Lowe's Mash Tun Cooler

[Corvetteloverzo6]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum (first post) and I've got a doozy of a question.

Back story:
I built a mash tun out of a 10 gallon blue Lowe's water cooler. I've done two all grain brews with it and both have a plastic flavor to them.

I pondered if it could be chlorine and/or chloramine in my water, but I used 5 gallons of store bought spring water and I boiled the rest of my tap water to get rid of the chlorine (didn't have any campden tablets on hand)

Anyway, yesterday I did a simple test and put water in my mash tun and let it sit as if I was doing a mash. I let it sit for 60 minutes and then pulled off a glass of water and let the water cool off. Lo and behold, the water has a plastic flavor to it.


So my question are:
1) Has anyone had this issue? and
2) Is there any way to fix this problem or do I need to scrap this mash tun?
3) Could chrloamine be the culprit?


Sorry for the sporadic first post. Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[waldzinator]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum (first post) and I've got a doozy of a question.

Back story:
I built a mash tun out of a 10 gallon blue Lowe's water cooler. I've done two all grain brews with it and both have a plastic flavor to them.

I pondered if it could be chlorine and/or chloramine in my water, but I used 5 gallons of store bought spring water and I boiled the rest of my tap water to get rid of the chlorine (didn't have any campden tablets on hand)

Anyway, yesterday I did a simple test and put water in my mash tun and let it sit as if I was doing a mash. I let it sit for 60 minutes and then pulled off a glass of water and let the water cool off. Lo and behold, the water has a plastic flavor to it.


So my question are:
1) Has anyone had this issue? and
2) Is there any way to fix this problem or do I need to scrap this mash tun?
3) Could chrloamine be the culprit?


Sorry for the sporadic first post. Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

I mash in the same thing. I've never noticed in, but in the spirit of science, I'll test some bottled spring water tonight. Now I'm curious...

 

[J-Pizzel]

Ive had several all grain batches go great through my cooler, just recently I had 3 batches that are all fresh plastic taste and are drain pours. Im focusing on the Chloramine and have recently ordered some Campden tablets..... GL!

 

[ncbrewer]

From "How to Brew": Chloramine cannot be removed by boiling and will give a medicinal taste to beer.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

I use the orange igloo for mine. I bought it used and I have personally done atleast 8 batches with no taste of plastic. I have never added water over 172 degrees to it, I do however wonder if there is plastic leaching into the wort that could be hazardous to ones health. In the near future I want to get the 19 gallon stainless brew pot that doubles as a mash tun. maybe time is what's needed. dont store it with the lid on.

One question: How hot is your wort when you add it to the fermenting bucket? It should be chilled to atleast 65-70 when you pour into fermentor. to hot and you can damage the bucket.

 

[Corvetteloverzo6]

I mash in the same thing. I've never noticed in, but in the spirit of science, I'll test some bottled spring water tonight. Now I'm curious...

Let me know how your results turn out!

 

[Corvetteloverzo6]

One question: How hot is your wort when you add it to the fermenting bucket? It should be chilled to atleast 65-70 when you pour into fermentor. to hot and you can damage the bucket.

I ferment in a glass carboy. Where I think the issue is at is during the mash with the mash tun I built of a 10 gallon Lowe's water cooler.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I use the orange igloo for mine. I bought it used and I have personally done atleast 8 batches with no taste of plastic. I have never added water over 172 degrees to it, I do however wonder if there is plastic leaching into the wort that could be hazardous to ones health. In the near future I want to get the 19 gallon stainless brew pot that doubles as a mash tun. maybe time is what's needed. dont store it with the lid on.

One question: How hot is your wort when you add it to the fermenting bucket? It should be chilled to atleast 65-70 when you pour into fermentor. to hot and you can damage the bucket.

Im sure there is, but lets not forget what your doing. Your making alcohol which isnt technically good for your body.

The amount of chemicals and plastics we may ingest on a daily basis from plastic wrappers, bottled waters/sodas/plastic silverwear/etc probably far outweighs any your going to get from your cooler...but thats just a hunch.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Im sure there is, but lets not forget what your doing. Your making alcohol which isnt technically good for your body.

The amount of chemicals and plastics we may ingest on a daily basis from plastic wrappers, bottled waters/sodas/plastic silverwear/etc probably far outweighs any your going to get from your cooler...but thats just a hunch.

dissagree: I havnt seen the study, but I believe it. It went something like this. 3 groups People: 1 who drank 1 beer per day, 1 who drank 4+ and 1 group who had none, The group who had 1 per day were healthier and out lived the other two groups.
The reason is that alcohol in small amounts is like a detoxifier/cleanser.

some will disagree, but I will look for the study, If the study was done by budweiser corp. I take it all back! lol

 

[yewtah-brewha]

couldnt find exact said study, but here is a similar one, http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_100/137_mens_health.html

 

[RoughandReadyRanch]

dissagree: I havnt seen the study, but I believe it. It went something like this. 3 groups People: 1 who drank 1 beer per day, 1 who drank 4+ and 1 group who had none, The group who had 1 per day were healthier and out lived the other two groups.
The reason is that alcohol in small amounts is like a detoxifier/cleanser.

some will disagree, but I will look for the study, If the study was done by budweiser corp. I take it all back! lol

Far from a detoxifier/cleanser. The truth is that is thins the blood and aids in a decrease in atherosclerosis that was seen in those who didn't partake in alcohol. Think of it like an aspirin a day for older folks with past cardiac issues as well as stroke risks. The excess drinker had liver, kidney and other various health issues that come with excess drinking. We went over this in my nutrition classes for my major as well as another class on beer at UC Davis. A friend of mine and a few other grad students tried to pull off a study on the French paradox and managed to increase their alcohol tolerances while decreasing their GPA's with little data to show that drinking wine improved health.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Far from a detoxifier/cleanser. The truth is that is thins the blood and aids in a decrease in atherosclerosis that was seen in those who didn't partake in alcohol. Think of it like an aspirin a day for older folks with past cardiac issues as well as stroke risks. The excess drinker had liver, kidney and other various health issues that come with excess drinking. We went over this in my nutrition classes for my major as well as another class on beer at UC Davis. A friend of mine and a few other grad students tried to pull off a study on the French paradox and managed to increase their alcohol tolerances while decreasing their GPA's with little data to show that drinking wine improved health.

lol! Ill buy that, I've heard that one of the reasons people get cancer is from poor circulation of fluids in the body blood being the main one. if alcohol aids in this i would think it would deduced the risk for cancer. what are your thoughts?

 

[yewtah-brewha]

I always try to error on the side of caution, I think I will but the 19 gallon mashtun brew pot combo now, its only 149.00 last i checked.

 

[RoughandReadyRanch]

To the OP, I use a 5 gallon lowes cooler for small batches on the stove top and always drop 180'F+ water in it to pre heat and have never had plastic tastes in my beers. Now that I say that I am sure I will be oh so pleasantly surprised by it when I keg the two I just did. As for beer reducing cancer risks, I ,like my professor told us, am not going to touch that one. Alcohol is a known carcinogen. I had a paramedic teacher ask me years ago if I really wanted to live forever. I had a professor in college recently as the same question of me. He told me he was 59 and already bored. I personally am not that old or that bored but I also want to enjoy my life. So I am going to eat and drink what I want in moderation. If we really want to get into the health of beer you can screw with your wine friends when they talk of its health properties. Call them on it and ask them to show you the research on those lovely antioxidant properties they tout. Oh wait! They can't because wine lacks the necessary uptake compounds that coincidentally are found in beer with the same antioxidants! SUCK ON THAT WINE SNOBS!!!!! Sorry about that. I am sober and I say silly things when I am sober.

