Keggle v. Cooler for Mash Tun

I am in the process of building a keggle for my brew kettle. My question is whether I should go that route for the mash tun or convert a cooler. I am leaning towards the cooler on the idea that the insulation will hold temp better.

I ran a couple of searches on the forum, but did not turn up anything on point.

Thoughts on one v. the other?

Coolers are cheaper, hold temp very well. Keggle can be direct fired if need be. If you are going to do rims or herms you could use either but I would use a keggle.(my opinion).
I have done both and both work good. It's really just personal preference.

I've done both, they work. I like the keggle better because plastic is not made for hot water. The round coolers I had buckled in the walls from the hot water. Ether one will hold temp and not lose more than a degree or two, if they are full and covered. I strongly recommend spending your money on a SS MLT, like a keggle. IMHO

I have done both as well, my current set up is a Keggle mash tun. Each has its benefits:

Cooler:

+
Maintain temps
Cheap to build
easlily replacable

-
Well, its plastic and not really rated for high temps..
Warps
Always that chance of a plastic off flavor

Keggle

+
Stainless Steel
Larger than a round cooler
Will last a lifetime
With a Jaybird false bottom its a flawless system

-
Need to insulate it somehow unless you have rims, herms, or direct fire
Can be expensive
Have to cut, drill and ya only get one shot at doing so
May be hard to find at times

I had a blast doing my keggles, I would never look back on the cooler set up again..

I've used two differant 10 gallon coolers and had a few issues with both, mainly stuck sparges. Overall they worked pretty good but I wanted to something better. I made my current one out of a keg and purchased the PICO false bottom from AIH. This is working great!!! No issues what so ever.

Or....you can buy a cheap aluminium pot, drill a hole for the vavle and insulate it with stryofoam/wood like mine. Best of both world and i remove the insulation for ease of cleaning

five gallon batch on a cold windy day...cooler
ten gallon batch on a sunny pleasant day...keg

As said above, either will hold temp well if full and covered. I wouldn't want to try and mash 8 lbs of grain in a keggle outside on a chilly day, unless of course it was direct fired, then you might have chance of keeping a steady temp.

For a first time masher doing 5 gallon batches, the performance of a cooler is hard to beat IMHO.

the only drawback I ever experienced with using a cooler for a 10 gal batch was when I tried it brew a beer with a 28 pound grain bill
theres a limit for the 10 gal mashtun.
Keep that in mind .

Cooler works well and is pretty cheap to put together. If you're starting out I'd do that. You can always upgrade later.

I am starting out with a cooler only because Amazon has them for $39.98 right now!http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F6SHTK/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Eventually when I get more into it, I'll take the spare 1/2 barrel and convert it, but for now just starting with all grain, I'll use the cooler.

Ok, good luck with the cooler, DON'T preheat the cooler with boiling water! This causes thermal shock to the plastic lining and may warp it. IMO it is better and easier just to add your strike water 10-15 degrees too hot and let the cooler warm up. Then either stir, add a few ice cubes, or cool water to reduce to the proper strike temp.

With practice you can figure out what temp to add strike water, and the resultant mash temp...but starting out it is easier to let the cooler warm up for 5-10 minutes before adding the grain.

wilserbrewer said:

Ok, good luck with the cooler, DON'T preheat the cooler with boiling water! This causes thermal shock to the plastic lining and may warp it. IMO it is better and easier just to add your strike water 10-15 degrees too hot and let the cooler warm up. Then either stir, add a few ice cubes, or cool water to reduce to the proper strike temp.

With practice you can figure out what temp to add strike water, and the resultant mash temp...but starting out it is easier to let the cooler warm up for 5-10 minutes before adding the grain.

Click to expand...

Good advice right there, appreciate it!