Help a guy decide between BIAB and mash cooler

[harebearva]

Hi all. I've been all grain BIAB for about a year and have progressed nicely. A little background, I only brew 2.5 gallon half batches and don't plan to do any larger batches in the foreseeable future due to budget and space.

Long story short I'm looking at getting a 3 gallon mash tun with a bazooka screen for about $69 from Midwest.

I'm looking for opinions from the all grainers who've used similar systems. My question is will the difference between a mash tun/batch sparge system and my current BIAB/dunk sparge system warrant the money for the change? Will I not see a significant difference in clarity and quality of wort going into the fermenter?

Efficiency isn't a concern. With my current setup and crush I get a reliable 75%. I should think I would get a similar efficiency with a mash tun.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[jaycount]

I have both a cooler tun and a BIAB setup. I see no difference at all clarity or quality wise between the two.

The only reason I keep the cooler tun around anymore is for batches too large to fit in my kettle for BIAB.

 

[Brewcycle69]

I was using a cooler mash tun before I started BIAB.
You'll see some difference in clarity of wort going into the fermenter. Coming out of the fermenter you'll see no difference in clarity, no difference in quality.
I'm getting a little better efficiency with BIAB 86% vs 82%.
Being a little lazy, I also enjoy not clean a mash tun and manifold on brew day.

 

[pelipen]

I wouldn't bother switching. For large batches I use a cooler. Between 1-3 gallons, I BIAB on the stove.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I really like my cooler MLTs-I have a 5 & 10-mainly because they hold temps so well. If you already BIAB what are your reasons for looking to switch to a cooler? And you can make one waaaay cheaper. I picked up a 5gal igloo industrial cooler at a thrift store for $10 and added a kettle screen, with fittings, for about another $15-20. Even retail at Walmart for a 5gal igloo is about $20.

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

 

[RM-MN]

Hi all. I've been all grain BIAB for about a year and have progressed nicely. A little background, I only brew 2.5 gallon half batches and don't plan to do any larger batches in the foreseeable future due to budget and space.

Long story short I'm looking at getting a 3 gallon mash tun with a bazooka screen for about $69 from Midwest.

I'm looking for opinions from the all grainers who've used similar systems. My question is will the difference between a mash tun/batch sparge system and my current BIAB/dunk sparge system warrant the money for the change? Will I not see a significant difference in clarity and quality of wort going into the fermenter?

Efficiency isn't a concern. With my current setup and crush I get a reliable 75%. I should think I would get a similar efficiency with a mash tun.

Thanks for any suggestions.

In one sentence you talk about limited budget and space while the next sentence talks about adding something that takes up space and costs extra money. As the others above have said, there is no difference in the beer when it is fermented, just the wort that you collect. I'd recommend sticking with what is working for you. If you do feel the need to spend money, get your own grain mill. With a Corona style mill I get a typical efficiency of above 85%. That would mean you can reduce your amount of grain to get the same beer and save money. It won't take too long to pay back the cost of a mill when they are available for under $30.

 

[harebearva]

In one sentence you talk about limited budget and space while the next sentence talks about adding something that takes up space and costs extra money. As the others above have said, there is no difference in the beer when it is fermented, just the wort that you collect. I'd recommend sticking with what is working for you. If you do feel the need to spend money, get your own grain mill. With a Corona style mill I get a typical efficiency of above 85%. That would mean you can reduce your amount of grain to get the same beer and save money. It won't take too long to pay back the cost of a mill when they are available for under $30.

I guess my budget and space would refer more to a larger gravity pump system for 5 gallon or larger systems. I do have a Cereal Killer mill that works well. My first few batches we're getting between 85-90% efficiency. I actually dialed it back a bit to get around 75%. At that efficiency I do see less debris in my wort. I guess the main thing I was looking for was better temp control. I'm thinking I'll most likely just tweak my BIAB a bit to try to stabilize my sach rests. Thanks for the help!

 

[stevedasleeve]

If you're not going any bigger I wouldn't bother. The beer won't be any different! I do 5 gallons in a cooler and 3 BIAB on occasion when I want to experiment. I much prefer a mash tun fwiw, but the beers are identical, even efficiency is pretty close (I batch sparge.)

Steve da sleeve

 

[LowNotes]

I guess my budget and space would refer more to a larger gravity pump system for 5 gallon or larger systems. I do have a Cereal Killer mill that works well. My first few batches we're getting between 85-90% efficiency. I actually dialed it back a bit to get around 75%. At that efficiency I do see less debris in my wort. I guess the main thing I was looking for was better temp control. I'm thinking I'll most likely just tweak my BIAB a bit to try to stabilize my sach rests. Thanks for the help!

Gravity pump? What is that for? I brew 5g BIAB, but I was lucky enough to have a 10g pot before I started brewing, so I can do full volume boils easily. After the boil I toss the wort chiller in while the pot is on the stove, and once it hits pitching temp, I just dump the whoe thing into the fermenter. Beer has turned out great for over 15 batches. I have started using 2 bags though, as you can only fit so much grain into a 5g bag, and my efficiencies were getting bad whenever I went over about 12lbs of grain. Now with two bags, I can get about 18lbs of grain before the water gets near the rim of the pot, and the grain is spread out in the water still which has greatly improved my efficiency. I too try and keep my costs low, and BIAB has worked for me. If you have a big enough kettle, I don't think there is much stopping you from brewing 5g without any additional expense. And if you don't ahve a pot, spend the $69 on that instead and start doing 5g batches. Just my 2 cents.

 

[homebrewdad]

I dislike BIAB due to the heavy grain bag and issues I had maintaining a mash temp. Thing is, I do 5 gallon batches. A smaller bag is easier to deal with, and if you are happy with the process now, I don't see the need to change.

 

[danorocks17]

I haven't done BIAB so I can't comment on it. I use a cooler mash tun and I love it. I can't see a reason to switch.

 

[sumbrewindude]

Did both, found I much perfer the cooler MLT.

BIAB was convienent for the sake of one pot, but it was more work dealing with the hot wort/spotty volumes/etc.

My 5gal cooler was $16, dual lined 5gal paint strainer bags was $3, and I use the spiggot that came with the cooler to drain it. Now I always hit my boil volume, and clean up's about the same with just a cooler to wash out in the tub.

Much happier with the cooler. YMMV.