Possible to step mash with a igloo cooler?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

sbarr916

New Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
San Diego, Ca
So im new to all-grain brewing. Ive been trying to compile ideas about my system and the types of brew I want to make. So many of them that I have come across involve step-mashing. The mash tun that I have created is a 10 gallon igloo cooler and I was wondering if it is possible to step mash in one or am I just stuck at mashing at a set temp?
 
you sure can do it. you can start at a lower temperature,then add hot water, to increase the temp. i use beersmith that has a calculator for that. i think you can find calc online as well.

you can do decoction mash as well but that will require draining some wart from MT heating it up and putting it back in
 
I usually do single infusions but, on beers with a lot of wheat I have done a protein rest then raised the temp.

I started with a thick mash (1:1 qt per pound) at the lower temp, then used the math formula from John Palmer's book to figure how much boiling water to add to raise the temp to the next step.

I also "had" to do a decoction mash one time in my cooler. My thermometer went bad one time and I ended up mashing in way too low. I pulled a bunch of the mash out and put it on the stove and heated it to boiling then added it back.
 
I guess we should ask you batch size. If you are doing 10 gallon batches in a 10 gallon cooler, step mashing will be difficult due to the size restriction.

Step mashing for 5 gallon batches in a 10 gallon cooler is no problem. In fact, with a 1.050 beer, you fit all the water and all the grain in the cooler at the same time.
 
Back
Top