3-Gallon cooler

[Wino24]

Hi all....would a 3 gallon igloo cooler be too small to mash in for your average 5 gallon batch?

 

[Walker]

Hi all....would a 3 gallon igloo cooler be too small to mash in for your average 5 gallon batch?

Yup.... too small. A 'typical' 5 gallon batch for me has about 10lbs of grain, and I use over 3.5 gallons of water for the mash. Even if you mashed really thick, you'd need 2.5 gallons of water for 10 lbs of grain.

 

[AnOldUR]

. . . would a 3 gallon igloo cooler be too small to mash in for your average 5 gallon batch?

PM = No
AG = Yes

 

[JuanMoore]

IMO a 5 gal cooler is barely big enough for the average 5 gal batch since it only holds 10-12 pounds of grain with a normal mash thickness. You might find this useful-https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-big-your-mash-tun-needs-123585/

 

[Starderup]

A 36 quart (9 gal) rectangular Igloo cooler (what I am using) is a good size for low to medium gravity beers. 12 quarts would be way too small.
AnOldUR -I assume by PM you are talking partial mash, and that wouldn't even require a mash tun in the first place.

 

[malkore]

I rarely break out my 10gal cooler, but I rarely exceed 1.060 for an OG target.

3 gal would leave you kicking yourself after a couple of brews...definitely get a 5 gal or larger.

 

[AnOldUR]

AnOldUR -I assume by PM you are talking partial mash, and that wouldn't even require a mash tun in the first place.

Well gee, you're right. A mash tun is never required.
Yet a 3 gallon tun will do the job quite nice for 5 gallons PM's if your space is limited.
And it's a lot easier to hold temperature in a cooler than on a stove top.



But, na nana na na, mine's bigger than yours. :cross:









Edit:
Mash Tun I mean.