Wanted: Good plans for a cheap homemade mash tun

I want to start all-grain brewing, but my kettle just isn't big enough. How did you all make your mash tuns?

Igloo cooler + ball valve + false bottom = good MT

I'm going along the lines of https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23008

Search for the word, "cooler."

camiller said:

I'm going along the lines of https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23008

Click to expand...

I used this same thread as a guide, but already had a spare 5 gallon cooler. Works great, but if you're going to buy one, get a 10g so you can do bigger beers and/or bigger batches. As it is, I'm pushing it to put 12 pounds of grains in my cooler...

Here's a link describing how I built mine with an inexpensive igloo cooler. It works well and gets me ~75% efficiency for 5.5 gal batches.

Cooler Mash Tun

I had good luck with the 'do it yourself' method and wouldn't hesitate to suggest that others try it.

Here is another DIY sample - Homemade mash tun instructions

What size batches do you want to make? What is your budget?

Yuri_Rage said:

Search for the word, "cooler."

Click to expand...

but use google

all of those are good links with info on various means of straining your wort when you drain. (stainless braided hose, false bottom, pvc,etc). Look what you may have around, and then see what else you can do on your budget.

I've also seen where people use a really large mesh bag and line their cooler, then just put a ball valve on the bottom. And anothere where someone used the existing watter tap on the cooler and slid some vynil/nylon hose through it and used that to drain


YMMV, good luck!