7 Gallon Rubbermaid Beverage Cooler

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njnear76

njnear76

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I'm thinking of moving to All Grain and I want to use a beverage cooler. I'm mostly into stouts and porters and I was wondering if a 7 gallon Rubbermaid beverage cooler would work for my needs.

I plan on doing 5 gallons batches only. From my understanding the 5 gallon beverage coolers can't do more than 10-12 pounds of grain assuming 1.5 quarts per pound. A 7 gallon should be able to handle 14-16 pounds. Please confirm. :)

Thanks,
Mike
 
If you're sticking to 5 gallon batches, then you should be good with that. I wish I saw that cooler before I bought mine. Its a couple bucks cheaper than my 5 gallon :drunk:
 
Soulive21 said:
If you're sticking to 5 gallon batches, then you should be good with that. I wish I saw that cooler before I bought mine. Its a couple bucks cheaper than my 5 gallon :drunk:
Click to expand...
I know. It seems like a great deal! Plus it has some extra space for a larger grain bill.
 
njnear76 said:
I know. It seems like a great deal! Plus it has some extra space for a larger grain bill.
Click to expand...

Yeah, 7 gallons would be perfect for 5 gallon AG batches. If I ever brew anything over like 1.065, I plan on just adding some DME anyway. If I had another use for my 5 gallon, I'd buy that 7 gallon...
 
I dunno...if I were you I'd get the 10gallon cooler. the extra space is your friend.
it'll do low gravity, high gravity, and you could even do a parti-gyle sparge.

I just know that my 5 gallon was too small for anything over 1.060 without a double batch sparge, and I ended up making a 10gal MLT to replace it.
 
I just switched and got a 10 gallon. My main thinking was that if I decide to do some crzy big 5 gallon batches I want to know for certain that I have enough room without being concerned. You'll like the extra space. It is worth the extra $10 IMHO.
 
I agree that you may as well go ahead and get the 10 gallon. It gives you flexibility later on. It also works great for holding corny kegs and ice when you aren't brewing.


TL
 
I have a 10 gallon, but, you know, I bet the 7 gallon wouldn't be bad.

I like the room of my 10 gal and have gotten it pretty full, but since I am not making Double Imperial Export Baltic Dubbels or whateverthehell for every batch, most of the time it's about half full.

Since grain bed depth is an important consideration in an MLT, I think the 7 gal could be useful (assuming it's not just a shorter version of a 10 gal).

Although, did anyone else see that recipe in the last Zymurgy for that Blackwine IV (?) with an OG of, like, 1.135 and a 30+ lb. grain bill?!?!? You would need a 20 gallon MLT for that.

See, there's always someting more...;)
 
faber said:
I have a 10 gallon, but, you know, I bet the 7 gallon wouldn't be bad.

I like the room of my 10 gal and have gotten it pretty full, but since I am not making Double Imperial Export Baltic Dubbels or whateverthehell for every batch, most of the time it's about half full.

Since grain bed depth is an important consideration in an MLT, I think the 7 gal could be useful (assuming it's not just a shorter version of a 10 gal).

Although, did anyone else see that recipe in the last Zymurgy for that Blackwine IV (?) with an OG of, like, 1.135 and a 30+ lb. grain bill?!?!? You would need a 20 gallon MLT for that.

See, there's always someting more...;)
Click to expand...
Wow. That's a lot of grain.

The seven gallon looks like it would work, because I don't plan going beyond 18 pounds of grain. Am I doing the calculation correct: 1.5 quarts per pound? I know some people do 2 quarts per pound, which would put me at a limit of 14 pounds.

I mostly make stouts and porters, but I don't like super heavy beers that pour like syrup. Maybe I need to think this through a little bit more.

Anyways for those who are reading this thread:
7 gallon: $30 bucks + Tax (Walmart (free delivery to store))
10 gallon: $50 bucks + Tax (Ace Hardware (free delivery to store))
 
definitely go a bit bigger. I only do 5g batches as well, and I just did a fairly heavy stout that used 19lb grain. To hit my 1.077OG, I also used 1lb brown sugar and 1lb molasses. If you want to make a heavy stout, you are going to need something bigger than 7G IMO. I just bought a 48gt igloo cooler at k-mart for under $20.
-J
 
I use a 7-gallon round cooler for my MLT. If I were to buy a new MLT today I would go for the 10-gallon, just for the extra room.

7-gals works well for 'normal' 5 gallon batches, but I wouldn't try to fit any more than 14 or 15 lbs of grain in there.

I'm planning on doing a Russian Imperial Stout in January, and I expect it will have to be a 2.5 gallon batch.

The only reason I use a 7-gallon is because it was free. It belonged to SWMBO before we got marries and it didn't get much use so I repurposed it for use in the brewery.
 
miatawnt2b said:
definitely go a bit bigger. I only do 5g batches as well, and I just did a fairly heavy stout that used 19lb grain. To hit my 1.077OG, I also used 1lb brown sugar and 1lb molasses. If you want to make a heavy stout, you are going to need something bigger than 7G IMO. I just bought a 48gt igloo cooler at k-mart for under $20.
-J
Click to expand...
Hmmmm... maybe I should go that route. Are you sticking with a stainless steel braid for your setup?
Mike
 
njnear76 said:
Hmmmm... maybe I should go that route. Are you sticking with a stainless steel braid for your setup?
Mike
Click to expand...

Yep, I actually have 2 braids in mine to get a nice even draw through the grainbed. I use a brass T fitting and ziptied 2 braids to that so they lay parallel down the length of the cooler.
-J
 

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