I'm sure this has probably been asked a million and a half times, but I'm struggling to decipher all the information, and I need it in layman's terms and in one location.
I've done a few batches of extract brewing, and now I really want to get into all-grain. I've been reading and watching all the videos I can find on YouTube.
My question is this: will a 5 gallon mash tun be sufficient in size? All my batches have been 5 gallons, and I definitely do not anticipate going any bigger for quite a while. My understanding is that with a five gallon mash tun, I wouldn't be able to brew any high gravity beers. I've brewed one Hefe and a couple other wheat extracts, so I don't envision this being a huge problem.
I ordered a 48-quart rectangular cooler to convert to a mash tun, but after more reading, I realized that that may not have been the best decision. Evidently with 5-gallon batches, there is a risk of having too thin of a grain bed? I cancelled that order, and am now continuing in my research.
One final consideration: I am a fairly broke college student, and don't have a tremendous amount of money to invest in a huge cooler to convert to a mash tun. I do want to jump into all-grain, but I do not want to have to eat ramen for an entire month to be able to afford it. (I eat enough of that as it is!)
I know this post has a lot jammed into it, but I want to make sure that I've covered all my bases. Money isn't something I have the luxury of throwing around, so I want to make sure that this purchase will be a great investment!
Thanks all!
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
I've done a few batches of extract brewing, and now I really want to get into all-grain. I've been reading and watching all the videos I can find on YouTube.
My question is this: will a 5 gallon mash tun be sufficient in size? All my batches have been 5 gallons, and I definitely do not anticipate going any bigger for quite a while. My understanding is that with a five gallon mash tun, I wouldn't be able to brew any high gravity beers. I've brewed one Hefe and a couple other wheat extracts, so I don't envision this being a huge problem.
I ordered a 48-quart rectangular cooler to convert to a mash tun, but after more reading, I realized that that may not have been the best decision. Evidently with 5-gallon batches, there is a risk of having too thin of a grain bed? I cancelled that order, and am now continuing in my research.
One final consideration: I am a fairly broke college student, and don't have a tremendous amount of money to invest in a huge cooler to convert to a mash tun. I do want to jump into all-grain, but I do not want to have to eat ramen for an entire month to be able to afford it. (I eat enough of that as it is!)
I know this post has a lot jammed into it, but I want to make sure that I've covered all my bases. Money isn't something I have the luxury of throwing around, so I want to make sure that this purchase will be a great investment!
Thanks all!
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew