Help me pick a Mash tun Size: 20 or 30 gallon

[Crito]

I am going with the Stout Mash Tun due to the bottom outlet and most of the goodies are included.

I usually make 10 gallon batches, but I just joined a brewing group, So my brew days might include brewing with two people (and splitting the wort).

So, for the future, I might see my self brewing a 20 gallon batch... Maybe not often. I really love to brew 5 gallons as well.

Do you see any problems with a 30 gallon mash tun with making 5 or 10 gallon batches?

Thanks!

 

[jpc]

My suggestion-- talk to the owner. He's a pretty knowledgeable guy, from the posts I've seen, and he might be able to tell you if you'll have a problem with a 5 gallon batch in a 40 gallon tun.

 

[david_42]

Two possible problems: Heat retention due to the smaller amount of water and sparging with a very shallow bed. The former can be dealt with by mashing very thin (5:1 to 7:1 by weight), the latter by batch sparging.

 

[Crito]

Thanks for the info. The info helped me to pick one.

Looking at mash and OG ratings for amounts of water with grain. I think 20 gallon mash tun will be perfect for me.

 

[SavoryChef]

My 25 gal MT is too big for a 1.050 five gallon batch. But I have a 10 gallon for that. It depends on how wide the pot is. Mine is about 21" wide and three gallons from the bottom of the kettle to the bottom of my false bottom.

 

[Crito]

My 25 gal MT is too big for a 1.050 five gallon batch. But I have a 10 gallon for that. It depends on how wide the pot is. Mine is about 21" wide and three gallons from the bottom of the kettle to the bottom of my false bottom.

The 20 gallon stout is 15 wide. The company rep said it would be 6 inches for 5 gallons of liquid. He stated 30 gallons would be to shallow sense it was wider also.

thanks for your response, Makes me feel better about my order.

 

[SavoryChef]

You will be satisfied with the 20. I just brewed a 15 gallon batch of 1.055 and I think it only filled up 16 gallons in my mash tun.

 

[Crito]

awesome! You are making feel good about the size