 

[mjl]

I always try to error on the side of caution, I think I will but the 19 gallon mashtun brew pot combo now, its only 149.00 last i checked.

Where are you finding this?

 

[feinbera]

So, getting back to OP's original question .... if I understand correctly, you didn't treat for chloramines and your beer tasted funny, so, you tried just heating water and not treating *THAT* for chloramines, either, and it also tasted funny. We've ruled out yeast/grain/etc, leaving only two possibilities: the chloramines or the mash tun.

Can you repeat the experiment, either with untreated water in a glass carboy or stainless boil kettle or whatever, or Campden'ed water in the mash tun? If the treated water still tastes bad out of the mash tun, or the untreated water tastes good out of the non-plastic vessel, you'll know the mash tun is the issue; vice-versa, you'll know it's the chloramines.

 

[dyqik]

So, getting back to OP's original question .... if I understand correctly, you didn't treat for chloramines and your beer tasted funny, so, you tried just heating water and not treating *THAT* for chloramines, either, and it also tasted funny. We've ruled out yeast/grain/etc, leaving only two possibilities: the chloramines or the mash tun.

Can you repeat the experiment, either with untreated water in a glass carboy or stainless boil kettle or whatever, or Campden'ed water in the mash tun? If the treated water still tastes bad out of the mash tun, or the untreated water tastes good out of the non-plastic vessel, you'll know the mash tun is the issue; vice-versa, you'll know it's the chloramines.

+1 Chloramine is most likely option, as these water coolers are designated food safe. It's common for water suppliers to boost the amount of chloramine at certain times to clean out the systems, or if there has been a problem at a water plant, or similar. If you were brewing during this time, you'd get a much worse case of chloramine tastes in the brew and in the water. They revert back to normal levels soon after, so it could come and go away again.

 

[feinbera]

I'm not even saying chloramines necessarily are the problem, I just think OP should re-run his "simulated mash" experiment again, but either eliminate the chloramines or eliminate the plastic mash tun, so he can figure out which one is causing the off flavor.

Now, I am hoping it's the chloramines; I mash in the same blue Lowe's cooler, and while I don't think I've got plasticy beer, it's only been a few batches since I went all-grain, and they've all been pretty robust, flavor-masking beers, IPA's or porters.

 

[Corvetteloverzo6]

I ran the same test again tonight with a difference in the water. I used pure water from my water filtration system (I only use this water is used for my salt water fish tank) and let it set around 155 degrees for one hour. Same outcome. There is definitely a plasticy flavor in the water.

Now for the $2 question: Does anyone have any idea of a way to fix this with the mash tun I've built? I wonder if I scrubbed and scrubbed on it if that'd help; or if there is a way to help the plastic outgas faster and maybe that'd help.

Thoughts?

 

[Corvetteloverzo6]

I don't doubt that chloramine could be adding to the problem in the finished beer, but the cooler is definitely playing a role in the off flavor

 

[logdrum]

What type/material manifold are you using?

 

[The10mmKid]

Leave it exposed to the elements and let it age/oxidize?

I remember those new coolers during my construction days having a plastic odor for a month or more. Of course we always kept the lid on except for cleaning and filling.

Give it some time,
'da Kid

 

[Judeau]

Thinking about going w/ this model of cooler. Did you ever get the foul taste to go away?

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Thinking about going w/ this model of cooler. Did you ever get the foul taste to go away?

anyone thinking about this route should also consider that the plastic over time will crack from the heat. I have noticed some cracks on the inside of mine, I dont know it they are all the way through the plastic to the foam, but I will post a video next batch I do.

 

[rico567]

Rather than continue to do batches in this cooler, now that it's apparently been shown to be the source of the off-flavors, why not just buy a different cooler? They're cheap enough. Many, many people on this forum have done the Rubbermaid / Home Depot 10 gal. "big orange" cooler conversion, and I've heard no negative reports about it. I've used one myself ever since I went AG over four years ago, and can also report complete success after dozens of batches.