Cooler size for 2.8L mash?

[shauni_g]

Hi all,

Planning my first batch of homebrew and doing a 1 Gallon batch. The recipe I am using calls for 2 lbs of 2-row malt mashed in 2.8L (~3 Quarts) of water. I am looking at getting a 7.6L (2 Gallon) cooler to use for mashing in a bag but am slightly worried this might be too big for the amount of water being used, eg it won't cover all the grain. Is this a valid concern? Should I be looking for a smaller vessel or is the 2 Gallon cooler fine?

Also as a secondary question does anyone use the spigot that comes with these types of coolers to empty the wort out into the boil pot or does this lead to hot-side oxidation problems?

Many thanks all,
Shaun

 

[myndflyte]

My guess is you'll probably be fine. And people usually modify the spigot with a ball valve because you can control the flow without having to press a button. You may be good with it since the volume is pretty low. Also, many on here will tell you that hot side oxidation has been debunked so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Shauni - You can mash in whatever sized cooler you want, just make sure to insulate the mash from the deadspace somehow. A piece of tinfoil placed over the mash will help immensely, that way you're not trying to heat all the space above the mash.

I regularly use a 5gal cooler (and have used it for 1gal batches with minimal issues), your 2gal will be more than enough - though I'd recommend a 3gal cooler just incase you ever want to make a "big beer".

Don't worry about "hot side airation" on this scale, it's not an issue. The spigot on the cooler will work fine for small volumes, just know that it can get a little "warm"after holding it for a while.

 

[chickypad]

I agree with all the above but it may be easier for you to just mash in a pot. If you preheat your oven to 170 deg then turn it off it and put the pot in there it holds mash temp perfectly for small mashes IME.

 

[jbaysurfer]

You'll be fine. If the water doesn't cover the grainbed just add more water. By way of comparison there are many BIAB brewers doing full volume mashes...which is much thinner then what you'd have by just adding a bit more water. HSA=non-issue.

 

[shauni_g]

I agree with all the above but it may be easier for you to just mash in a pot. If you preheat your oven to 170 deg then turn it off it and put the pot in there it holds mash temp perfectly for small mashes IME.

Was thinking about just using my boil pot but that is even bigger (~10L or 3 Gallons) so was even more worried about whether it would be too big for the small mash!

I kind of like the idea of getting a cooler anyhow as I figure it can do double duty as a container for bulk priming when the brew is ready for bottling.

 

[chickypad]

One suggestion I would have if you're not going to modify the cooler but want to use the spigot is to try to find one with a flip top rather than the kind you have to continually press to hold open. I had a 3 gal gatorade cooler with the flip top that I used to use with a bag and no modifications and it worked great.

 

[helibrewer]

I agree with all the above but it may be easier for you to just mash in a pot. If you preheat your oven to 170 deg then turn it off it and put the pot in there it holds mash temp perfectly for small mashes IME.

^^^ This, it works great, this is how I always did my steeping back in the day.