AG equipment inventory

I am starting to acquire equipment for my all grain setup. I wanted to appeal to those that have experience for suggestions/advice in acquiring this equipment.

My intention was to buy two igloo or rubbermaid 5 gallon coolers from craiglist or locals and convert them into the mash/lauter tun. Before proceeding I wanted to ensure there are no caveats that I don't know about using the igloo's vs rubbermaid coolers. Are the fittings relatively generic?

I have the option to buy a 5 gallon Igloo from a buddy this week as my first piece and wanted to start with advice here.

Thanks for your help!

eah just take the spigot out and use it at the hardware store to get the correct fittings sizes. why two 5g anyway? maybe a 5g and a 10g that way the 5g takes care of brews that are under 1.060 and the 10g for big brews or 10g batches

oh yeah don't pay more 10 or so for a 5g since walmart sells em new for 20

A five gallon is going to be to small. If your going the tabletop method as opposed to a gravity setup I would recommend a square cooler. There cheaper and bigger than their round brothers.

wildwest450 said:

A five gallon is going to be to small. If your going the tabletop method as opposed to a gravity setup I would recommend a square cooler. There cheaper and bigger than their round brothers.

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I've haven't really seen the square coolers used nor do I know the difference between tabletop vs. gravity. I thought it was all gravity. I'm not trying to seem completely oblivious but I've mostly seen the trees and etc. I think I saw Revvy had a square cooler in one of his gallery pics but I can't be for sure that it was his image.

tks!

If possible, look for coolers that are designed to hold ice for 5 days or so... Max Cold for Igloo... not sure for Gott... Coleman is Extreme.

Other than that, it's more about what size batch you intend to brew.

gwalt said:

I've haven't really seen the square coolers used nor do I know the difference between tabletop vs. gravity. I thought it was all gravity. I'm not trying to seem completely oblivious but I've mostly seen the trees and etc. I think I saw Revvy had a square cooler in one of his gallery pics but I can't be for sure that it was his image.

tks!

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I guess I meant to say a sculpture, or single tier setup. I just use a rectangular cooler (as many do) they hold way more grain and can be found cheaper than a 10 gallon round.

wildwest450 said:

I guess I meant to say a sculpture, or single tier setup. I just use a rectangular cooler (as many do) they hold way more grain and can be found cheaper than a 10 gallon round.

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I assume that you just drill out the spout on the end of the rectangular cooler and pretty much everything else is like the round? Thanks for your help.

gwalt said:

I assume that you just drill out the spout on the end of the rectangular cooler and pretty much everything else is like the round? Thanks for your help.

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Actually the spout can be simply un-screwed, then use a stainless braid, or a manifold.

Just one 10g round cooler. That's it..convert it and be done. Absolutely no need for all the fuss;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

My AG's over the last 2 years say this is all you need to have as good of beer as a $2000 setup. No "extreme", no "huge rectangle"....none of that junk. Just get what has kept the most of us homebrwing AG's. The AG setup should be under $80 total.

Of course that my opinion and you know what they say about those.

They are like a**holes. Everyone's got one and they all stink. Or something like that.

I started out with a 5 gallon and brewed small beers and partial mash. I upgraded to a 10 gallon and now use the 5 gallon as a hlt.

wildwest450 said:

A five gallon is going to be to small.

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+1. Square or round, that's up to you, but however you do it, go bigger. It just leave so many more options open.

I've found a square 50qt (12.5 gal) Igloo Maxcold. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that I needed a false bottom for the square and the only false bottoms I've seen are round. However I now understand that you can use the mesh tubing. I understand that the mesh tubing is limited to batch sparging instead of fly. What is the actual difference between the two?

Thanks

Batch sparging is easier and requires less epuipment. You just dump in your sparge water after you collect your first runnings until you reach the amount needed for boil.

Fly sparging slowly trickles water into the grains and rinses them that way. You get better efficiency fly sparging. Personally, I go for batch and just plan on getting 70% or so and plan my recipes accordingly. It cuts down the brew day to about 6 hours.


AND BREW SOFTWARE IS A MUST!!!

Best $20 I ever spent on any equipment. No biggie for extract, but a real must for AG. It will tell you how much water to use for sparging and even has a calculator for if you batch or fly sparge. I was in exactly your spot about a year ago and know how confusing it all may sound. It is really easy once you get the planning down. And ohhhh what a difference in taste!

Kayos, thanks for the response. It is good to hear personal experiences. Plus that last little statement compels me to speed up my process of acquiring the parts needed. I don't want to shell out the money that sites like Northern Brewer and Midwest want for starter all grains setups. I went through a few extract batches that just tasted like crap. Finally I've tweaked my process; late extract addition, full boils, etc. to make my extract brews better. But I've always been disappointed with somewhat watery palate of the beer i've made. thanks yo.

No prob! Really, all you need is the 1 converted cooler and Brewsmith. Then do a recipe from the recipe section here and make sure you order the grains cruched if you order online. No false bottoms, no second cooler. As long as you can do full boils, and have a wort chiller you are good to go!

I was going to hold off bring this up for your thoughts, but I just converted a 72q Coleman Extreme into a mash tun without using all the fancy plumbing and keeping the original drain intact and I like it. I originally started out removing the drain to take to HD to get the brass and SS parts like recommended here but when I got there I noticed a flexible plastic tube (I can provide size and type once I get home) in the plumbing dept that with a little push fits tightly into the opening of the original drain. I brought a 4' length for about 2-3 bucks, 2 SS clamps and the SS braid. I cut a 3' length of this tubing, shoved it into the drain and left about 4" into the cooler to attach the braid leaving about 2.5' of the flexible tube extending outside the cooler. Valve? Since it is flexible (still hard tubing though) I easily bent it up so I could use a rubber band to attach it to the handle above the height of the cooler lid. This stops the liquid from draining out. When I was ready to drain, I simply removed the rubber band and lowered the tube carefully into my pot. No a single leak and I used no sealer or silicone. Did a wheat beer last weekend with not a single issue. Cooler was at WM on sale last fall for like $20.

Oh, and if I ever give up brewing I can still use the cooler by simply removing the braid from the tube and pull it out. I was amazed how snug the fit is between the two and the heat of the mash had no effect on the seal. Perhaps in time maybe, but I doubt it and if any very, very little.