What cooler works best for a mlt?

[cogsmithsfermentorium]

So i was curious...What cooler works best for a mash tun? will one of the cheap ones hold temp for an hour or two just as well as the fancy max one? i'm just trying to keep cost in mind.

 

[cpesko]

I have a 72 qt coleman xtreme from Walmart 40 bucks.

 

[day_trippr]

You can mash in a styrofoam coffee cup if your batch size is small enough.

A bit more information might help in your quest...

Cheers!

 

[njs170]

will this work?

Ok being serious. A lot of people on here use a 10 gallon water cooler for 5 gallon batches.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-10-Gallon-Water-Cooler-Orange-Cooler-FG1610HDORAN/202260809#.UoD15HBOP5I

 

[Daves69]

The cooler is the cheap part, it's all the hardware to get the sweet wort out that nickel and dimes you.

 

[jflongo]

Definitely get a Coleman Extreme 50 or 70 quart, they hold temp fantastic. Quite often in the fall, you can find them on clearance for only $29.99. I am finding though my 50 quart is maxing out for 10 - 11 gallon batches for batch sparge, so I may switch to the 70 quart. You can see my 50 quart build here, I did it pretty cheap.

 

[jflongo]

The cooler is the cheap part, it's all the hardware to get the sweet wort out that nickel and dimes you.

For me, I used my dishwasher SS hose, when we upgraded, and then used a plastic hose valve instead of a SS setup, and it works like a champ for cheap.

 

[Daves69]

For me, I used my dishwasher SS hose, when we upgraded, and then used a plastic hose valve instead of a SS setup, and it works like a champ for cheap.

Yeah I guess everyone's experience is different. For me I started with a 5 gal Rubbermaid cooler, I only did mini mash at the time. I tried the stainless braid and it just was not working right for me so I built a CPVC manifold that worked better but still lacked. I then built a copper manifold and upgraded to the 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom. This by far worked the best, of course now I am building yet another MLT out of a 1/2 barrel Sanke and will pay more for the JayBird false bottom for it then I did for the entire 10gal setup! Yes cheap can be done but for me I was never happy with cheap.

 

[WileECoyote]

I have a 72 qt coleman xtreme from Walmart 40 bucks.

+1 Same one here, works great, I cover it with a movers blanket.

Cheers

 

[jflongo]

Yeah I guess everyone's experience is different. For me I started with a 5 gal Rubbermaid cooler, I only did mini mash at the time. I tried the stainless braid and it just was not working right for me so I built a CPVC manifold that worked better but still lacked. I then built a copper manifold and upgraded to the 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom. This by far worked the best, of course now I am building yet another MLT out of a 1/2 barrel Sanke and will pay more for the JayBird false bottom for it then I did for the entire 10gal setup! Yes cheap can be done but for me I was never happy with cheap.

For me, I put a Tee in my mash ton with the SS hose, and that works well. So even if one side gets a little clogged or stuck, the other side still works. I have never had a clog with this setup.