Best Option 20gal Mash tun.

[Arneba28]

Yes I saw the sticky!!!!

Ok So a few thoughts. I am upgrading to 15gallon batches. Got the Kettle, burner and fermenter. Now the mash tun

Plastic garbage can wrapped in the thin insulation with the foil backing type stuff.?

100 qt cooler.? expensive as all hell.!! however, looks like they would be able to hold in the range of 50lbs of grain @1.25qt/lb.
With the efficiency that I am running on average even my hefe's take apx. 9lbs of grain for a 5gal batch, so about 27lbs for a 15 gallon batch. And thats for a hefe at about 1.050 OG

Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Yes I know my efficiency is horrid, im workin on it.

 

[stevehaun]

When I made 15 gallon batches, I used one of those 30 gallon blue HDPE barrels. I cut the lid off and then cut off about 4" around the top of the barrel. The lid then fit very nicely on the top of the barrel. The barrels are over 2 mm thick and conduct heat very poorly. They lose little heat over a typical 1 hour mash. Obviously, one could also insulate the barrel. It is easy to install a sturdy bulkhead as well. It is also very light when you dump your spent grains. When we increased to 35 gallon batches, I bought a 55 gallon HDPE barrel to use for a mash tun. The lid fit much better on the 30 gallon version than the 55 gallon barrel I am using now.

 

[Bashiba]

I just got a Coleman Xtreme 120 quart I intend to use for High Gravity 10 Gallon batches, for $48 at my Local Walmart. Seemed pretty reasonable to me.

 

[weirdboy]

Yeah I just saw a big 20 gal + chest cooler for $60 at my local Lowe's the other day. They also had the 70qt ice cube for $48.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I had a 120qt Extreme for my 12.5 gallon batches. I have since moved to a 130qt MaxCold. My problem with the Extreme was that when it was full the sides would bow and let out the heat. The MaxCold has snaps on the lid that keep it from having this problem. I would look into a cooler that has a threaded top or snap lock. Igloo has a barrel type beverage cooler for parties. Not what it is called, but looks perfect for brewing. I already have a rig and it wouldn't fit. I would have bought it if my rig frame were wider.