Anyone use this cooler for MLT?

[Smeckel]

Hey guys. I've been brewing up extract batches for a couple months now and am starting to piece together an all-grain setup. I have my burner and 60qt kettle so far and am deciding on a cooler for my MLT.

I almost bought the Igloo Icecube the other day but decided against it because of all the negative reviews about its insulation on here. I'm trying to keep my costs down as much as possible without sacrificing the beer. Has anyone has tried using the Igloo Marine 54qt cooler from walmart before. It has a latch on the top which might help keep some heat in, and is already drilled for the spigot unlike the ice-cube.

What would be the most insulated cooler out there in the >$40 range?

BTW...I'm looking to make 10gal batches with a steel braid manifold for batch sparging, if that matters.

 

[BargainFittings]

I use a cheap 45 quart rubber maid rectangular cooler and it holds temps just fine.

Any of the marine coolers will work fine. The biggest place the manufacturers scrimp on is insulating the cooler lids.

I usually buy a can of spray foam and fill them up.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I almost bought the Igloo Icecube the other day but decided against it because of all the negative reviews about its insulation on here. I'm trying to keep my costs down as much as possible without sacrificing the beer.

In my opinion, all the negative reviews about the Igloo Icecube are a bunch of bunk. In my opinion again, I feel that people getting a large temperature drop is a result of not preheating the cooler, or simply having too small a grain bill for a 60 qt. cooler. Oh another possibility is someone opening the lid every few minutes and sttirring the heat away.

I feel just about any cooler, if properly preheated, and properly sized for the grain bill, can adequately maintain a steady enough temp. for making "home brew".

Come on guys, a degree or two over the second half of the hour mash is not going to bust the beer.

 

[Big10Seaner]

I have a 62 quart coleman extreme cooler with wheels on it and I absolutely love it! If you look around you might be able to find one for $40, it could be $50 at the most. It's really handy being able to wheel around the spent grains to wherever you want to dump them. I use a slotter copper manifold on the bottom which are fairly cheap to make as well.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

In my opinion again, I feel that people getting a large temperature drop is a result of not preheating the cooler, or simply having too small a grain bill for a 60 qt. cooler. Oh another possibility is someone opening the lid every few minutes and sttirring the heat away.

I have the same basic setup 60 qt SS pot, SQ-14 and 52 qt MLT with 3/4" SS water heater supply braid. Works great 81% efficiency on my first try!:rockin:

I have a 52 qt Coleman Xtreme and although I like it, with a 8 lb grain bill and 10 quarts of strike water (tun pre-heated) the temps were all over the place, toward the backside they were the warmest, and toward the front (where you'd open the lid) had the lowest temps. It was my first AG, so I'm going to chalk it up to having too much headspace in the cooler with such a small grain bill. Something I believe will be resolved with some insulation styrofoam.

FWIW, if you have a smaller grain bill you may need to reduce the headspace, but it looks like your getting set for 10 gallon batches so it may not even be an issue. My plan for the next brewday is for a 10 gallon batch so I may not have any temp problems with a larger volume in the tun.

 

[JKoravos]

I have a 48qt Marine Ice Cube. I maxed it out this weekend with 26 lbs of grain at 1.25 qt/lb. Previously I've never had problems with temp loss. At worst it's been 1-2 degrees, usually 0 or 1 degree. Saturday it was in the mid-30s when I mashed in. Throughout the mash it dropped from 154 to the upper 140s. Maybe about 5-6 degrees. I'm moving to a HERMS for my next batch, but if I wasn't I'd be considering improving my MLT.

I'd say if you're going to be mashing outside in cold temps you want something like the MaxCold.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I'd say if you're going to be mashing outside in cold temps you want something like the MaxCold.

Ah, good point! I'm mostly an indoor brewer down in my basement. Hauling wort and equipment up and down the stairs, eventually something gives.

 

[Smeckel]

I appreciate the replys. On my search for coolers I found that I have a 40qt Coleman in my attic. Would that be large enough to pull off a 10 gal batch? Or should I go for something larger. It would just be nice to pull this off with a free mlt.

 

[JKoravos]

I appreciate the replys. On my search for coolers I found that I have a 40qt Coleman in my attic. Would that be large enough to pull off a 10 gal batch? Or should I go for something larger. It would just be nice to pull this off with a free mlt.

Depending on your efficiency, you could probably get away with batches in the 1.045 to 1.055 range. For higher gravity brews you'll have to scale down your batch size.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

No love for the rubbermaid?!?!?

I use a 7 gal rubermaid most of the time, but also have a 10 gal for HG batches. I can also fit a 6 gal carboy in the 10 gal cooler. This was helpful before I had temp control. I could dump ice in, drain water off the bottom, and add more ice.

 

[chuggs]

I use a cooler...and instead of worrying about it's insulation...I made a heat wand. I dip it in the mash...and stir it around for a few seconds whenever my temps drop.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I believe I have that same coleman 40 qt...I have used it for 7.75 gallon batches of moderate gravity w/ a tripple batch sparge. Something to note is that I believe that cooler has a domed lid to be called a "40" quart.

 

[Brew-boy]

I have the blue ice cube igloo and with the tiny mods I did I loose 1 degree over a 60min mash and I get consistently 85-87% efficiency. I have no idea why people are saying it's no good.

 

[weirdboy]

In my opinion, all the negative reviews about the Igloo Icecube are a bunch of bunk. In my opinion again, I feel that people getting a large temperature drop is a result of not preheating the cooler, or simply having too small a grain bill for a 60 qt. cooler. Oh another possibility is someone opening the lid every few minutes and sttirring the heat away.
.

I agree with wilserbrewer. I use the igloo ice cube and have only myself to blame for any temperature issues I've experienced with it. Once I stopped opening the lid to check up/stir all the time and doing other stupid stuff, my temps started staying consistent throughout the mash.

 

[Jkane101]

I recently got a 70 Qt Coleman Extreme from Walmart..online. I think it was $38 and $4 shipping..this is a great cooler, a GREAT price and an easy conversion.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I recently got a 70 Qt Coleman Extreme from Walmart..online. I think it was $38 and $4 shipping..this is a great cooler, a GREAT price and an easy conversion.

That is a damn good price for a 70qt, MSRP is $79.99!

I got a decent deal on my 52 qt from Sears, $26.99 in-store pick-up. MSRP $55.99.

Prost!

 

[Jkane101]

Yeah I ordered on August 20, I originally wasn't going to get a cooler that big but when I saw the price I figured WTF, it'll be good for 10g batches if I ever brew that much.

I found my online receipt

Subtotal:$38.88
Shipping:$4.00
Sales Tax:$3.00
Order Total:$45.88

Cheers!