Newbie seeking brewing wisdom

I am new to home brewing and am looking for some advice on setting up a mash tun. I have seen many brewers use large coolers with manifolds as mash tuns and I was wondering what size cooler would I need if I wanted to eventually brew 10 gallon batches. Any help would be appreciated.

p.s. If I posted this in the wrong section of the forum feel free to move

Thankks Guys,

James

a 10 gallon igloo works great for 10 gallon batches!

+1, A 10 gallon is definitely what you'll end up needing.

thanks for the quick responses guys, I have a feeling that I will be spending way too much time here. I recently had a triple IPA called Pliney, do you guys have any idea what size mash tun it would take to make a triple?


Thanks

James

I did my first '10 gallon batch' yesterday (split it into two for boiling because our burners weren't that strong), and we filled my 10 gallon cooler right to the top (had to do a decoction instead of a stepped infusion).

taking on pliny the younger for your first brew will be quite a challenge.Good luck
Just for the record most brews wont cost as much to make as that one.

From what I've heard, Mike McDole's got the best Pliny clone out there. A quick google search will turn up a recipe, so here's a link to one that should help you out.
BeerTools.com Recipe Library - McDole's Pliny the Elder Clone

On topic: I use a Coleman Xtreme cooler from walmart, 70 quarts (17.5 gallons). I currently brew 5-gallon batches, but wanted something that will allow me to step up in the future. This will do it. At Wal-Mart online I see its for sale for less than $40. I modified mine to use a SS hose, and so far it works great!
Walmart.com: Coleman 70-Quart Xtreme Cooler: Camping

I have no experience using the aformentioned 10 gallon coolers, however my concern would be, if you're brewing 10 gallon batches, and you want to brew bigger beers (with large grain bills), you might not be able to do so bc they're too small. Someone who has used those coolers should confirm or deny my speculation, but that's my 2c. Happy brewing!

simps is correct, I use the 10 gallon rubbermaid for 10 gallon batches, I can only get 25# of grain in there using the 1.25 quarts per pound ratio, if you are contemplating brewing big beers at the 10 gallon batch level you will need the 70 quart cooler mash tun, hope this answers some of your questions, good luck