Mash tun with grain bag

[jakedasnake]

I just started doing mini mash/BIAB kits and am having a hard time keeping the temps at a constant temp so i was thinking about just going down to the local hardware store and picking up an igloo. But instead of modifying it right away just using it with one of my large grain bags and using that as a mush tun just for my 3 pounds of grain or so. What do you guys think?

 

[SittingDuck]

I've been considering the same thing. Frankly, I don't see any reason it won't work, other than limiting the amount of grain and giving you something extra to clean!

It should hold temp MUCH better than a pot, but I wouldn't get a cooler much bigger than your bag--I think too much dead space will compromise heat retention.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

It should hold temp MUCH better than a pot, but I wouldn't get a cooler much bigger than your bag--I think too much dead space will compromise heat retention.

+1. I just made the switch to all grain and while I am sure that your method would work, eliminating dead space will help you hold temps better. The bag should work just fine, just make sure you keep some ice and some boiling water handy to make sure you keep the mash temp where it should be as this is super important for you to get the proper mash profile. Also, make sure you pre-heat the cooler with water around 150f as this will make a big difference on holding the temps for your mash.

 

[StanJohnson]

They make all different sizes of coolers. I use a 3 gallon drinking water cooler for my small batch BIAB. There's a pic in my gallery. Check out this video of small batch BIAB using a 5 gallon cooler.