Mash Tun Sizing...

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oregonmike

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At this point I am new to All Grain and slowly building/buying up the equipment necessary to brew up standard size batched.

Was at Home Depot today looking and water/drink coolers... They had 5 gallon ones for $19 or 10 gallon for $40.

Which is more economical at this point, the 5 or 10 gallon? As I don't think I would be doing the quantity necessary for larger batches anytime soon could I get away with the smaller 5 gallon or should I be looking long term? I believe I would be able to get a larger one easily down the line if needed...

Thanks,
Mike
 
You will want a 10 gallon cooler for a 5 gallon batch.
 
I had the same question when I started looking around. Many said that a 5 gallon would do if you planned on keeping your brews under a 1.060 OG. But if you plan on ever going above that, a 5 gallon will not support the grain bill and water necessary. So I went with a 10 gallon and have been quite satisfied.
 
Also, aside from high gravity beers, if you are considering batch sparging, you will want the space.
 
In short:

5 gallon batches - 10g+ Mash Tun
10 gallon batches - 15-20g Mash Tun

Doing 10 gallon batches doesn't really save you money, only time. I started doing 10g batches because I figured I was brewing for 3+ hours anyway, might as well end up with twice as much beer. That being said, if you are going to get a cooler/ice chest as your mash tun, just go with a bigger one. The cost difference between a small and large cooler is not that much, so you might as well get one that will work for 5 or 10g batches.
 
By the time you "Trick Out" your cooler with a false bottom, bulkhead and valve, siteglass and/or temp probe bulkhead you will have more money invested in hardware than the cooler.

If you choose to upgrade to a larger cooler later, some hardware may be undersized and you will have likely ruined the smaller one for other purposes.

Bottom line... Get the 10 gallon.
 
Id def go with the 10 gallon. Ive made 2 batches AG and both have been under 1.060 and having to do double sparging pretty much sucks. Noob realizations!!
 
Just to kinda piggy-back on this thread; can a mash tun be too big? If I get a 52 quart rectangular cooler and want to brew a 5 gallon lighter beer (1.048 - 1.055) for friends and family, would the tun be too big?

Thanks.....
 
I have a 70qt Coleman Xtreme and it was intended to be used for 10 gallon batches, but I've been brewing 6 gallon batches in doors, w/o any problems at all.
 
Just to kinda piggy-back on this thread; can a mash tun be too big? If I get a 52 quart rectangular cooler and want to brew a 5 gallon lighter beer (1.048 - 1.055) for friends and family, would the tun be too big?

Thanks.....

I chose the 52qt Coleman Xtreme after doing some research, it will work great for high gravity 5 gallon batches (don't know if you'd want 10 gallons of barleywine anyhow), and will be sufficent for 10 gallon average gravity brews.

I have yet to use it, I just finished my IC build last night, and I amwaiting for my barley crusher to arrive. All I need for my irst AG adventure is a good thermometer, I'm thinking thermapen.
 
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