose on the 10 isn't bad at all, but it's not quiet as efficient when it's only half full. Anything over 12 pounds of grains goes into the 10, anything under works well in the 5, IMO.

stevea1210 · Aug 25, 2009

I also have both a 5 and 10. 90% of my batches go in my 5. I have always had better efficiency in my 5. I'm not sure why, but it is the case.

I have brewed og's up to 1.067 in the 5. Bigger than that and it goes in the 10. I couldn't imagine doing my 1.035 british mild in the 10, my 5 seems empty.

I like the option of using whichever fits that brew better. For me it works.

VTBrewer · Aug 25, 2009

I have a 5 gallon set up and every now and then I get tempted to move up, but the fact of the matter is most of my grain bills are at or under 12 pounds. When they over 12, I simply convert part of the base malt to LME and do a partial mash..."partial" being the 12 pounds in the mashtun and then maybe a 3-4 lb late addition of LME.

Works for me.

HotbreakHotel · Aug 25, 2009

I have a 5 gallon and I say get a 10. Whenever my OG is over 1.065 I have to either make a 3 gallon batch or cheat with extract. I wish I had a 10 gallon, but I now I have to wait until I have the money.

5, or 10 gallon rubbermaid circular for 5 gallon batches

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