10 Gallon Cooler Too Big?

[CenturyStanding]

Hey everyone,

So I'm finally stepping up to all-grain brewing and building a mashing system with sparge arm. My company sells 5 and 10 gallon Rubbermaid Coolers, so I get them dirt cheap, which is why I'm using them.

Anyway, I generally brew 5 gallon batches of beer, but they're usually relatively big, Belgian style ales. I've heard that 5 gallon round coolers are too small for high gravity brews, which is why I'm interested in the 10.

Now, is it possible for a mash tun to be too big? If I do smaller batches of beer, or lower gravity ales, will I have a problem with the massive 10 gallon coolers if I'm only making a 5 gallon batch? If so, do you have any suggestions? I'm really looking for an all-inclusive system without too many varying parts as I live in an apartment with limited space.

Thanks in advanced for the help.

 

[motobrewer]

the only issue I see is you might have a bit more heat loss if you're only filling it up 40%. but as long as you prime it with boiling water it shouldn't be too bad.

fwiw, i can brew up to about 1.065 with a 5 gal without running out of room (14 lb of grain at 1qt/lb @ 70% eff). depending on your tun deadspace you might be able to fit another lb of grain in which should get you to 1.070 at 70%

the few brews that are higher than that I just make up for with DME.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

Get the 10 gallon.

For smaller batches, make an "inner lid".

Cut a piece of 3/4" foam board to snuggly fit inside the cooler. When you mash, wrap the board with saran wrap, sanitize, and float on top of the mash.

(Pre-heat the cooler, too. Add a handle made of a cable tie to the board, it makes it easier to remove.)

It will hold the heat, I lose less than a degree in an hour long mash.

:rockin:

 

[joety]

Great suggestion, Kirk, although I'm not sure why it's necessary to do more than ensure the inner lid is clean. Sanitizing anything preboil is not necessary. That grain probably contains billions of wild yeast and bacteria.

+2 on the 10. The only downside is that you are more likely to let the water level get too high above the grain bed and collapse it (DAMHIKT) but if you are careful you will be fine. I brew nothing but five gallon batches and I've never felt the tun was too big.

BTW: How cheap can you get 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers? I notice you can find 5 gallon rubbermaids on sale for twenty bucks or so but the tens always seem to be at least sixty or seventy bucks. I think homebrewers keep the price artificially high.

 

[DavidP]

+3 on the 10 gallon model. Even with batches with a smaller grain bill filling only half the tun you won't see any appreciable heat loss. Because these coolers leave the mash with a smaller surface area you'll have less loss.

 

[Synovia]

fwiw, i can brew up to about 1.065 with a 5 gal without running out of room (14 lb of grain at 1qt/lb @ 70% eff). depending on your tun deadspace you might be able to fit another lb of grain in which should get you to 1.070 at 70%
.

1qt/lb is WAY lower than I'd like to mash, and frankly, it means you have to sparge a ton of times, which is not a good thing.


I use a 5g cooler, and IMO, for 5g batches, its too small for anything above about 1.45. If I can't get it done with a single sparge, I get nervous. Its tough to control pH on a second sparge.

 

[shortyjacobs]

10 gal.


I have a 7.5 gal MLT, and it's way too small for me for 5 gal batches. I wish I had a 10 gal MLT.

 

[Cookiebaggs]

wrap the board with saran wrap, sanitize, and float on top of the mash.

Why sanitize it? You're going to boil the wort for an hour anyway.

 

[JuanMoore]

I have the 10 gal and it's perfect for 5 gal batches, especially for me, as I also brew lot's of higher gravity beers. Now that I'm doing more 10 gal batches, it's too small

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

You can never go wrong sanitizing EVERYTHING.

Infections suck.

 

[Cookiebaggs]

Never had an infected batch, but I would imagine it does suck.

IMHO, it's a waste of sanitizer. I never sanitize any part of my MLT. I clean it out after the mash is done and let it dry. Then just re-assemble and mash in when doing the next batch.

