Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?  (Read 25993 times)

Offline alcaponejunior

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 360
  • Latest creation: Big Smash Saturday
    • alcaponejunior.wordpress.com
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #30 on: December 04, 2012, 04:39:22 pm »
I haven't had issue with my five gallon mash tun cooler, but then I'm only on batch 4 of AG brewing, only brewing up to 5 gallons, and I'm not making rocket fuel.  When the time comes to step up, I will.  For now, it seems to be working just fine.  It's a five gallon igloo water cooler converted to a mash tun with braided stainless hose and copper coil.  When I get around to building the ten gallon, I'll probably use the false bottom method but might keep the braided mesh/copper coil setup as a backup.

Offline davidgzach

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1698
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #31 on: December 05, 2012, 05:37:49 am »
I haven't had issue with my five gallon mash tun cooler, but then I'm only on batch 4 of AG brewing, only brewing up to 5 gallons, and I'm not making rocket fuel.  When the time comes to step up, I will.  For now, it seems to be working just fine.  It's a five gallon igloo water cooler converted to a mash tun with braided stainless hose and copper coil.  When I get around to building the ten gallon, I'll probably use the false bottom method but might keep the braided mesh/copper coil setup as a backup.

Save the $100 and stick with the s/s braided mesh for $8.
Dave Zach

Offline kylekohlmorgen

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1363
  • Saint Louis, MO
    • The South House Pilot Brewery
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #32 on: December 05, 2012, 09:07:18 am »
If you're fly sparging, you could put a little thought/investment into your lautering setup.

If you're batch sparging, the lauter design doesn't matter.

References:

If you're fly sparging: http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixD-1.html

If you're batch sparging: www.dennybrew.com
Twitter/Instagram: @southhousebrew

Recipes, Brett/Bacteria Experiments: http://SouthHouseBeer.com/

Offline reverseapachemaster

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3775
    • Brain Sparging on Brewing
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #33 on: December 05, 2012, 10:09:49 am »
I bought the 10 gallon because people said someday I'll brew batches bigger than 5 gallons and need the extra space. I went the other way; I brew mostly under five gallons. So for me the ten gallon cooler is too big and I lose a little heat from the excess airspace. I've often thought about trying to rig up bags of some kind of insulation to hang in the airspace but never gotten around to it.

Personally I'd recommend unless you drink enough that you might reasonably expand to brewing more than five gallons at a time starting with a five gallon cooler. It's not so prohibitively expensive that you couldn't have both or sell off your five gallon cooler when you upgrade.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline a10t2

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4696
  • Ask me why I don't like Chico!
    • SeanTerrill.com
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #34 on: December 05, 2012, 11:08:25 am »
Personally I'd recommend unless you drink enough that you might reasonably expand to brewing more than five gallons at a time starting with a five gallon cooler.

If you're planning on brewing any high-gravity beers, 5 gal might not be big enough. Even at 0.8 qt/lb that would only let you mash about 17 lb of grain, or about 1.085 OG.
Sent from my Microsoft Bob

Beer is like porn. You can buy it, but it's more fun to make your own.
Refractometer Calculator | Batch Sparging Calculator | Two Mile Brewing Co.

Offline alcaponejunior

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 360
  • Latest creation: Big Smash Saturday
    • alcaponejunior.wordpress.com
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #35 on: December 05, 2012, 07:08:50 pm »
I haven't had issue with my five gallon mash tun cooler, but then I'm only on batch 4 of AG brewing, only brewing up to 5 gallons, and I'm not making rocket fuel.  When the time comes to step up, I will.  For now, it seems to be working just fine.  It's a five gallon igloo water cooler converted to a mash tun with braided stainless hose and copper coil.  When I get around to building the ten gallon, I'll probably use the false bottom method but might keep the braided mesh/copper coil setup as a backup.

Save the $100 and stick with the s/s braided mesh for $8.

Good to note hoss! :D

BTW I just brewed again with my braided mesh hose and I had a very good brew day.

Offline kylekohlmorgen

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1363
  • Saint Louis, MO
    • The South House Pilot Brewery
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #36 on: December 05, 2012, 09:33:40 pm »
Personally I'd recommend unless you drink enough that you might reasonably expand to brewing more than five gallons at a time starting with a five gallon cooler.

If you're planning on brewing any high-gravity beers, 5 gal might not be big enough. Even at 0.8 qt/lb that would only let you mash about 17 lb of grain, or about 1.085 OG.

