anyne used these lowe's 5 gal coolers

[vmpolesov]

Seems like a good buy at $22

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=212747-1217-FG1785L42

any reason not to go for this? What are the pros and cons of 5 vs 10 gal coolers if I am just brewing 5 gal batches?

 

[medic_35057]

Go for it. I use an Igloo 5 gal. cooler and works great. One drawback is that you are limited to around 11# of grains that can be used along with your water but other than that I have no complaints with mine. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[DUCCCC]

My doesn't say Lowes on it, but it's the same Rubbermaid one as that, same color even. Works fine, and I've already fit 14lbs of grain in mine. I think I would not go any higher than 15.

 

[imasickboy]

At a 1:1 water to grain ratio, you can just squeeze 15 pounds of grain in there.

 

[malkore]

At a 1:1 water to grain ratio, you can just squeeze 15 pounds of grain in there.

one could also dough in very thick and do 2-3 batch sparges to collect enough wort, and get good efficiency.

several options here.

I love my 5 gal cooler. I have a 10 also, but most of my brews are under 1.060 so I like the 5gal for those batches.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Get the big'un. You're going to ten gallon batches eventually anyway. You just don't realize it yet.

 

[DRAGGER]

The 5 gallon Rubbermaid at Wally World is only 15 bones

DRAGGER.....

 

[TimBrewz]

Get the big'un. You're going to ten gallon batches eventually anyway. You just don't realize it yet.

Second the 10 gallon-I started with the 5 gal and its OK-but it is really maxed out at around 12 pounds grain if you want to have room to add more water or stir it without worrying about spillover. With a 10 gal you can do just about any style or gravity. Its not a bad idea to have the 5 gal to start-I use the 5 gal for a hotliquor tank now.

 

[stormtracker]

The 5 gallon Rubbermaid at Wally World is only 15 bones

DRAGGER.....

Yip, Dats where I gots mine

 

[max4677]

Yeah, mine is the Lowes version of the Rubbermaind. Wally World usually has it cheaper if you don't mind shopping there.

 

[Bert]

Yeah, I'd pay the extra $18 to step up to the Home Depot 10 gallon cooler.

 

[Fender230]

you would be limited to brews under about 1.070 or 13lbs of grist depending on your efficiency

i almost bought one but a pro brewer friend of mine said i would out grow it quickly. especially if i was going to go beyond 5 gallon batches

 

[farmbrewernw]

+1 on the 10 gallon you wont regret it.

 

[BierMuncher]

I started with the 5-gallon cooler. It wasn't long before it was relegated to this:



Pre-chiller.

Ante up for the bigger beast. Life will be easier.

 

[Brewsmith]

I used a similar one for a couple years and it worked great. Temps stayed constant. And I'll agree that with a thick mash at 1 qt/lb you can easily fit 14 lbs in there, to do up to 1.070 or so beers. Now that I have a 10 gallon cooler, I still use it as a hot liquor tank.

 

[vmpolesov]

I ended up going with 5 gal igloos from sears that say 'craftsman'. Lowes didn't have any in stock and there is no wally world nearby.

I got 2 - 1 for hlt and one for mlt.

If I outgrow them later I can find other uses for them or donate them to new aspring brewers.

 

[chemist308]

At SAMs Club the 5 gallon Rubbermaids can be had for around $14.

 

[twst1up]

so then is 60 quarts TOO big for 5 gallon batches? Just bought one last nite at WW

 

[knowltonm]

It should work, it's overkill, but it'll probably end up pushing you toward bigger batches because you'll see all that extra room that you're not using in there, and I think we all like to be efficient. My only thought is grain bed depth if you fly sparge.