Mash Tun: Round vs. Square. Poll!

Yes its been covered.... but I thought I'd see if I can make a cool poll. I'm in the need of a new mash tun in the next week, and I have to do the whole thing over, so I thought I'd see what the world thinks! The first responses will be "batch sparge, or fly sparge, what o.g., how many gal?" It doesn't matter! Just tell me what you use, or what you would use once you have one. Maybe even tell why.

Round for fly sparging. For batch sparging, it doesn't matter.

Either will work but if you are getting detailed about it, the taller it is and the smaller surface area of the bottom the more even rinsing you will get and the less dead space you will have.

I use a rectangle one and it works just fine.

Round if you use a motorized mash stirrer.

Rectangle... because it was cheaper to make! For the record, I batch sparge.

I use a 48 qt rectangle Gott because that's what I had sitting in the garage when I decided to try all grain.

FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

That's why I have a 50qt Xtreme Mash Tun. If someone had given me a large round, I'd be using it. I've started doing 'no sparge' so the MLT shape really has no impact at all.

Yuri_Rage said:

Round for fly sparging. For batch sparging, it doesn't matter.

Click to expand...

This. I use a round cooler and batch sparge, but it really doesn't matter.

i got my round cooler for free so that is what i use so i cant really comment on the square ones. but hey if it works good and you like it thats all that matters

It would be interesting to see the batch-size breakdown of this. How many people making 5 gallon batches use square and how many making 10+ gallon batches use round?

I would guess it has a lot to do with the fact that there are no round coolers larger than 10 gallons.

I've used both: meh. arturo7 makes a very good point, my IceCube is 48 quarts and they make 60s.

I use a square MLT because it fits into my space better and was insanely cheaper.


Ice Cube ++

I got a 5 and 10 gal round cooler that I use for my MLT,I got them for free. :rockin:

Round because I use a false bottom.

If I were to make a manifold, I would go for square or rectangular because the manifold would be so much easier to make.

-a.

I use a rectangular one since it was on sale for about $15.

The "..makes the most sense.." part of the poll question has nothing to do with it. I had two rectangular coolers already, so...

Checked other... I've used both, and they both work fine. I use the round one now as it's more space efficient and looks better next to two keggles.

While certainly a legitimate question... "deep vs. shallow" is probably a more pertinent question. I have found that shallow-ish mash beds are a better than thick mash beds.

I got my 10g round cooler for $10 at a studio sale. I know it was only used for water previously. I plan to make a larger round stainless one with a bottom drain.

I use the round because it is what I had.

I can fit a 10 gallon batch of a regular beer (1.055) in there, although sometimes the sparge gets split.

I would go rectangle if I was doing all bigger batches.

Ive used both, 10 gallon round and now use an 82 quart rectangle, I can honestly say there is no difference, only one is bigger, I batch sparge btw.

I chose "Other", because the best tun is the one that works best for the technique you like best.

The tun that ensures even wetting of the grist - both at mash in and during the sparge - is the best tun.

I advise new all-grain brewers to get a round tun. You can always sparge both ways (batch and fly) in a round tun, but you can't effectively fly-sparge in a non-round tun. Yeah, a round tun is more expensive, but it lets you try more techniques.

Cheers!

Bob

I've only used a 5 Gallon round tun, but I have a 10 Gallon on the way!

FWIW - I am setup to fly sparge but I have yet to try it....only batch sparges for me so far.

I have both.

A 5 gallon Round Igloo and a larger rectangle Coleman.

I batch sparge.

If I do a large batch I'll use the larger MLT, otherwise I'll use the smaller round one.

well thanks everyone! I ended up getting a 10gal round cooler on a black friday discount, and now I'm asking for a false bottom for christmas! I'll use a braid til then. I went w/the round because I can use a false bottom which I think will be superior, and I can also add a stirrer more easily, and because it just "made the most sense"! the poll also got way more results than I thought! Thanks hbt.

10gal batches.

I use a round stainless steel tun that looks an awful lot like a pot and holds 15.5gal.

You can use a false bottom in a rectangular cooler as well but it means you have to find one, and they can be pricey since the area is going to be bigger.

This thread reminds me of the glass vs plastic debate...

I have only used round, only batch sparged to this point too but this will all change soon

I don't know why I do the things I do, but I just bought an additional 5 gal mash tun w/a false bottom off ebay for an awesome price. After I do a batch w/my new setup I'll have to vote in my own poll!

Well I finally got to use my new round mash tun today and I have to say that it is definitely superior to my old rectangular one. Granted, I probably had a really crappy rectangular one.

1. It seemed much easier to get everything all stirred up. I felt like this one got stirred up much better than my old one because there were no corners or large manifold parts for the grain to hide in/under.

2. It held the temp MUCH better. I lost 1 degree in a 90 minute mash today. In comparison I probably would have lost 4-6 degrees in my rectangular one.

3. The grain bed easily and quickly settled. I didn't have to wait several minutes after stirring and sparging for the bed to settle. I batch sparge.

4. The runnings cleared very quickly. I only had to drain 1/2 quart to get it to start running clearly. My old one took 2 quarts easily.

5. Since I batch sparge I don't worry about running the wort out slowly. With this new setup I was able to drain each sparge in about 4 minutes when it usually took 10 or more.

6. And finally I got a 10% efficiency increase! I'm sure this is due to several factors but I went from 77% to 87%, and that makes me a happy camper! I was expecting to hit around 85% with the new setup anyway, but 87 just made my day!

So thanks to everyone that voted in my poll and helped me make a VERY educated decision. To anyone reading this trying to decide what to get: you will not be disappointed w/a round cooler and a false bottom. Its a little more expensive, but with the increase in efficiency it will pay for itself.