now I'm wondering if I made a mistake getting a round cooler. Maybe I should have gotten a bigger square cooler because it seems like there is more space to stir and work the grain in. But why do the vast majority of people use round coolers? Retains heat better? Allows for more depth?
I have been using a round 10G Igloo cooler for AG...
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Round coolers with a false bottom are the ones to use for fly (continuous) sparging. It has to do with avoiding channeling and for best efficiency. If you're batch sparging, or doing no-sparge, it doesn't matter at all.
I got my round cooler like 5 years ago... I regret not getting a bigger square one. I should have done more research back then lol
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I don't have a false bottom because I use a large grain bag. So essentially I do BIAB in a cooler. I guess the depth of a round cooler makes it easy to use with a bag. I am sparging as well. How important is retaining temp during sparging?
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RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
Maybe the bag is making it more difficult to stir.
A square cooler is perfectly fine.
I batch sparge. Screen tube.
Not really that important. But it makes me feel better.
A square cooler is perfectly fine.
I batch sparge. Screen tube.
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The bag might be. The reason why this topic is coming to my mind is because I want to make a barelywine that has like 25 lbs of grain. I would imagine this might be the absolute limit for a 10 gallon cooler. But then I was thinking it would be much easier to stir in a square cooler because there is more surface area... Also square coolers are larger (hold more grain)... but I did get a super good deal from Target ($39.99). Looks like they are selling for $67 at Walmart.
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I might just get this Coleman Xtreme 52qt cooler to do the barleywine.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-52-Quart-Xtreme-5-Day-Heavy-Duty-Cooler-Blue/21721549
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-52-Quart-Xtreme-5-Day-Heavy-Duty-Cooler-Blue/21721549
BrewingAroundtheRrealm
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I was impartial to either a square/rectangular cooler or a round one. I have a 5 gallon round Igloo beverage cooler. It's worked fine for me for more than a year. When it came time to upgrade to a 10 gallon or larger cooler for larger beers I searched locally. I could not find a decent square/rectangular cooler for a reasonable price. Far too many of the ones at Walmart were either too big, or too small. The few they had at around 40 qts didn't have a drain plug. Which I didn't really understand. I didn't even know they stopped putting drain plugs in some coolers.
Anyway...
I found the Rubbermaid 40 qt beverage cooler at Home Depot for around $45. It fit my price point and I didn't care that it said Home Depot on the side. I've used it twice now. It retains heat very well. I've not had any issues mixing the grain. I didn't choose this for any reason other than it's what I found at a reasonable price.
Anyway...
I found the Rubbermaid 40 qt beverage cooler at Home Depot for around $45. It fit my price point and I didn't care that it said Home Depot on the side. I've used it twice now. It retains heat very well. I've not had any issues mixing the grain. I didn't choose this for any reason other than it's what I found at a reasonable price.
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