10 gallon vs 5 gallon MLT - Bear with me!!

[Jayfro21]

So I realize that this question has been posed on this forum many times, but I have a specific question. I REALLY want a 10 gallon Gott cooler to build my MLT, but we just can't find them anywhere. If I order it off of the web, it will belike $65 shipped, and that sucks! I can EASILY find the 5 gallon, and that got me thinking. I know that everyone says that you will want a 10 gallon for bigger beers later on, but what if you will only have the capabilities of doing a 7 gallon boil in a 7.5 gallon pot? I am prettty sure the bigger the beer, the bigger the grain bill, the more water needed and the bigger the boil, so I don't even think that I would have the ability to do a big beer!

Questions:

1) Go with the 5 gallon cooler?
2) Keep looking for 10 gallon?
3) Go with a different cooler with at least a 40 quart capacity?

Help!!

Jason

 

[BierMuncher]

Go with whatever gets you brewing sooner.

I started with the 5 adn did aton of 5-gallon batches with it. I had to get the 10 when I started doing bigger batches...but I converted my 5-gallon cooler into a prechiller.

Since you're out on the left coast, your ground water may be a bit too warm to chill a 10-gallon batch effectively, so if you ever step up to 10-gallon batches, you could always make use of that 5-gallon cooler.

FWIW, I did several 1.065 beers with my 5-gallon cooler (12-13 pounds)

 

[rdwj]

I always suggest bigger. Mine is 52 qt and I wish I had a little more room for big beers in 10 gal batches. You're probably going to find out very quickly that that 7.5 gal pot isn't ideal for all grain and you're gonna probably upgrade. Why not think ahead on the tun?

 

[abracadabra]

Go for a big rectanglar type if you can't find a deal on a the 10 gal. round. You can get a Max Cold or Ice Cube Extreme something that will hold ice for 5 days. It will hold heat better than a standard 10 gal. gott or rubbermaid too.

You will not regret getting a large cooler you might regret getting a small one.

 

[abracadabra]

here's one $41.95 + shipping

http://cspoutdoors.stores.yahoo.net/10galwatcool.html

 

[Jayfro21]

So as luck has it, Ace hardware here in Bakersfield (where my parents live), had the 10 gallon, so there you go! And I did find a kitchen supply store that supplies all the asian restaurants in SF that sells gigantic stainless steel pots for like $50, the only problem is they aren't labeled with the size, so I would have to guess!

And for now, I am only doing 5 gallon batches because I am one of the only ones that drinks the beer, and I don't drink an insane amount...but 10 gallons would be better as I could make more beer in pretty much the same amount of time!

Anyways, thanks for the input!

Jason

 

[Wables]

Do to good timing, I was able to buy a 34 qt and a 70 qt. Coleman Extreme cooler for the same price as a 10 gallon. They are about the perfect size for batch sparging 5 and 10 gallon batches. I am able to use the same manifold for both, but needed 2 bulkheads instead of 1. I am glad that I went the route that I did. A 10 gallon cooler is bad for 10 gallon batches for the same reason that a 5 gallon cooler is bad for 5 gallon batches. It is difficult to make big beers, especially if you are batch sparging.