Is a 30 or 40 qt cooler too big for a 2.5 gal batch?

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emr454

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I am deciding to try all grain again, after my first failure with BIAB on the stove top, and have an Igloo cooler all set up for mashing in. Since my gas stove can't handle large amounts for boiling, I want to try a 2.5 gal batch.

I'm thinking of something relatively simple like Ed's Haus pale ale.

My question: since I will have a small amount of grain in the cooler, and a large "dead space", will this contribute problems? I plan on pre-heating the tun and letting the temp fall naturally to my desired mash temps.

Will this work and hold relatively steady mash temps? Thanks in advance.

Eric
 
I do not think it should be a problem. I started out with a 2 gallon cooler now I have a 10 gallon and 5 gallon. Go big because someday you might want too or be able to go bigger all grain. I think your temps should be ok.
 
It'll work just fine, but if you've got a lot of dead space, you're going to need to use a little extra water. I'd probably account for the loss by using a tad more grain, then instead of dumping the water out of the mash tun when you pre-heat, just drain it off so you don't lose any of your mash and sparge volumes.
 
don't use more water if it's bigger. grain saturates at about 1.125 quarts water per lb of grain. aj and hypno both have valid points. i'd just get bigger coolers, and forget thist " start small " stuff
 
Also you could get some foam to insulate it while its mashing. Don't worry if it accidentally touches it for a moment because you'll be boiling the mash shortly after.:mug:
 
Holding mash temp would be your only issue. It may not hold it as well. When you fill that sucker up though, it will hold temps like a champ.
 
Two things I'd recommend:

1. Preheat the mash tun. Might be tough to predict exactly how much heat loss you'd have from doing a small batch, but if you preheat (with just a little near-boiling water for a few minutes), the amount of the loss will be a lot lower.

2. Thinner mash. Do something like 2.0 qts/lb, just to increase the total mass inside the mash tun. Should also help to keep temps stable.
 
I agree with the_bird. I had problems holding my mash temperature when I did a lower water to grain ratio. When I stepped it up to about 2.0, then my temperatures were much more consistent.
 
Get a small cooler to start with. After a while, you're going to want to tinker with something again. If you already have a large mash tun, you won't be able to tinker and make another.

Start small with the right size for your mash; when you are ready for larger batches, you'll get to build another mash tun. It's a win/win as I see it. ;)
 
How long you think he's going to be sticking with half-batches, though? I started with a small cooler (5 gallon), and used it maybe twice.

Get yourself a 10-gallon cooler. Preheat it and use a thin mash. You might lose a little temp, it might take a little work to dial in where your temps need to be, but you'll figure it out.

Why build it twice?
 
The cooler I have is just your average blue picnic cooler. It's probably 10 gallon, but the sticker fell off and I dont know for sure anymore. I've set up the stainless braid and tubing already and have a digital thermometer with a probe. All I need to do now is try it out. Grain is cheap enough, and I have fermentors available, but I dont yet have a way to boil 5+ gallons of wort. My stove MIGHT handle 2.5 gallons, but thats pushing it. If I can get some of the aluminum based insulation wrap that would help tremendously. I need to get a turkey fryer and give it a whirl!

Eric
 
You could also take a look at the heatstick designs in the DIY projects.

I use a 10gal cooler to mash. I mostly make 3 gallon batches in it, but from time to time I do 5 gallon batches. I have no problem from a flavor perspective, but even with preheating the tun I do experience noticeable heat loss due to the deadspace. I suck it up because I know someday in the future I'll want to do larger batches...
 
That would be a problem if you were to fly sparge as the grain bed depth would be too shallow to prevent channeling, but for batch sparging, it should be fine.

-a.
 
I use a five gallon cooler for 2.5 gallon batches every time I brew. I have brewed about 18 2.5 gallon batches. I like the smaller batches, because I am able to brew more often, and brewing only takes 3.5 hours. I do small batch, no sparge. Just pour all the water in with the grain. I have not had any problems. It may take you a little dialing in with Beersmith to get you recipes just right, but hey, that's tinkering. No sparge really cuts down on the time. I think the 30-40qt cooler will be fine. I preheat mine with tap water, so it is about 120F when the grain goes in. Mostly my tun is nearly full when the grain and water go in. You can cut a piece of foam/styrofoam to the inside diameter of the tun, wrap it in plastic wrap and set in on top of the grain/water. It helps.

Since my batches are so small, it takes less than an hour to bottle and clean-up. I get about 20 bottles per batch. I don't drink it everyday, and I don't give a lot away, so I am swamped in beer. I have about 5 cases on hand of varying types of beer.

Everyone says you will go bigger. They mean well, and maybe the majority of brewers do go bigger. For me, staying small fits my style. I brew nearly every week and it doesn't cost a lot.

Good luck!
 
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