Mash Tuns: Round coolers vs. Rectangular coolers?

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TarHeeledTexan

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I'm going to be upgrading from my simple zap-pap tun using uninsulated buckets to a cooler system. However, I don't know what type of cooler I want to use.

What would people say are the pros and cons of the tall, round coolers (eg. 10-gallon Rubbermaid) versus the lower, rectangular coolers (eg. 60-quart Igloo) for use as a mash tun?

I can think of some regarding things such as footprint/portability as well as more technical such as the thickness of the grain bed, but not having used either system, I am obviously ignorant to the real pluses and minuses of each.

Thanks!
 
I have been using the 60qt Ice Cube even though I was originally planning to get a Rubbermaid 10-gallon when I was planning the build. But, the Igloo is half the price (or less) and it turned out that due to the size and shape it is easy for me to reuse the MLT as a fermentation temp control vessel by sticking the fermenter in there and filling it up with water, and adding ice/hot water bottles as necessary. At the time, it also happened to fit in the closet space I had much better than the big round rubbermaid, although that's a moot point now that I have moved to a new place.

I had an "incident" recently with my MLT, so I will probably be getting a new cooler, and will probably go with another Igloo. While I'm at it, I will also update my hardware to be 1/2" instead of the 3/8" I have on there now, so I can more easily set it up to recirculate, etc.
 
I have two Coleman 10-gallon square Beverage Coolers. They are tall, but square. They work fine for me. I don't know about the low rectangular ones. I would think it may be easier to get a seal with a 1/2 ball valve since the surface is flat instead of round. One thing I did was drill some small holes into the lids and fill them with Great Stuff Foam.

BTW, your user name is what caught my attention. I'm a Bulldawged Tarheel (oldest daughter is at UGA).
 
I use a 9 gal Coleman (had it in the garage when I decided to go AG) and put a spigot and a screen in it and have made about 6 batches with it.. 85%+ efficiency doing batch sparging in 2 batches. I got no issue with the square coolers. now back to my regularly scheduled beer.
 
Cooler shape makes virtually no difference if you're batch sparging. If you're fly sparging, I think round offers a very slight advantage over square, and the taller/skinnier the better. That said, any cooler shape can be made to function very well with the right manifold and sparge arm.
 
My understanding was that if you had enough grain bed depth then the shape of the mash tun wasn't important.
 
richc said:
My understanding was that if you had enough grain bed depth then the shape of the mash tun wasn't important.
Click to expand...

Not true. Take a look at the fluid dynamics section in How to Brew. That should help in your design if your fly sparging.

Bull
 
bullinachinashop said:
Not true. Take a look at the fluid dynamics section in How to Brew. That should help in your design if your fly sparging.

Bull
Click to expand...

Erm, where, I just scanned through that appendix again and I don't see much related to mash tun shape beyond the warning not to get to large a tun so your grain depth is deep enough. The fluid dynamics is about the design and positioning if the manifold in the tun rather than the actual shape of the mash tun.
 
weirdboy said:
I have been using the 60qt Ice Cube even though I was originally planning to get a Rubbermaid 10-gallon when I was planning the build. But, the Igloo is half the price (or less) and it turned out that due to the size and shape it is easy for me to reuse the MLT as a fermentation temp control vessel by sticking the fermenter in there and filling it up with water, and adding ice/hot water bottles as necessary. At the time, it also happened to fit in the closet space I had much better than the big round rubbermaid, although that's a moot point now that I have moved to a new place.

I had an "incident" recently with my MLT, so I will probably be getting a new cooler, and will probably go with another Igloo. While I'm at it, I will also update my hardware to be 1/2" instead of the 3/8" I have on there now, so I can more easily set it up to recirculate, etc.
Click to expand...


That right there is what it is all about! Sounds like a very good idea, dual purpose! I use a converted sanke with a false bottom for my direct fire mash tun, but from the research I have done and my opinion is the shape doesn't matter too much. If you are fly sparging, I think that a round cooler would be easier to match up with a sparge arm.

Either way, just make yourself a nice manifold that is uniform and even for flow and as close to the bottom of the cooler as you can and you should be in good shape. I know a lot of guys use it with no problem, but I would personally stay away from the stainless braid toilet supply line thing. Just my $.02
 
richc said:
Erm, where, I just scanned through that appendix again and I don't see much related to mash tun shape beyond the warning not to get to large a tun so your grain depth is deep enough. The fluid dynamics is about the design and positioning if the manifold in the tun rather than the actual shape of the mash tun.
Click to expand...

I agree, but I believe the poster was thinking that if the grain bed were deep enough, nothing else mattered.

The manifold or false bottom design will greatly change the efficiency of the tun.

So, making a manifold for a round tun would be less efficient than a false bottom.
 
While the round ones are nice, and provide a single layer bulkhead where the valve is located so that no reinforcing of the wall is needed when installing a weldless fitting, the major downside is a) the cost, and b) the max size is 10 gallons.

I, too, originally planned to go the round cooler route, but after seeing prices for 10 gallon coolers I ended up getting a 70 Qt. Coleman Xtreme from Walmart. It was half the price for almost twice the capacity and it was $0.96 shipping to my door!

People on this forum have been very successful using either type for MLTs, so the bottom line is how much you want to spend and what types of beers you plan on making. Since the 10 gallon cooler can only hold ~24 lbs. of grain at 1.25 qt/lb water ratio, that does limit you if you plan to do some big barleywine-type batches.
 
"Since the 10 gallon cooler can only hold ~24 lbs. of grain at 1.25 qt/lb water ratio, that does limit you if you plan to do some big barleywine-type batches"

I think that capacity should be just fine....... for a 3 gallon batch!:D
 
Ace_Club said:
While the round ones are nice, and provide a single layer bulkhead where the valve is located so that no reinforcing of the wall is needed when installing a weldless fitting, the major downside is a) the cost, and b) the max size is 10 gallons.

I, too, originally planned to go the round cooler route, but after seeing prices for 10 gallon coolers I ended up getting a 70 Qt. Coleman Xtreme from Walmart. It was half the price for almost twice the capacity and it was $0.96 shipping to my door!

People on this forum have been very successful using either type for MLTs, so the bottom line is how much you want to spend and what types of beers you plan on making. Since the 10 gallon cooler can only hold ~24 lbs. of grain at 1.25 qt/lb water ratio, that does limit you if you plan to do some big barleywine-type batches.
Click to expand...


Did the same and toss a blanket over the top of the lid since I didn't drill and fill with foam.

Seems to work well.

It's short, and rectangular so there's more surface area exposed to air for potential heat loss, but it's also darn easy to stir :)
 
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I can't go wrong with either, since I'll be batch sparging as I have been doing with my current set up.

And hey, limulus. I'm Tar Heeled as my wife and I moved from Texas so she could go to grad school at UNC. Despite being a Longhorn alum, my sports affiliations are UNC first.
 

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