15Gal. or 20Gal. Mash Tun? I've Officially Outgrown my 10Gal. Igloo Cooler

[Ntwkdsnr]

I'm on the fence about making the jump up to a 20Gal. mash tun partly because of the cost. I brew 10-12 gallon batches sometimes up to 20lbs. of grain. The mash is right up to the top of the cooler for a high gravity ale. A couple times I split the grain bill and did 2 mashes. It just makes the brew day that much longer. I have the fermenter capacity at 15 gallons, the next bottleneck is my 15 gallon BK.

 

[bracconiere]

damn, instead of a bigger cooler, i just started adding gluco to get the ABV up......went from 20lb's for a 6% beer to 20lb's for a 8% beer......

 

[VikeMan]

damn, instead of a bigger cooler, i just started adding gluco to get the ABV up......went from 20lb's for a 6% beer to 20lb's for a 8% beer......

I guess that's good, if you like whatever style of beer you're getting by adding sugar. Malt Liquor?

 

[Nagorg]

Stating the obvious, it's really more about sizing for the grain bill. I've done 15G batches in my 70Qt MLT but my 120Qt is nicer for those since I can mash thinner and sparge once instead of twice with the smaller one. (batch sparge) It's also handy for when I shoot for a big brew too for the same reasons.

My typical batch size is 10G and the 70Qt is the favorite, even for higher gravity brews.

 

[beersk]

I guess that's good, if you like whatever style of beer you're getting by adding sugar. Malt Liquor?

He's talking about an amylase enzyme that ferments the beer to a lower OG. So effectively you have a lower carb, higher abv beer with the same amount of grains.

 

[VikeMan]

He's talking about an amylase enzyme that ferments the beer to a lower OG. So effectively you have a lower carb, higher abv beer with the same amount of grains.

I thought he was talking about corn sugar (glucose) and not glucoamylase. Kind of the same effect, though. "Diet" malt liquor, maybe.

 

[greywolf]

I just got a 20 gal stainless pot off amazon for $60 ish. It has a basket ,too. Should have plenty of capacity compared to the 10 gal igloo. Maybe try BIAB at some point. This thing is HUGE.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

He's talking about an amylase enzyme that ferments the beer to a lower OG. So effectively you have a lower carb, higher abv beer with the same amount of grains.

Either way you're changing the character of the beer.

 

[beersk]

Either way you're changing the character of the beer.

Yeah, it's not something I'd want.