amazon 2 gallong cooler

Hey guys does this look like it will work for partial mash? I don't want to go bigger than 2 gallon. I was wondering if the curved sides would have a large effect on the batch sparge?http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YIREXE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've used a 2 gallon for small pms before, that actually looks nicer than mine...but honestly the 4 pounds of grain you can only use in there limits you in the pm department...With a 3 gallon you can do 6 pounds of grain....

I looked forever for a 3 gallon and yesterday I broke down and bought a 5 gallon for 18 dollars at walmart....that can hold 10-12 pounds of grain..I really resisted doing it because I live in a loft and have very little space...but the flexibility afforded by the amount of grain you can mash with really is worth the larger size...I guess I'll use it as an end table or something....

But yeah if you understand that you'll be limited to 4 pounds of grain then it's a great cooler...

Are you planning to put a braid in or use it unmodified....If you go with it unmodified I can't recommend enough using a large grain bag and putting a folding steamer like this in the bottom,



(unscrew or break off the center post)

Using the strainer lifts the grainbag above the level of the spigot and prevent stuck sparges.

Good advice, and I think for now I'll just stick with the 2 gallon. where would I find that folding steamer? Oh and I am going with a grain bag.

That folding steamer can be bought at kitchen supply places or places like Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl's, etc.

EvilTOJ said:

That folding steamer can be bought at kitchen supply places or places like Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl's, etc.

Click to expand...

And Kmarts (The Martha Stewart Large steamer is the shizzel, and the center post unscrews) , even where the pots and pans are found in most grocery stores.

The very top you’re going to get in there is 5 lbs of grain. For a single infusion partial mash you can get by with that, but I don’t think it’s worth sticking that close to your minimum requirements. Even with a partial mash there may be time when you may want to add infusions such as a protein rest or a mash out. Even adding rice hulls to a sticky mash could become a problem.

I have a 3 gallon Igloo that works nicely for partial mashes and even 3 gallon AG batches. That would be the minimum I would recommend. The 3 gallon cooler is a good compliment to the 12 gallon Rubbermaid I uses for larger batches. And if it’s price that you are concerned with, my Rubbermaid was only $15 from Walmart.

Good luck.

Edit:
I think that 5 gallons is kind of a no mans land. Extra head space for most partial mash, too tight for all types of AG.

Wow excellent advice here. I think I will switch to the 3 gallon and use the steamer thingymabobber. I'm sure it won't hurt to have a little extra room for the same price in case I want to do a larger mash.

SRTBREW said:

Wow excellent advice here. I think I will switch to the 3 gallon and use the steamer thingymabobber. I'm sure it won't hurt to have a little extra room for the same price in case I want to do a larger mash.

Click to expand...

I think that's a great idea, like i said earlier I would have like to have found a 3 gallon myself, I hit every big box store between where I live and where I work and had no luck...that's why I settled on the 5 gallon....

My PM's were done in a stainless 6gal pot. I brought water to temp, added grain, placed in an oven (which I kept at mash temperature, checked with a thermometer). Drain wort through a strainer, sparge the same way, and then proceed.

Worked like a charm!

Eric

Well......I looked around my area and all I could find was a 2 gallon and 5 gallon water cooler. I went ahead and got the 2 gallon, but I will keep my eyes open for a 3 gallon. I will be doing my first pm tonight. Wish me luck!

I bought a 3 gallon at a garage sale. I use it from PM and it can act as a complement to my 5 gallon to do a larger beer. between the 2, I can get 16-18 lbs of grain for a 5 gallon batch.

Well I did my first pm a couple of days ago. I think it turned out pretty good. I did a small mash of 1 pound 2 row, 1 pound malted wheat. I'ts for a wheat beer by the way. Of course I missed my strike temp. I ended up with a temp of 148. Since it was on the low side I mashed for 90 minutes. I think everything turned out though because the wort I collected was extremely sweet.

I'll tell you what will work with that.
Get about 30 ft of stainless tubing and make a coil that fits inside.

If you pull off the spigot, a bulkhead fitting will thread nicely thru the hole allowing you to mount a tap on there.
Get a chromed sink drain and cut a length off to cover up the threaded portion on the outside to pretty it up. I think I used a 6" fitting to get enough clearance. Altho I also have the igloo elite(discontinued) which is shorter and wider. But with that one you could leave the top off and chill some bottles.
Snow works great to chill the beer, when it's that time of year.
You can also build a rig to run off of a paintball cylinder, then you have a completly portable keg rig.