Batch sparge mash tun size.

Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going full grain..... Anyway, I decided on Bobby M's "no mash out double batch sparge" method to start with.

I will be utilizing a rectangular cooler and brewing mostly low to moderate gravity beers (under 1.065).

Saw an Coleman extreme 36 quart with a nice drain channel for my mesh screen, and a 40 quart Igloo extreme, but the drain set-up isn't as nice.

Question: Is the 36 quart cooler big enough for my needs?

Thanks! Pez.

Pezman1 said:

Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going full grain..... Anyway, I decided on Bobby M's "no mash out double batch sparge" method to start with.

I will be utilizing a rectangular cooler and brewing mostly low to moderate gravity beers (under 1.065).

Saw an Coleman extreme 36 quart with a nice drain channel for my mesh screen, and a 40 quart Igloo extreme, but the drain set-up isn't as nice.

Question: Is the 36 quart cooler big enough for my needs?

Thanks! Pez.

Click to expand...

Here's a really cool mash calculator (scroll down to "can I mash it?"). According to this, a 23 pound grainbill should easily work for you. That doesn't take deadspace under the false bottom into consideration, and I found the round 10 gallon Igloo cooler got pretty well maxed out at 22 pounds. Still, that's a lot of grain so you shouldn't have any issue at all with grainbills under about 22 pounds in the rectangular cooler.

the 36 qt will probably not be big enough to handle no sparge brewing, in fact the 40 qt may not be either. In doing some basic math assuming a 10lb grain bill and mashing with 1.25qt/gallon that alone is 4 gallons+.

Assuming alos you are doing 5 gallon batches and require 6.5g in kettle pre-boil you will lose about a gallon to absorption so if you mash with 4.5 gallons and get 3.5 gallons first runnings if you were to do a traditional batch sparge you would have to sparge with an additional 3 gallons so for no sparge you would need to fit both the 10 lbs of grain plus 7.5 gallons of water. I don't know the math to calculate the volume that the grain would take up but in my head I'm thinking the 36 is too small and the 40 might be completely at capacity if not short also

Oops-EDIT: Mis-read no mash out double sparge as no sparge, I would go with the 40 qt as Yooper stated it will handle what you want to brew

I think Yooper forgot the link to green bay mashers

Hey - thanks guys. Exactly what I needed, and the calculator is great. I won't have much deadspace with my screen as I'm using a bazooka-style round screen.
Pez.