Is is good for a mashing tun?

[radu]

Hi. I want to make my first all grain beer so I am starting to buy the equipment. I found this picnic cooler, it's a 6 gallon and I wanted to know if it's good for a mashing tun. Is it to thin?

 

[Hello]

What size batches do you brew? 6 gallons is small.
That cooler is thin. I've put 170F water in it and lost about 10 degrees in a hour. That's a lot if you're mashing. You could insulate it better of course.

 

[radu]

For the begining I wanted to brew a small batch 5-6 gallons. So a bigger, thicker mash tun wont loose so much temperature? Or it depends on how good the mash tun is?

 

[Hello]

You won't really get a 5 gallon batch from a 6 gallon cooler unless it's a low ABV beer. I say get a 10 gallon cooler. That cooler could work but you'll want to insulate it more and of course you're limited to lower abv beers.

 

[radu]

I am limited to low ABV beers because I can't use to much malt? I will search for a 10 gallon cooler and large keg to transform it into a boiling pot.

 

[Hello]

Right. You have limits because you need to add grain + water which takes up more space than just water, obviously. You need to add enough water to get the pre-boil volume so you can have 5 gallons of wort. You also need to account for grain absorption.

I am limited in some cases as well using a 10-gallon mash tun but not nearly as much as I would be with a 5 gallon. I can do bigger beers but I think if I want to do something like a barley wine, I need to take my 15-gallon kettle and do BIAB, even then it will be tight.

Anyway, if you do 5 gallon batches I would skip a 5 gallon cooler and get a 10 gallon.

 

[GrogNerd]

also: that cooler doesn't look like it has a drain.

you would have to drill one to use a braid/false bottom, or, like I do with my smaller batches, use a paint strainer bag. mine's a 4 gal cooler with no drain/spigot

 

[wilserbrewer]

That cooler should work for 5 gallon batches up to around 1.060 gravity.

What's the problem here, lots of folks use 5 gallon MT's

Granted, you will have no room to expand to larger batches, or higher gravities, but I think it is fine to get started.

Perhaps have a bit of boiling water ready to bump the temp up slightly if your mash temp falls.

Also, a mash will hold heat better than water alone, testing temp drop with just water is not a valid test ime.

While the 6 gallon cooler pictured may not be the best choice, I'm not sure what you mean by "found".

If you already own it, go for it, but there are better options available if paying retail.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/