Mash tun question

[TurboBrew]

What size cooler do you guys use for 10 gallon batches? 100, 120 150 quart?

Need to start collecting pieces for all grain. I've made some good extract beers but I'm getting sick of spending $35 on 5 gallons of beer that's gone in 5 days (I have very thirsty roomates)

[MightyCow9]

The one you used over with me and Bano was 70 Quart. It works fine and had enough room. The 10 gallon round that I have works for lower gravity 10 gallon batches, but fills to the brim if you get too much higher than 1.05

[Mattman]

My 5-gallon Igloo cooler is BARELY (not to be confused with barley) adequate to hold enough grain and water for a 5-gallon batch of 1.060 beer (14 lbs of malt and 16 qts of water).

For a 10-gallon batch of 1.060 beer, at least double that. If you want 10 gallons of beer bigger than 1.060, say 1.100, you'd probably need something like 15 gallons or so (i.e., 60 qts), but even that may be cutting it close. If you use more water per lb of malt than I do, then that will add some to the required capacity. I typically use 1 or sometimes as much as 1.25 qts per lb of malt, but some people use up to 1.5 qts per lb.

Mighty Cow's suggestion of a 70-qt cooler ought to be pretty close to everything you would ever need. Of course, if you are like Jim Wright, and want to brew beers with OG of 1.175, then you will need a much bigger cooler or you'll need to plan on making much smaller batches.

Then, there's all kinds of discussion to be had over the shape of the cooler (round, square, rectangular, etc.).

[Mattman]

Keep in mind, too, that you can use programs like ProMash or BeerSmith to tell you how many quarts of mash capacity (i.e., grain and water) you need for a given volume of beer that is a given starting gravity.

[BeerSawks]

The Blichmann website has a good chart for vessel sizing. Here (http://www.blichmannengineering.com/boilermaker/boilermaker.html)
Click on the sizing guide.

[DarkWing]

Or you could use a converted Keg with insulation as a mash tun.

[MightyCow9]

Where is a good spot to buy that insulation?

[nickpgoodman]

The insulation isn't really necessary in my opinion. Quite a few of us use converted kegs as mash tuns with zero insulation. There is enough thermal mass there you won't lose hardly any temp, and if you use a HERMS you are going to recirc for a period of time anyway, which also helps temps.

Just my 2 cents.

Always worth throwing an email to Fritz and seeing if Rahr has any more kegs to part with to convert too.

[arkador]

It depends on what your batch size, efficiency, and desired OG is. Here's the easy way for you to decide based on your needs.

http://www.suebob.com/images/brew/mlt/mltsizetable.gif

Keep in mind that even if you think you might want to do both 5 and 10 gallon batches, odds are your really high gravity beers will be 5 gallon batches. Who needs 10 gallons of barleywine?

Just for example, a 10 gallon mash tun can do 5 gallons of 1.118 barleywine (~11% ABV) and 10 gallon batches of 1.060 IPA (~6% ABV). I personally think something in the 50-60qt range is most flexible in that regard if you don't mind a square/rectangular cooler.

If you want to figure for larger or smaller batch sizes, take the number in the "Max Gravity Units" column and divide that by your desired batch size.

[DarkWing]

In the winter time, the insulation really does help to maintain a steady temp.
I only recirculate the last 20 mins. Mighty Cow9, I'll PM you on that.

Party On either way. The coolers do seem to work well, but the Kegs do too.

[gwbbc]

Go the keggle route and recirc pump, your hlt will maintain the temp. the keg is about the same cost as the cooler and false bottoms are roughly $40.

[Lumpher]

i have 2 tuns now. i use a 40 qt cooler for most 5g batches, and a 58 qt cooler for heavy 5g and all 10g batches ( got the 58 from a friend for $5, and converted it myself for another $15 ). i started with the 40qt copper pipe tun james converted for me, and used the same idea for the 58qt in hot water cpvc pipe; got that idea from many forum postings

[TurboBrew]

Man lots of input. I think I'm going to go ahead and get a cooler up and running and start collecting parts for a herms.

[nickpgoodman]

If you want something to start out with I have a 5 gallon cooler that you can use for a while. It's got a ball valve on it and the stainless braid inside. Let me know.

[TurboBrew]

I appreciate it but I might as well just get my own up and running, I have a couple ball valves at the house I picked up in a craigslist buy. Where do you guys get your copper tubing?

[BeerSawks]

I get mine at Lowe's. What size are you looking for?

[nickpgoodman]

Copper for manifold? Lowes or Home Depot will be fine.

[TurboBrew]

I get mine at Lowe's. What size are you looking for?

I'm not really sure, big I guess. I want plenty of flow. I plan on making a setup like Kyle has with the little slits in the tubing.

[mwedge]

I would go with 1/2"

[MightyCow9]

We did 1/2" and it beats the pants of the first rigs I made with 3/8". I also just bought a 1/2" autosiphon and it rocks too. Flow rate = awesome.