I should have asked @BrianB specifically. I was going to suggest just doing BIAB if the boil kettle is big enough. Skip the cooler.
Cooler Mash Tun
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@Bobby_M - I recently acquired a 6.5 gal cooler from a family member who no longer wanted it. Wasn't sure if a 5 gal all grain bill would be OK in that size cooler of if it would be too small.
Using @VikeMan's link to the Can I Mash It calculator:
You can mash 13 lbs of grist at a thickness of 1.5 qts (of water) / pound (of grist) in that tun, taking up almost 6 gallons of space. That leaves half a gallon of room (headspace) to stir (very carefully).
At 1.25 qts/lb mash thickness it would be 15 lbs. That's about as thick as you'd wanna mash.
Batch sparging (2x) is paramount to get a decent mash/lauter efficiency at those mash thicknesses.
13lbs of grist in a 5 gallon batch should yield an OG of 1.070, after an hour boil.
15 lbs for an OG of 1.080.
The majority of beers are under 1.065.
Speak for yourself.
Or as Denny would say: Life starts at 66. 1.066 that is!Speak for yourself.
I hope after all these ideas we didn't scare Brian away from brewing . . .
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Is that a round cooler?
Can you perhaps post a picture, also of the inside, so we can see the spigot outlet?
Mind, 5 gallon is an arbitrary volume. You can brew 2, 3 or 4 gallons, especially when beginning or experimenting. By brewing more often you'll get more hands-on experience, while smaller batches will give you opportunities for more variety (different styles or ingredients) while reducing the chances of getting stuck with large amounts of not-so-good beer.
@Lizard Island - thanks much. This is very helpful. I didn't know there was a Mash Calulator - that's great! I'm interested in trying all-grain. I've been watching videos and have seen a lot of home brewers using coolers for mashing and sparging and since I got this cooler for free, I wanted to try that approach for my next brew. I've been looking on line at the options and equipment needed to conver it and it looks pretty simple. Thanks again.
@OakIslandBrewery - absolutely not. I am a newbie, just recently brewed my first homebrew after my son bought me a started kit for Father's Day. It turned out really well - a Hazy IPA with Mango and Vanilla extract. Everyone in the family liked it. I'd like to try it again with an all-grain kit instead of LME. I really like the idea of the all-in-one electric brew systems like the Brewvilla Gen 4, but that's pretty expensive, so while I'm learning, thought I'd try the cheaper path using coolers. I like the idea of the coolers as it seems to keep the mash temp pretty stable. I had trouble keeping the temp on my kettle stable on my gas burner so am thinking this might be a better approach for mashing.
All grain definitely opens a few more doors in your brewing experience. I made the switch in 2003 and have loved it ever since.
I must say brewing with extracts or partial mash gives a new brewer valuable insights into the hobby before spending more cash. Plus you get to fine tune and learn procedures that will carry over into the all grain world.
You are a lucky dad to have such a thoughtful son!
Good luck and keep the questions and comments coming.
I must say brewing with extracts or partial mash gives a new brewer valuable insights into the hobby before spending more cash. Plus you get to fine tune and learn procedures that will carry over into the all grain world.
You are a lucky dad to have such a thoughtful son!
Good luck and keep the questions and comments coming.
@LizardIsland - yes, it's round. I'm looking at a MoreBeer Stainless Steel False Bottom Kit ($40.00), Horiznet npt 1/2" Homebrew Ball Valve (Amazon $16.00) and a Mash Tun Adaptor (Amazon $10.00) to convert it to a Mash Tun.
6.5 gallons is an interesting size. Kinda wish I had one of those.
Since I brought up big beers (and only half-jokingly), I will say that I often do a partial mash for those. 3 lbs of DME is an easy way to brew a 1.090 beer but only mash a 1.065 beer.
Since I brought up big beers (and only half-jokingly), I will say that I often do a partial mash for those. 3 lbs of DME is an easy way to brew a 1.090 beer but only mash a 1.065 beer.
@day_tripper - curious why the gasket? Did you buy it that way or add it yourself?
@Bobby_M - my boil kettle is 8 gal. I've been looking at BIAB as well. My only concern, as I mentioned in another reply is that I had trouble keeping my mash temp consistent using the boil kettle and my propane burner. I was thinking the cooler option might give me better temp stability.
VikeMan
It ain't all burritos and strippers, my friend.
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I'm sure @day_tripper will tell why he used a gasket, but generally speaking, the gasket helps keep grains from sneaking under the false bottom.
There's a link in that post to my thread on the subject...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/fb-gasket-for-10g-rubbermader-mlt.381111/
Cheers!
My guess is that you will find that kettle more limiting than the 6.5 gallon cooler.
As mentioned, you can put the brew bag into the unmodified cooler to get the temperature stability advantage. You can also insulate your kettle with reflectix, or just wrap it in an old sleeping bag.
Apologies, I missed that. And thanks.
Are you referring to its maximum boil volume of around 7 gallons, leaving a mere 1 gallon (~1.5") of headspace?
How did you guess?
Of course I have one of those myself, huh!
It hasn't hampered me all that much, though, gotten used to it, I guess.
I do have a 15 gallon kettle of the same, but prefer using the smaller kettle for 5 gallon or split 2 x 3 gallon batches.
The easiest way I get around that too-full-a-kettle-to-boil-comfortably dilemma is by keeping 1-1.5 gallons of last runnings (2nd batch sparge, gravity low 1.020s) aside and boil/simmer that on the stove, by itself. Then add it to the kettle at some later point, when the surface has receded enough, usually around flame-out. I can therefore sparge a little extra to make up for the extra boil off.
