5 gallon igloo cooler

Will actually hold close to 6 gallons with the lid on. Will this work for mashing my grains? I'm pulling all my supplies together this week and running to the brew store on Friday (hopefully, if I can find it).

Yes, it will work, but most people that have 5 gallon setups eventually wish they had gone with a 10 gallon setup instead

@rd,

What's the reason for that? Wouldn't that just be a bigger container to carry around? I'm not planning on doing 10 gallons for a while

With some bigger beers, you don't have enough room, plus you have the ability to expand to 10 galllons if you want.

I'm doing a 1.065 beer right now in a 5 gal round cooler. It is almost at it's limit. Maybe I could do another half lb of grain and the water that goes with it.

seefresh said:

@rd,

What's the reason for that? Wouldn't that just be a bigger container to carry around? I'm not planning on doing 10 gallons for a while

Click to expand...

More alcohol = more sugar = more grain = more space. Lots of people use 5 gallon coolers, but a 10-gallon will allow you to both do higher ABV beers and larger batches.

A 5 gal. cooler is only 20 qts. I only do 5-6 gal. batches right now and I have a 50 qt. cooler. If you decide to do a big beer like an Imperial Stout or Imperial IPA, you'll use a lot of grain, even for a 5 gal. batch.

For example, I did this IIPA last summer and plan to do it again soon. You can see there's 17 lbs. of grain in this recipe. With my current cooler/mash tun, it was no problem. I still had enough headspace for batch sparging. With a cooler half the size, I'd probably have to mash in two batches!

As stated, big beers become a problem with the 5 gallon cooler. I would recommend the 10 gallon round cooler but you can certainly get by with a 5 for now. If you decide it is too small you can always use it for your hot liquir tank and then get a bigger tun.

I got a 10 gallon cooler, but its rectangular. I figured I can rig it up (they didn't have any circular). It has a draining hole on the bottom side, so I figured I could tilt it that way when draining. What do you'll think?

seefresh said:

I got a 10 gallon cooler, but its rectangular. I figured I can rig it up (they didn't have any circular). It has a draining hole on the bottom side, so I figured I could tilt it that way when draining. What do you'll think?

Click to expand...

No problem with that - lots of people use rectangular coolers. If you're batch sparging, it really makes no difference

I have a 5 gallon, I am getting a 10. Here is the deal, you are limited to about 13.5 lbs of grain in that tun. That is for single infusion. I want something that I can brew 5 gallon batches in and STILL have room for three infusions. 122-153-168F. I can do this now with smaller beers like my Heffe... but you are talking OGs in the range of 1.040-47. Id get a 10... I would.

Brewpilot

I have a 10 gallon. Yesterday, I made a 1.070 5 gallon batch using 13 1/2 pounds of grain. It was about 1/2 full, with plenty of room for stirring and adding more water when I missed my target temp. I highly recommend the larger size! But, if that's all you have right now, a 5 gallon can work.

Be sure to heat your MLT up with boiling water and let it sit for a little while, to heat up the cooler. That way you don't get heat loss and have to add more hot water once you get your mash in. You'll have to keep your beer in the 1.050 or less range, at least for the first couple, just to be sure that you have enough space. For example, I have a beer that will be 1.044. That recipe calls for 8 pounds of grain. If you're adding 1.5 qts per pound, that is 12 qts water. If you miss your temp and have to add more hot or cold water to it, you have to figure maybe another quart. I'd be nervous to go much bigger, just to make sure it would all fit in a small cooler. Once you know your system, though (as Chillhayze does), you'll know what will and won't work for you.

10 gallon is the way to go whether you need the extra space right away or not. I just built a 5 gallon with the idea that since I can't do a full wort boil on my 24" stove top, there is no reason to build a 10 gallon because I will just be doing partial mashes anyway. Well...next weekend I will be going over to a friends house to brew a couple of all grain batches and now wish I'd built a 10 gallon in the first place for greater flexibilty. I will now be building a 10 gallon as well.

Well, got my 10 gallon now, just gotta wait for the rest of my suppliers in the mail. Gonna definintely need some help with knowing how to get the water just right. I'll make that thread next week though, when I get my stuff.

The ten-gallon is really the way to go. But, I am not the voice of experience. Others here are. I asked what could not be brewed in a five-gallon tun. The answer: lots of beer that I would want to brew. Of course, with a five-gallon mash tun you can still make "big beer" in a smaller batch, but why? With so many variables in AG brewing, I wanted to keep the batch size a constant.

But, my loving wife (who knew I wanted some coolers) picked up two five-gallon coolers for me on the very evening that I posted the question to ths board. They are "hunter" versions of the round Rubbermaid coolers, and dirt cheap from WalMart. Well, I took one back, and picked up a ten-gallon.

No regrets. The other five-gallon is now a hot liquor tank.

Having recently broken in the new set-up, I can see how the five-gallon mash tun would have been soon designated for an upgrade anyway. Cheers, gents/ladies.

My cooler is technically a nine-gallon; Coleman Xtreme 36-quart. Works like a mofo. Nary a degree of heat loss over an hour-long mash. Probably small if I ever do 10-gallons, but I can't see myself going down that road.

Just ordered my wort chiller, I'm getting pumped. Heading to the lhbs in eggenstein Germany on Friday to get my supplies... still haven't decided on a recipe yet though. I'm thinking a hefeweisen... I mean, I am in germany and all.

I won't disagree with anything that has been said about the advantages of 10g coolers, but a 10g cooler wouldn't fit in my brewing closet, so I make do with a 5g.

Admittedly, very occasionally, I wish it were bigger.

-a.

ajf said:

Admittedly, very occasionally, I wish it were bigger.

-a.

Click to expand...

Sounds like all the men I know.....

ajf said:

I won't disagree with anything that has been said about the advantages of 10g coolers, but a 10g cooler wouldn't fit in my brewing closet, so I make do with a 5g.

Admittedly, very occasionally, I wish it were bigger.

-a.

Click to expand...

sounds like all the women I know!

Funny, I have had the opposite experience... hrmmm.

Brewpilot said:

Funny, I have had the opposite experience... hrmmm.

Click to expand...

Yeah! and you drive a Geo Metro!:rockin:

No, I drive an EMB170...

Brewpilot said:

No, I drive an EMB170...

Click to expand...

...........and a member of the mile high club. no doubt?

There is no room for that... and, I am a professional, remember?

Yooper Chick said:

Sounds like all the men I know.....

Click to expand...

...you know what they say about blokes driving big and fast cars?

I drive a 19 year old ute. Work the rest out

Brewpilot said:

There is no room for that... and, I am a professional, remember?

Click to expand...

Being a RR conductor, I'm not as professional. Guess you'ld call it the "mile long club". Ya think?

dibby33 said:

...you know what they say about blokes driving big and fast cars?

I drive a 19 year old ute. Work the rest out

Click to expand...

I walk to work!

Wort*hog said:

I walk to work!

Click to expand...

Tis a fair call, you win!

dibby33 said:

Tis a fair call, you win!

Click to expand...

...Did I mention the wheelborrow?

Wort*hog said:

...Did I mention the wheelborrow?

Click to expand...

I am not doing that again!