Looking to make a mash-tun for 2 gallon batches

[noslenwerd]

Wondering if anyone regularly brews smaller batches? I don't drink enough these days to brew 5 gallon batches, and want a smaller set up that I can do on my stove-top.

Question is, what type of mash setup should I go with for 2 gallon batches? Just a smaller homemade cooler mash tun? A tall beverage style cooler?

What have you all used?

Thanks ahead of time

 

[starscream]

saying 2 gallon batches doesnt really help. on average, how many pounds of grain do you use for said brew day? lets say 5lbs as an example. plus your strike water amount, roughly 1.75 gallons and do you fly sparge or batch sparge? if you batch sparge, with that amount, youll need almost 3 gallons. roughly depending on loss from equipment etc. you could get away with using a 5 gallon cooler from home depot (21 bucks) but that might be close. it really depends on your grain amounts you generally use.

and as far as style, its a personal preference. everyone's set up is different. a square cooler might work for one but the round beverage coolers might work for someone else. i use the home depot ones because they were on sale when i got them.

 

[CUrchin]

Forget the mash tun and do BIAB. I do 2.5-3.5 gallon batches in a 5 gallon pot with 5 gallon paint strainer bags all the time. Total investment was $21 for the pot and $3 for the bags. It works great and makes great beer.

 

[iijakii]

Yeah, I'd go with a BIAB setup and mashing in the oven to maintain temps.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Wondering if anyone regularly brews smaller batches? I don't drink enough these days to brew 5 gallon batches, and want a smaller set up that I can do on my stove-top.

Question is, what type of mash setup should I go with for 2 gallon batches? Just a smaller homemade cooler mash tun? A tall beverage style cooler?

What have you all used?

Thanks ahead of time

You might just try BIAB.

edit....I was way late getting my relpy in on that one lol.

 

[noslenwerd]

Thanks for all the feedback! I've actually never looked into brewing in a bag. Will def have to check that out.

 

[donovanmaxwell]

Thanks guys! I was just wondering if my 5gal pot that came in my kit was big enough for BIAB 2.5—3 gal batches. Off to Home Depot this afternoon for paint strainer bags.

Have any of you found it necessary to have a steamer basket or small colander on the bottom of the pot, or would it be fine just clipping the bag off the bottom of the pot?

 

[tektonjp]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f244/what-size-pot-3-gallon-biab-batches-441207/

 

[tektonjp]

Thanks guys! I was just wondering if my 5gal pot that came in my kit was big enough for BIAB 2.5—3 gal batches. Off to Home Depot this afternoon for paint strainer bags.

Have any of you found it necessary to have a steamer basket or small colander on the bottom of the pot, or would it be fine just clipping the bag off the bottom of the pot?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f244/what-size-pot-3-gallon-biab-batches-441207/

 

[ayrlander]

Just to give a point of view from the other side, I just made my first all-grain batch a few weeks ago, a 2 gallon batch using a 3 gallon cooler and 4 gallon brew pot. I didn't convert the cooler into a mash tun, I put in a nylon bag like you'd use for BIAB, closed the lid, and let it steep for an hour, lightly shaking a couple of times to distribute any hot spots that might have formed. Only lost 2F degrees in that hour. I need to put a real spigot on, though; using the built-in one was a pain even for the smaller liquid amount (doubled since I did a batch sparge). I thought about BIAB, but I just didn't feel like dealing with constantly monitoring the temperature, or putting something on the bottom to protect the bag when I reheated, and I wanted a sparge step for efficiency.

All in all, the process worked extremely well for me, and I'll be doing more small batch all-grain in the future. I brew in the kitchen on the stovetop, and I want a bigger variety, so 2 gallon is the largest I go, but it's nice now that I'm not limited to available extracts. I may still try BIAB someday, but I was pretty happy with how this turned out.