Which cooler to buy

[Fulgentius]

Hello,

I've decided to buy a five or ten gallon cooler, a bazooka screen, and the fittings. My idea is I can use this for partial mashes (I currently use a very crude and labor intensive method) and once I'm used to the new system, go all grain.

I was thinking of buying one of those square Igloo Ice Cube coolers. You can get them cheap at the Walgreens near me. But someone told me that they don't have much insulation and that got me thinking:

Can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive cooler to use as a mash/lauter tun? Are there any to stay away from? Or am I making a big deal out of nothing here?

Thanks!

[BrewDog]

If you are sure you want to do partials (and not move to AG), then stick with 5 gal Gott or Rubbermaid or maybe go even a little smaller. The 10 gal round or 48Qt Ice Cube will leave you with too shallow a grain bed for a mini. I think a 5 gal round would be ok, but depending on how small a grain bill is required for the partial you are doing, you run close to not having enough depth. Palmer (1st paragraph) (http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17-2.html) says that you shouldn't go any less than 4 inches, but 8-18 is preferable.

If you want to move to AG, then 5 gals will be too small, you'll need at least the 10.

As far as the brand part of the question, I don't think you will go wrong with any brand name or even a sturdy, well insulated store-brand. I never heard anything bad about the igloo here or anywhere else. The thing you really probably want to avoid is the the cheap styrofoam dollar-99 special.

Just my 2 cents.
HTH-

[Trogger]

I use a 6.5 gallon bucket with a false bottom. It seems to work OK. As far as heat loss, there is some but I simply decoct every 10-15 minututes to keep the temp up.

[bruin_ale]

Wow Trogger, that sounds like a major PITA! Couldn't you just buy a water heater blanket and wrap that around the bucket? It's cheap and should insulate really well...

[HogieWan]

Williams Brewing sells these (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/AB1605000/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_ID=184&CATID=13) jackets that fit around a bucket for mashing or for sparge water. They're kinda pricey though

[Trogger]

Yeah, a jacket isn't worth the money. The first batch I did was a partial mash with only 4 pounds of grain, so low on the thermal mass. I think when I do the first AG batch with 10-12 pounds of grain, it will stay at temp longer and require fewer decoctions. The other thing I did was start with around 1.2 quarts per pound and that allowed me to just add hot water to it part way through. I'll mess with my methodology, I'm sure, as I get more experienced with. Maybe next year at tax time I'll buy a new MLT and use the bucket as my HLT.

[Fulgentius]

Originally posted by BrewDog
If you are sure you want to do partials (and not move to AG), then stick with 5 gal Gott or Rubbermaid or maybe go even a little smaller. The 10 gal round or 48Qt Ice Cube will leave you with too shallow a grain bed for a mini. I think a 5 gal round would be ok, but depending on how small a grain bill is required for the partial you are doing, you run close to not having enough depth. Palmer (1st paragraph) (http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17-2.html) says that you shouldn't go any less than 4 inches, but 8-18 is preferable.

But does this hold true for batch sparging? My understanding is that grain bed depth and tun geometry generally is a lot less important for batch sparges.

Generally I have been partial mashing what I take to be a fairly large amount of grains, typically, IIRC, around 5-6 #s. If it turns out I can't find a cooler that will work for both partials and all grains, then I will have to rethink my plans as I don't want to buy a larger pot right now.

[BrewDog]

I didn't think of bed depth with respect to batch sparging. I guess if you stir and batch sparge, bed depth won't be as much of an issue.

You can probably expect to get more protein (I think it's called "trien" -- the gray pasty/powdery stuff left on top of the mash after recirc and sparging) into the wort than you would with a deeper bed, but otherwise, I think it should be ok. BrewMonkey/Stod? Anything to add?

[Vienna Lager]

Go with the square 36 -48 qt. or whatever cooler, coleman, rubbermade, thermos, igloo etc. brand(s) are all ok. If Fleet Farm, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart arn't running a end of summer sale where you can get the cooler cheap check out yard sales.

Get yourself about 3' of 1/2" copper tubing, 4 90 degree elbows, one 'T' and a nipple to fit into the 'T'. Follow Palmer's design for making a manifold and remember to only solder where he suggests so the manifold can be disassembled for easy cleaning. Get about 3' of food grade clear plastic tubing at Fleet Farm and siphon over the top edge of the cooler. Easier and cheaper than doing all the 'through the bulkhead' connections.

Even with 14-16 lb grain bills the 48 qt.cooler is big enough to hold all the water a batch sparge would require.

If doing two step temp rest with cooler (about 10 lb. grain bill)I heat 4 gals water to 137 degrees in a 20 qt. stainless steel stock pot on a electric hot plate. At the same time in my cook pot (1/2 barrel cut off 3/4's tall with handles welded to it) I start heating 4 gals water using propane burner. From the stock pot pour about 1 gal 137 degree water into tun with manifold to pre heat. Dump that out then put about 1 gal 137 degree water into tun. Start pouring grains in and mix with remaining 2 gals of 137 water in stock pot. Should hit 122-125 degrees before all water from stock pot used. Cover and wait about 20 min all the while heating the 4 gals in cook pot to about 200 degrees. Start pouring 200 deg water into mash tun and about 2-3 gals needed to get mash to 151-4 degree range. Cover, wait 45-50 min and batch sparge but about every 15-20 min 'knife in' or gently stir the mash. Should get good coversion and hit SG. range.

jmho

[Vienna Lager]

While waiting the 45-50 min. I add water to the cook pot on the burner(still about 1-1.5 gals of 200 degree water in it) so 6 gals total are in there and heat to 170 degrees. After vorlauf I dump the sparge water in and wait a few moments for everything to settle down. If any water is left in the cook pot I dump that out then begin to collect wort in the cook pot on top of the burner with the flame on low. As soon as about 2" wort is collected in the cook pot the flame is turned up and by the time 6.5 gals collected a boil is not far off.

Essentially I have 2 HLT with the larger one doubling as my cook pot and since it is used for heating the sparge water it is preheated for the collection of wort and the possibility of oxidation is reduced. Also the grains/mash don't go in and out, in and out of some kind of a container that decoction requires hence increasing exposure to hot side oxidation possibilities.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Is everybody telling me I made a mistake by trading a case of beer for a New 10 Gallon Rubbermade Cooler???

[toneyc]

Depends on what kinda beer it was.

:D
Toney.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

Well it was a Tripple
And I traded it to an Oil Field supply store...

Yeah I know, casting perls before swine (most oil Field workers are bud/coors drinkers) But I think it was a good trade... Looking into a false bottom for it.

I also got a 50' roll of 3/8 copper tubing in the trade... cand you say wort chiller.... No more setting my kettle in an ice bath..

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by Otis_The_Drunk
I also got a 50' roll of 3/8 copper tubing in the trade... cand you say wort chiller.... No more setting my kettle in an ice bath..

now, that's probably worth it