Ideal Cooler Size

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chefLenT

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I have searched this site but I'm still a little unsure.What is the ideal cooler to make a mash tun to do high gravity brews using the batch sparge method ?I'm leaning towards the 36 qt. Coleman extreme.
 
That's not very big. I have a 52 quart and have done 1.038 to 1.110 beers, it's a good all around size.
 
I dunno if this is right, but I look at it like keeping fish. Get the biggest you can afford. I may not need it, but I really don't see a harm in getting a 60 qt cooler. OTOH, if BobbyM comes in and says "you don't need a 60qt cooler unless..." I would listen to him.
 
Per Bobby M's chart,, you could fit 18-19 lbs of grain in there at 1.25 qt/lb. For five gallon batches this seem adequate to me. How "high gravity" are you talking? For me, having a tun that is too big would be an inconveniense to handle / empty and clean it. I use a basic cheapo 48 qt coleman and am very satisfied. Unless you are brewing outdoors in rather cold conditions, IMO the "extreme" coolers are not needed.
 
I dunno if this is right, but I look at it like keeping fish. Get the biggest you can afford. I may not need it, but I really don't see a harm in getting a 60 qt cooler. OTOH, if BobbyM comes in and says "you don't need a 60qt cooler unless..." I would listen to him.


No disrespect to BobbyM, but in this case, I don't care what he says. You can do a little with a big cooler, but you can't do a lot with a little cooler. Don't limit yourself. Go big or stay home.
 
One thing to consider in a MLT is how much unused space you have. The more of the MLT you are not using, the more temp loss you are going to have. I peronally have 2 MLT's, I have one that is good to about 11 pounds of grain at 1.5 qts/lb. It is a 28qt coleman. I also have a 38qt igloo that I switch to once I get to a grainbill of more than 11lbs. I figure I can do a fairly big Barleywine in the 38qt.

I'm not saying to go out and buy two MLT's, the only reason I have two is through the course of "upgrading" over the last couple of years. You also have to consider the dimensions of the cooler. IMO, the thickness of the grainbed is important, even in batch sparging. You don't want it too thin or too thick. But I think it is best to err on the thick side.

I would say get something close to 40qts, give or take a couple qts. This all considers doing 5 gallon batches.
 
Bottom line, you are batch sparging. So you really do not care what your grain bed depth is, right? Right. That being said you never said what volume of wort you are wishing to collect, did you? I assume 5 gallons, but assumptions never pay off.

Anyhow, I have a 10 gallon beverage cooler, Id say go 60qt or so, 15 gallon. This will let you do some BIG beers as well as some larger volume beers down the road if you so desire, without a problem.

Look, the only time you really care about how spread out your grain bed gets, is when you are fly sparging, which you are not. Keep in mind that you will want to have a GOOD cooler if you buy a BIG one and do a small grain bill (small thermal mass in a thin bed), as they seem to lose heat more quickly.

I vote for 60ish quarts. Dont worry about grain bed depth :drunk:
 
I've been going over a year with a five gallon cooler. I've done some big beers, 1.099 and 1.095. Anything past 1.055 or so, I add DME to get my OG up.

I'll be moving to a 10 gallon MLT in the future. I want to get a Jamil Whirlpool chiller system going first.
 
I have a Rubermaid 5 gallon and it cracked. I did not like to use over 10 lbs of grain in it anyway.

I used my 48 qt for bigger five gallon batches and for 10 gallon batches. With 20 lbs of grain I have to watch mash ratios so my mash out infusion will fit. The old Gott 48 losses too much temp even when it's full. I cover it with a blanket.

I going to get a Coleman Extreme 52. I really like how it's drain hole is lower and it should hold temp a lot better.
 
I'm another two-cooler guy. I have a 5 gallon igloo I use for small batches up to about 1.060 SG. I also have a 60 qt Coleman Extreme that I use for large batches and high-gravity beer. Keeping the small batches in the small cooler helps reduce temperature losses.
 
I've got a 52 qt COleman Xtreme. I chose it because I want to be able to mash for 10 gallon batches around 1.060, and wanted to ensure I have enough space for some 5 gallon big beer recipes. I think the 52 qt is a good size, if you wanted to mash for 10 gallon batches of a big beer then a 70 qt would be a better choice.

One thing I have found with my 52 qt is when mashing for a 5 gallon batch of lower gravity beer ~1.035-1.045 the grainbed is fairly small and shallow, I would recommend fashioning a styrofoam insulator to reduce the headspace in the tun which will help keep temps more stable. Having said that, I really chose this cooler for the ability to mash for 10 gallon brews, so I won't be having any issues with that any longer.
 
Well you tried Bobby, but it just seems everyone wants to talk "cooler size". This is like buying a bed for a bear not knowing if they are baby, momma, or daddy bear. The Coleman 48qt is only around 18 bucks at Walmart, just buy 3 and you can mash a whole sack at once!
 
i bought this

wish i wouldnt have cheaped out, and instead got something around 52 qts.

i definately feel limited with the size of the brews i can make. the biggest brew ive been able to achieve with my setup was a 1.067 IPA a 1.00qt/lb. And let me tell you, that was a REALLY TIGHT squeeze.

go big, or dont go at all. you'll be surprised how much space youll be utilizing, in very short order after starting AG.

however, its not all i loss if you start with a small MLT. i plan on using my 5gal as a HLT once i get a bigger cooler.

Cheers,

CB
 
I've got a 48 qt. Since I batch sparge, grain bed depth is not a consideration. 48 qts exceeds any imaginable 5 gallon recipe and will do for most 10 gallon ones. As far as heat loss, make a thinner mash. More water means less of a temperature drop. I use 4:1 to 5:1 by weight.

It's like calculating beer line lengths. I just plan for the worst case and deal with slow pours as necessary.
 
I went to Target yesterday and they had none. I got one at Kmart this morning ($35.) I put in my new PEX pipe with one billion holes drilled in the bottom of it and watter tested. Worked great. When I put it in place I noticed they put the drain hole on the wrong side. I had to move my brew pot!.
 
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