I guess if it makes you feel better, have at it.

 

[rwinzing]

I have a five gallon and wish I had a ten

 

[IrregularPulse]

Why sanitize it? You're going to boil the wort for an hour anyway.

You can never go wrong sanitizing EVERYTHING.

Infections suck.

IMHO, it's a waste of sanitizer. I never sanitize any part of my MLT.

I guess if it makes you feel better, have at it.

I don't sanitize anything besides my fermenter (this includes airlock) and chiller. AKA, anything POST boil. Anything else is a waste.


I have a 12.5G cooler and with 5G batches I am fine.

 

[CenturyStanding]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Just ordered my false bottoms and such a few minutes ago. Thanks!

BTW: How cheap can you get 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers? I notice you can find 5 gallon rubbermaids on sale for twenty bucks or so but the tens always seem to be at least sixty or seventy bucks. I think homebrewers keep the price artificially high.

I get the 10 gallons at cost, which I think is between $30-40, but I don't remember exactly. I remember it was cheap enough to warranty buying though. And they're stocked in the warehouse downstairs so I don't need to pay shipping.

 

[Hotspur]

Get the 10 gallon.

I bought the Home Depot one, and the only other modification I made to it was to drill a 3 holes in the top of the lid and fill with Great Stuff for extra insulation. The temps are pretty stable, and the extra space is nice and flexible for imperial beers or bigger batches.

 

[david_42]

You make big beers, get the 10 gallon one. If you make a smaller beer and the bed is shallow, just batch sparge.

 

[gunhaver]

You can never go wrong sanitizing EVERYTHING.

Infections suck.

by boilIng the wort, you are basically sanitizing it. it's not necessary to sanitize anything pre-boil.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I have a bowl of star san foam sitting on the brew table. It is already made, so there is no "waste". It takes about a second to dip the inner lid in the foam before dropping it into the MLT.

I make it a habit to dip any item that will contract the wort in the foam. True, if the wort is yet to be boiled, this is not mandatory.

But, by making it a habit, ALL THE TIME, the likelyhood of an infection is lowered.

I have had the "fun" of dumping out 8 gallons of carbonated vinegar. Don't really want that fun again.

 

[Richabt]

Definitely go for the 10.
I see nothing wrong with sanitizing MLT components, but do see it as unneeded. Your boil takes care of any possible issues.

 

[joety]

I get the 10 gallons at cost, which I think is between $30-40, but I don't remember exactly.

Stopped by the Home Depot today and found a couple shrink wrapped with other coolers on a pallet 15 feet up on a shelf. They were $39.95 so I bought two of them. One of mine (HLT) is cracking and needs replacing now. The other has a small crack on the top that doesn't come in contact with liquids so I'll likely just keep the second as a spare. They are $70 on Amazon so it sounded like a good deal.

 

[petep1980]

I used a 5-gallon like 4 or 5 times and it simply was too small. I could only do modest gravity all grains unless I wanted to really crank down the water/grist ratio, which would mean more lame-ass sparging.

Go with the 10.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I have a bowl of star san foam sitting on the brew table. It is already made, so there is no "waste". It takes about a second to dip the inner lid in the foam before dropping it into the MLT.

I make it a habit to dip any item that will contract the wort in the foam. True, if the wort is yet to be boiled, this is not mandatory.

But, by making it a habit, ALL THE TIME, the likelyhood of an infection is lowered.

I have had the "fun" of dumping out 8 gallons of carbonated vinegar. Don't really want that fun again.

hey, if it makes your socks go up and down, go for it. But you are wasting your time and sanitizer. It has no effect whatsoever.

 

[joety]

BTW: I ran out of room in my ten gallon mash tun yesterday doing a Gulden Draak clone. I had a few inches to spare when mashing at a 1.25 ratio (I prefer 1.5, but I hit 75% efficiency on this massive beer so I may stick with 1.25) but could not fit the 202 degree water to raise the grain bed to 168 before sparging.