I recently started all grain with a pair of converted kegs. I did a 10 gallon batch a couple weeks ago and it became extremely obvious that I need a hot liquer tank. I was using my 5.5 Gal old boil kettle for it for our first 5 gallon all grain batch and that worked well enough. I need to be able to heat more water though now so I am going to use my current mash tun as a boil kettle ( since it has a SS braid ) and turn my boil kettle into a HLT. This leaves me needing a mash tun that I can do 10 gallons in. How big do I need?
What is a good cooler for a mash tun for 10 gallon batches?
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BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
10 gallon round cooler can fit 26 pounds of grain at 1 to 1 ratio. If planning on brewing big beers you might need to get something larger.
Nateo
Well-Known Member
http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml
Go down to "Can I mash it?" and it will give you a volume needed based on weight and grist/water ratio.
Go down to "Can I mash it?" and it will give you a volume needed based on weight and grist/water ratio.
milldoggy
Well-Known Member
The 70(might be 72 quart) quart coleman extreme is a good choice for 10 gallon batches. I built a copper manifold and I get around 86% efficency.
Here is a great link.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/mashtun.html
Think I paid 35 shipped from walmart.
Here is a great link.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/mashtun.html
Think I paid 35 shipped from walmart.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
Milldoggy, do you think that would be reversible? It seems like it would. It would be great to be able to pull my stuff out and put the old valve back in for when we go camping/floating. More cooler space is always nice.
I worry stuff might get worn out and it become unusable for either purpose.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
My mash tun is my mash tun. I have coolers.
My Colemann 52qt extreme is perfect for me. I do two equal runnoffs (a single sparge) and for 1.050-1.070 11 gallon batches it's filled near capacity. I get about 85% BHE.
I have a 70 too but have not converted it. I never do 11 gallons of 1.080+ beers and can only boil in a 60qt pot. When I get a 100qt pot I'll use the 70.
I have a 70 too but have not converted it. I never do 11 gallons of 1.080+ beers and can only boil in a 60qt pot. When I get a 100qt pot I'll use the 70.
milldoggy
Well-Known Member
You could convert back, but it took me a while to get the cooler to seal correctly, had an interesting mix of washers and orings, but now I get zero drips. I would have to say for 40 bucks, a cooler is a cooler, a mash tun is a tun. I have seen my coolers after camping, no way I would mash in them.
I would suggest a cooper manifold, I used four runs of pipes. I used a femal copper fitting to 1/2inch to the nipple. Be happy to share pics if you want to see.
I would suggest a cooper manifold, I used four runs of pipes. I used a femal copper fitting to 1/2inch to the nipple. Be happy to share pics if you want to see.
This is the best one
So simple a caveman could do it.
So simple a caveman could do it.
Yeah I doubt I would want to mess with it. It was more of a thought that when I bring home YET ANOTHER item for my brewing I could play it off with the wife.
"But honey we could always still use it as a cooler if we HAD to!"
Or if I run into another cheap keg and convert it to match my other 2 keggles I could convert the cooler back. I just need to pick up a dremel to slot the copper when I build the manifold.
Thanks for the advise!
milldoggy
Well-Known Member
I used a hand hacksaw, came out nice, but was a chore. Good luck, let me know if you want pics of how I sealed it, took some trial and error
I had a piece of scrap copper tubing from when I built my current mash tun. I took a hacksaw to that and quickly decided a dremel was the way to go.
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