Agreed - my 15 gal cooler is the bottleneck when I started to do really big beers or double batches. It doesnt hurt to size up, and its nice to have some headspace for stirring, pulling decoctions, adjusting temp with additional water, etc.
Twitter/Instagram: @southhousebrew

Recipes, Brett/Bacteria Experiments: http://SouthHouseBeer.com/

Offline davidgzach

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1698
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #37 on: December 06, 2012, 06:12:09 am »
If you are looking to expand in the future, go with the 10g cooler.  If you are looking to stay at 5g or smaller, then stay at 5g.  I would go with the 10g for the reasons above:
-Ability to perform Hochkurz mashes and decoctions
-Ability to make big beers if desired
-Ability to jump to 10g batches
-10g batches are great when you are ready to start kegging
-Room for stirring without making a mess

Dave
« Last Edit: December 06, 2012, 06:20:30 am by davidgzach »
Dave Zach

Offline anje

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 232
  • Lafayette, IN
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #38 on: December 08, 2012, 11:15:26 am »
I'm considering a red rectangular cooler. What kind of efficiency reduction should I expect if I do this instead of blue?
<-- microbiologist brewster n00b.

Hops and toothpaste don't mix.

Offline denny

  • Administrator
  • Retired with too much time on my hands
  • *****
  • Posts: 27070
  • Noti OR [1991.4, 287.6deg] AR
    • Dennybrew
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #39 on: December 08, 2012, 11:48:01 am »
I'm considering a red rectangular cooler. What kind of efficiency reduction should I expect if I do this instead of blue?

I'd guess your efficiency would be about -238%.  It would in effect make grain disappear. ;)
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline 1vertical

  • I spend way too much time on the AHA forum
  • ********
  • Posts: 2702
  • Ozone Layer. Actual location
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #40 on: December 20, 2012, 12:20:00 am »
I'm considering a red rectangular cooler. What kind of efficiency reduction should I expect if I do this instead of blue?

I'd guess your efficiency would be about -238%.  It would in effect make grain disappear. ;)
LMAO thanks for the laff...gud un! BTW, mine is blue but i have lost the braid and settled for
a 6 inch square folded ss screen with cpvc couplers inside to keep it from collapsing.  The thing
cuts so much sparge time out of my brew day....how fast can you lauter?
Thot you said open the valve and let er rip....I vorloff till clear and we run fast...good beer so far!
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3643
  • Delaware
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #41 on: December 20, 2012, 07:20:20 am »
I'm considering a red rectangular cooler. What kind of efficiency reduction should I expect if I do this instead of blue?

I'd guess your efficiency would be about -238%.  It would in effect make grain disappear. ;)
Everytime I mash in my orange cooler by beer fridge ends up empty. My net brewing efficiency is terrible!
Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline davidgzach

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1698
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #42 on: December 20, 2012, 07:28:31 am »
"Everytime I mash in my orange cooler by beer fridge ends up empty. My net brewing efficiency is terrible!"


I have the same problem!  Where does all that beer go?   ???
Dave Zach

Offline ajk

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 279
  • Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #43 on: December 23, 2012, 05:53:38 am »
My only concern with using the 10 gallon cooler for partial mash small beers is that you may end up with the grain bed too shallow to reasonably act as a filter.

I haven't seen anyone mention the coffee lid trick in response to this concern.  Just throw a coffee can lid on top of the grain bed and pour any liquid you want to add to the mash on top of the lid.  The lid will disperse the impact of the liquid.

If you batch sparge then bed depth won't matter and a 10-gallon cooler will work fine for smaller batches.

True, but you may still need to reintroduce liquid into the mash during vorlauf.  I batch sparge, but I use the coffee lid for this vorlauf step.

As for tun size, considering my 48-quart cooler can be a bottleneck for really big beers, I recommend the 10-gallon at least.

ajk

Offline topher.bartos

  • Cellarman
  • **
  • Posts: 84
  • Sometimes Messy, Mostly Successful, Always Fun!
Re: 5-gallon vs. 10-gallon cooler?
« Reply #44 on: December 26, 2012, 11:43:54 am »
I would get the 10-gallon cooler.

Think about it this way, you can use it for smaller batches, yet if you feel it necessary to increase your batch size you can do that as well.
In the works: Nothing

Primary #1: Nothing

Primary #2: Nothing

Keg: Cascade & Mosaic Session IPA