Can I use a 10 gal Mash tun cooler for 5 gal batches?

[Kennanwt5]

I only have a 10 gal mash tun igloo cooler. Can I still do 5 gal brew batches or will the grain bed not be thick enough... think normal gravity beers like ales..

Please advise. Thanks

 

[balrog]

Lots of places to see what volume you'll end up with. It's up to you to decide whether the water/grain ratio is suitable. See this for instance.

 

[estricklin]

I think a lot of people actually use 10 gals for 5 gal batches. So the grain bed won't be as thick, that shouldn't cause any problems that I can tell.

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

I bought a 10gal specifically so I'd have the option of doing 5 or 10 gal batches. Just did a 5 gal amber ale AG Saturday night. Not a single issue and used zero rice hulls (not that this is a good idea lol).

 

[wilserbrewer]

Try batch sparging, grain bed depth does not matter.

 

[Rivenin]

i use a 10g rubbermaid cooler for my 5 gallon batches... works just fine.
a 5 gallon cooler doing 5 gallon batches, you are limited to i think 1.060 beers? or something around there, i can't recall.

 

[Sammy86]

Yes, you will be fine for 5 gallon batches with a 10 gallon cooler...you will have plenty of room...especially since your initial strike water is anywhere from 3-4 gallons

 

[balrog]

Using typical 1.25 qt/lb, Can I Mash It calculates 12.7 lb grain with 1.25 ratio gives a total volume=4.98 gal

So anything less than 12.7 pounds of grain will fit, which should do you for 1.060 or less beers.

 

[feinbera]

You almost have to use a 10 gallon cooler for 5 gallon batches... yeah, the 5 gallon cooler works on paper (I know, I did the math, and bought the cooler), but that doesn't take account for vigorous stirring, adding water when your strike temp is a little low, adding mash-out water (if you do that), making "extra" wort to account for trub losses, throwing in an extra couple pounds of grain because your efficiency isn't great and you don't wanna buy your own mill just yet, attempting high-gravity beers .... etc.

Not only will you mash a 5-gallon batch just fine in a 10-gallon cooler; at some point during your first handful of batches, you'll go "dang, this thing's awfully full, wonder if I shouldn't have sprung for the 15-gallon?"

 

[dk21]

I use a 10 gallon cooler for 5.5 gallon batches all of the time. Works great and I can fit a mash in for a big beer.

 

[smccarter]

weird question.

My question is why would you think you couldn't use a 10 gallon cooler to mash a 5 gallon batch?

 

[Bottoms_Up]

weird question.

My question is why would you think you couldn't use a 10 gallon cooler to mash a 5 gallon batch?

It was a legitimate question. My understanding is that he thought that, because the 10 gallon cooler has a wider diameter than a 5 gallon cooler, that the grain bed wouldn't be thick enough to act as a proper filter. The answer, of course, is that, unless it is a very low gravity beer, the grain bed should still be thick enough to act as a proper filter.

Based on my experience, for a 5 gallon recipe, a 10-gallon cooler is far preferred over a 5-gallon cooler, since a 5-gallon cooler will be extremely tight in most cases, and will not be big enough to add a proper amount of mash out water, enough to bring the overall temperature to about 168-170 F to stop enzyme activity. Ideally, for medium gravity brews, a 7 or 8 gallon cooler would be better for 5 gallon batches, and a 15 gallon cooler would be better for 10 gallon batches.

 

[smccarter]

I use a 7 gallon igloo cooler to brew 5 gallon batches and often wish that I'd have bought a 10 gallon cooler instead. Brewing a big beer is difficult sometimes with such a small cooler. When this one is too old to use any longer, I'll buy a 10 gallon cooler to replace it.

 

[Darwin18]

I started with a 5-gallon cooler and then went up to a 10-gallon cooler and never looked back or regretted it.

 

[slider67]

when i was getting started i read a bunch on here and 10 gallon cooler was the way to go for the mash tun , i have a 5 gallon for the HLT

 

[steveoatley]

GO Bigger

I did the math
10 gallon Igloo Cooler can hold 20 lbs of grain & 6.5 gallon of strike water
With an additional 3.5 gallon Batch Sparge

I can get a pre boil 1.090 Gravity out - for a 5 gallon in the keg batch

My problem is that my 10 gallon Kettle does not hold 10 gallons of water
It will hold 9.75

Should have gone Bigger, and got myself the 15 gall kettle !

 

[Bottoms_Up]

I did the math
10 gallon Igloo Cooler can hold 20 lbs of grain & 6.5 gallon of strike water
With an additional 3.5 gallon Batch Sparge

The math is flawed. Grain takes up volume, so you can't have 20 lbs of grain along with 10 gallons of water(6.5 + 3.5) in a 10 gallon cooler.

 

[steveoatley]

The math is flawed. Grain takes up volume, so you can't have 20 lbs of grain along with 10 gallons of water(6.5 + 3.5) in a 10 gallon cooler.

BATCH sparge

add 6.5 gallons - stir
Drain - get 3.8 out due to absorption
add 3.25 gallons - stir
Drain - get about 7 gallon pre boil

 

[Bottoms_Up]

BATCH sparge

add 6.5 gallons - stir
Drain - get 3.8 out due to absorption
add 3.25 gallons - stir
Drain - get about 7 gallon pre boil

Thanks. This was not clear in your initial explanation. However, this process will not get the enzymes to stop their activity. You need to add enough water in the sparge to get it all up to about 168-170 F.

Grain displaces about 0.32-0.36 quarts per pound of grist.