Help me decide new mash tun

[jtp137]

Finally decided to get rid of my aluminum kettle and mash tun. I took it apart and noticed rusting around the hole for my valves. I usually make 15 gallon batches and just ordered a 120 qt concord pot for my kettle and I plan on using all stainless to connect the valve

Now to decide on the mash tun thinking of either using a 120qt coleman extreme cooler $39 on walmart and a cpvp manifold or a kettle screen if I decide to move to batch sparging

Or concord has 15% off sale and I could score a SS pot with false bottom for $110. I am thinking cooler and manifold would be around $60

I like the easy clean on the stainless steel but not sure if money is worth it. Do coolers get funky after a while? What would you do

 

[sillbeer]

I would opt for the Concord kettle. I brewed with a 80 quart Concord kettle for a couple years. They are a good value. You can get a custom false bottom from http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/index.html. Jaybird on the forum here.

 

[ancientmariner52]

How much grain to you intend to mash? A cooler that large might result in a really thin grain bed, making it hard to hold temp. Cooler mash tuns work best when they are near full up.

I've never used a false bottom so I can't give a fair comparison. I use a manifold made of copper pipe and fittings, fitted tightly to the perimeter so I can't knock it apart with the mash paddle. No solder required. For drainage, I sawed some big ugly slots in the cross tubes using a power miter saw with a stop block, then wrapped the tubes with ss screen and tied them on with ss safety wire. Works like a charm.

 

[ancientmariner52]

Sorry, forgot one thing. Hose out your cooler while the boil is happening, break down and hose off the manifold parts, let the whole works dry, in the sun if you can, and you'll not have trouble.

 

[Toejam792]

I recommend going with the stainless concord. I used a cooler for a few years then it starting to get bubbles in between the liner and the insulation. If your going to spend a a lot of years brewing it will be worth it to get the concord instead of using a cooler for a few years then getting the concord anyway. I would make sure the false bottom is good for grains. On two of the concords with false bottoms I got the holes were way to big, there like 1/2" you would need to put a screen over them. I use a 25 gallon concord and this false bottom https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...960397?hash=item53f0c88bcd:g:BywAAOSwQWlZpDOJ

 

[jtp137]

I recommend going with the stainless concord. I used a cooler for a few years then it starting to get bubbles in between the liner and the insulation. If your going to spend a a lot of years brewing it will be worth it to get the concord instead of using a cooler for a few years then getting the concord anyway. I would make sure the false bottom is good for grains. On two of the concords with false bottoms I got the holes were way to big, there like 1/2" you would need to put a screen over them. I use a 25 gallon concord and this false bottom https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...960397?hash=item53f0c88bcd:g:BywAAOSwQWlZpDOJ

Does that false bottom fit well? Does it cover wall to wall?

 

[sillbeer]

I ordered a false bottom from NorCal, (see link above) and it fit really well. The holes were not too big for my application. I was doing BIAB at the time.

 

[Toejam792]

Does that false bottom fit well? Does it cover wall to wall?

Ya it fits great, theres about 1/16" around the outside of false bottom

 

[jtp137]

Ya it fits great, theres about 1/16" around the outside of false bottom

I just ordered the false bottom website says 19 5/8 diameter. I am kind of confused there are two concord pots a S series and series 3 one says 20” wide and the other says 19.5” wide I am assuming you guys have the one that is 20” wide?

 

[jtp137]

I recommend going with the stainless concord. I used a cooler for a few years then it starting to get bubbles in between the liner and the insulation. If your going to spend a a lot of years brewing it will be worth it to get the concord instead of using a cooler for a few years then getting the concord anyway. I would make sure the false bottom is good for grains. On two of the concords with false bottoms I got the holes were way to big, there like 1/2" you would need to put a screen over them. I use a 25 gallon concord and this false bottom https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...960397?hash=item53f0c88bcd:g:BywAAOSwQWlZpDOJ

False bottom came in and it seems a little flimsy and it wobbles a bit. have you ever had problems with yours collapsing