Another way I've gotten around it, is by keeping those 1-1.5 gallons of low gravity, last runnings aside and add them to the kettle at flameout. It should keep the whole batch well above 170F, enough to pasteurize that "late boil" addition. I doubt there's enough DMS precursor (SMM) in those last low gravity runnings to be noticeable, I've never noticed it.
Or just add those 1-1.5 gallons of last, low gravity runnings toward the end of the boil, when the surface has receded enough, say, with 10-15 minutes left and bring back to a boil.
Has anyone come up with alternate methods, aside from buying a bigger kettle?
For those who want to go the bigger kettle route, AIH is having a clearance sale.
I have a 10 gallon boil kettle and I use a propane burner. My mash volumes are usually around 7 to 8 gallons, with usually 10 to 14 pounds of grains (numbers there are off the top of my head, so they may be a bit off, but not much). What I have found in my case is I leave the burner just high enough to see a small blue flame from the burner. In my case, if I can keep the burner just on and not much more than that, it keeps the wort temp at about 154 to 156. Now, with that said, I brew in my garage and keep the door cracked just a bit so I don't get any draft that will blow out the burner. I try and keep an eye on it and usually have to reignite the burner a few times as it goes out if there is even a small draft or push of air. But, for me, that has worked out and I am able to stay at a range of 150 to 156, which I believe is ok for most mashes I am doing.
I have tried using my 10 gallon cooler as a sparge unit, and while it was successful, I would not use it as a mash tun for the reason you posted. I don't think I could keep it hot enough for the hour it is required to mash. Some are going to dispute this, but for me, when I used it as a sparge tank, I saw a drop just within 15 minutes so I could only imagine what it would be after an hour.
I'm glad you found a way to maintain your mash temp, but this doesn't exactly strike me as a "safety first" brewing setup if you know what I mean.
How much of a temperature drop anyone sees depends on a whole bunch of variables that aren't being controlled (between your garage and my backyard, for instance). Lots of brewers have been using cooler mash tuns for a very long time and are very happy with the temperature stability, but your experience is your experience. Something working well under one set of circumstances and not another really shouldn't be a dispute, but I guess we are talking about the internet after all.
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Most folk with a cooler mash tun seem to only see a few degrees drop during a mash without any recirculation....enough to be scarcely relevant and worth the lack of 'total-control' to the average brewer. I'm wondering now if I've only been reading about indoor brewers, usually electric.
Any outdoor brewers care to weigh in on temp drops using a cooler?
Any outdoor brewers care to weigh in on temp drops using a cooler?
My coleman xtreme 70qt might loose one degree if it's full. That's with 30 lbs of grain and 13 gallons strike. It's really to big for a five gallon batch (but I use it anyway.) If I get my sparge boiling I can infuse to raise the temp of the smaller mashes.
Not sure what you mean about the safety first part? I don't use the garage as car storage so there is no gasoline in there. My son has his work bench there with his tools and maybe a few cleaning products. My wife uses part of the garage as her scrap book room with a small space heater and nothing flammable that I am aware of. My sealed water heater and washer and dryer are also there along with the main electrical panel. So, if I am missing something please let me know. Not being a jerk, but asking an honest question.I'm glad you found a way to maintain your mash temp, but this doesn't exactly strike me as a "safety first" brewing setup if you know what I mean.
How much of a temperature drop anyone sees depends on a whole bunch of variables that aren't being controlled (between your garage and my backyard, for instance). Lots of brewers have been using cooler mash tuns for a very long time and are very happy with the temperature stability, but your experience is your experience. Something working well under one set of circumstances and not another really shouldn't be a dispute, but I guess we are talking about the internet after all.
I know that people have been doing the cooler mash tun thing for a while, that is why I bought it. Was going to try and set it up as a mash tun, then drain the wort into my kettle and try and eliminate the BIAB idea. So far, and it has only been one use as a sparge setup, I have not seen the kinda hold that I have read about. Again, not trying to be a jerk, but just adding my experiences. I have read and was told that adding a small amount of foam insulation to the top to eliminate some of the head space in the cooler might help, so I might give that a try. The end game on this is to use the cooler as my mash tun, be able to lauter to get as clear a wort as possible and drain into my 10 gallon kettle and do my boil that way. I appreciate your input honestly and am going to keep it in mind. Thank you and Rock On!!!!!!!!
Propane burners really are outdoor devices. If you're in your garage with the door just cracked, then you should at least have a carbon monoxide detector. And if the flame blows out without you noticing?
My point was the exact opposite of saying that you were being a jerk. What did you think "your experience is your experience" meant? What did you think "shouldn't really be a dispute" meant?
Sometimes the written word gets misinterpreted. I have had that happen here a few times, so I just was being overly cautious. All good, and thank you for the input. Once the propane burner goes on, I don't leave the area and monitor it to make sure it stays on. But I will take your advice and see if there is a way I can rig something up to keep the door open and the flame protected so it doesn't get affected by the draft. Here in South San Francisco we get a lot of fog and wind, so this might be a challenge. Rock On!!!!!
The first step in my brew day is to use an old turkey fryer burner to heat up a couple gallons of water to 170 degrees or so to dump in my Igloo Cooler mash tun to warm it up. This usually takes 10 min or so. At the same time I am heating up my 5 gal of strike water with my good Blichmann burner which takes 20 min or so. I then save the 2 gal of preheating hot water in a bucket for clean up later.
By preheating my mash tun like this for 10 min or so, my temperature drop during the mash is virtually zero.
