Alcohol % in 5 gallon cooler

[Joon75]

I'm going to start doing all grain and I have a 5 gallon mash tun cooler. What is the highest % beer you can make in a 5 gallon cooler? What's the most grain you can put in the cooler? Thanks!

 

[peterj]

It depends on your water:grain ratio and your batch size. Use the "Can I mash it" calculator here: http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml. Keep in mind you need room to stir and stuff though.

 

[elkshadow]

I mash in a 5 gallon cooler for my 3 gallon batches. I routinely mash between 10 and 11 pounds. Just under 11 pounds at 1.5q/lb is right about where it gets tricky. I make a lot of huge belgians and if I need some more OG points I use sugar or DME. You could fit more with a lower water/grain ration but it's a PITA to stir.

 

[BansheeRider]

I'm going to start doing all grain and I have a 5 gallon mash tun cooler. What is the highest % beer you can make in a 5 gallon cooler? What's the most grain you can put in the cooler? Thanks!

You should use that 5g cooler as a hot liquor tank and just buy a 10g cooler for mashing.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I use my 5 gal MLT for session brews I can make inside for the months we never get above freezing! 8-9 lbs is no problem but that gets you about 1040ish OG and around 4% abv. I think 11-12 lbs would be max. You could do smaller batches of bigger beers or do a double mash.

I love my 10 gallon, but I got it for $3 at a yard sale. Hard to fork over $60-70 for a cooler! You could go with a regular rectangular one for way cheaper.

 

[AT-JeffT]

I frequently hit 5gal OG of 1.072 in my 5gal mash tun. I mash a bit thick with 1.15qt/lb grist. I can fit 13lbs of grain. Stirring is never an issue. I'm functioning at efficiencies of 69-74%. This is very achievable for everyone. I'm currently bottle necked by my boil off rate, but you could certainly get better efficiencies depending on the size of your pot.

 

[BackAlley]

I frequently hit 5gal OG of 1.072 in my 5gal mash tun. I mash a bit thick with 1.15qt/lb grist. I can fit 13lbs of grain. Stirring is never an issue. I'm functioning at efficiencies of 69-74%. This is very achievable for everyone. I'm currently bottle necked by my boil off rate, but you could certainly get better efficiencies depending on the size of your pot.

+1 on this. On the very rare occasion that I go over that OG, I bump up with extract, sugar or both. I find that having a full cooler on every brew helps me hold temp loss to below 1F.