Coolers for HLT: why?

chirs · Sep 16, 2009

This may be a dumb question...
but i dont understand why people use coolers as hot liquor tanks. Isn't the idea to heat your mash and sparge waters to the right temperature and transfer them to the mash tun? It seems like an extra step to heat it, move it to a big picnic cooler and then move it to your mash tun.
It already took me forever to even figure out what HLT stood for....

GilaMinumBeer · Sep 16, 2009

Depends on if the cooler has a heat stick or element. Otherwise, it's just a vessle to keep the water consistently hot while fly sparging.

PseudoChef · Sep 16, 2009

Or some people with only one kettle need one to transfer their sparge water too as the first runnings from the mash drain.

nostalgia · Sep 16, 2009

It's also a place to store sparge water if you only have one burner in a 1 or 2 tier system. For example in my 2-tier system:

Heat strike water in kettle.
Pump strike water to MLT to mash grains.
Heat sparge water in kettle.
Pump sparge water to HLT.
Drain first runnings into kettle.
Pump sparge water to MLT.
Drain second runnings into kettle.

-Joe

malkore · Sep 16, 2009

It all just depends on what you can afford, and the space you have to use it.

Bobby_M · Sep 16, 2009

I'm sure it was already said but it's a way of fly sparging when you only have one burner. A slightly lesser advantageous use in batch sparging is so that you can hold your sparge water while you collect wort in your only kettle so that you can heat it sooner. Personally, I wouldn't do it unless you directly heat via electric in that cooler.

Brewpastor · Sep 16, 2009

Keggles - they aren't plastic.

chirs · Sep 17, 2009

I get the fly sparging approach (to the extent that I understand fly sparging). What you say makes sense, Bobby, a HLT with a heating element would work well...without the element it seems more efficient (logistically and financially) to use a kettle to heat mash and sparge water.

Coolers for HLT: why?

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Coolers for HLT: why?

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