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Author Topic: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?  (Read 8795 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2017, 06:41:15 am »
I use a bulkhead, bazooka tube, and three piece ball valve. It's a pain to clean so I may replace it with a two piece ball valve. I get very nearly all the wort from the grain because I tilt the cooler by resting it on a 2x4 and also use a brew bag I lift when the lauter is nearly complete.


I put a brew bag in mine, too. Really liking the results - the wort is definitely clearer vs the braid. FWIW I took the braid out of my cooler. The bag is already a much finer filter than a braid or bazooka.

Yes, but that clarity from the mash makes no difference to the finished beer.


Overall, I like getting clearer wort into the fermenter when possible, Denny. Regardless, I like how the bag cuts my dead space to essentially zero, since I can hold it over away from the drain and get enough mash runnings to hit my target without any loss to dead space.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2017, 06:50:17 am by HoosierBrew »
Jon H.

Offline denny

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2017, 09:38:09 am »
Overall, I like getting clearer wort into the fermenter when possible, Denny. Regardless, I like how the bag cuts my dead space to essentially zero, since I can hold it over away from the drain and get enough mash runnings to hit my target without any loss to dead space.

If that's what you want, it's your choice.  I like to see clear wort, too, but I know if it's not it won't be a problem.  I have a bag for my cooler that I haven't had a chance to use yet.  But I have no dead space now, so there should be no change from that.
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Offline BrewBama

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Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #32 on: January 17, 2017, 06:27:13 pm »
Overall, I like getting clearer wort into the fermenter when possible, Denny. Regardless, I like how the bag cuts my dead space to essentially zero, since I can hold it over away from the drain and get enough mash runnings to hit my target without any loss to dead space.

If that's what you want, it's your choice.  I like to see clear wort, too, but I know if it's not it won't be a problem.  I have a bag for my cooler that I haven't had a chance to use yet.  But I have no dead space now, so there should be no change from that.

I also do not have to vorlauf. Plus, ever since I started using the bag I get better efficiency so I use less grain to hit my target OG. I need to calculate when it will pay for itself and then actually save me money by using it. :)


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« Last Edit: January 17, 2017, 06:44:40 pm by BrewBama »

The Beerery

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #33 on: January 17, 2017, 06:29:30 pm »
I use a bulkhead, bazooka tube, and three piece ball valve. It's a pain to clean so I may replace it with a two piece ball valve. I get very nearly all the wort from the grain because I tilt the cooler by resting it on a 2x4 and also use a brew bag I lift when the lauter is nearly complete.


I put a brew bag in mine, too. Really liking the results - the wort is definitely clearer vs the braid. FWIW I took the braid out of my cooler. The bag is already a much finer filter than a braid or bazooka.

Yes, but that clarity from the mash makes no difference to the finished beer.

Do you have any data on that?  I ask because it's widely known in commercial brewing that cloudy lautering and wort is full of lipids that oxidate beer. I personally myself have seen positive results from clear lautering.  So just curious.


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Offline golfgod04

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #34 on: January 18, 2017, 09:20:33 am »
i went the way of the cooler and parts because I already had some of the parts and friend had a spare. only thing i had to purchase was the long bulkhead threaded pipe.  in the future, I plan to get one of those cooler bags that was described above. 

Offline denny

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #35 on: January 18, 2017, 12:38:43 pm »
Do you have any data on that?  I ask because it's widely known in commercial brewing that cloudy lautering and wort is full of lipids that oxidate beer. I personally myself have seen positive results from clear lautering.  So just curious.


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I have my own brewing as data.  You can accept that or not as you choose.
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The Beerery

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #36 on: January 18, 2017, 12:43:20 pm »
Do you have any data on that?  I ask because it's widely known in commercial brewing that cloudy lautering and wort is full of lipids that oxidate beer. I personally myself have seen positive results from clear lautering.  So just curious.


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I have my own brewing as data.  You can accept that or not as you choose.

Thats totally fine, but the way you shape your answers is that you are the authority on it as a whole. So just checking if you had the data show said claims. You know, since I am always asked to do so. ;D

Offline lenphallock

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #37 on: January 19, 2017, 02:04:37 pm »
That's the one I used forever. Holds excellent temp and has a little indent where you drain helping you drain completely.


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Offline brewsumore

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #38 on: January 26, 2017, 10:43:27 pm »
I dug out a 1 to 2 inch deep trench of the cooler's foam insulation all around the drain hole between the cooler walls, and used plumber's epoxy putty to cement in the correct-sized pipe nipple for my bulkhead, using a 1/2" ss ball valve connecting inside to a straight Bazooka Screen.

It is bulletproof drip free and completely solid in place, and drains like a champ.  The existing drain hole was fine on my 70-quart Coleman Extreme (I do 10-gal batches), and drains the cooler mashtun completely, when the cooler is propped up at the opposite end towards the end of runoff.

I bought 3 different length pipe nipples in advance to make sure I got one that fit the best upon inspection.

« Last Edit: January 26, 2017, 11:04:07 pm by brewsumore »

Offline fergusyarrow

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #39 on: May 07, 2017, 06:56:39 pm »
Has anyone converted this https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-52-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler/dp/B000G33YWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483547976&sr=8-1&keywords=52+quart+coleman+extreme+cooler cooler to a mash tun? I've seen other conversions but not for this one specifically.


Yep, I have one. I used a braid with a bulkhead/valve conversion for years. I recently pulled the braid in favor of one of these - love the results so far.

http://www.brewinabag.com/collections/frontpage/products/copy-of-the-brew-bag-a-mash-tun-filter-for-coolers-rectangular

I am curious; did you keep the braid when you got the bag? I got the same bag last week, and putting together a new cooler and am wondering if I need to bother with the braid at all?

Cheers,

Fergus

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Coleman 52 quart conversion to mash tun?
« Reply #40 on: May 08, 2017, 07:25:49 am »
Has anyone converted this https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-52-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler/dp/B000G33YWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483547976&sr=8-1&keywords=52+quart+coleman+extreme+cooler cooler to a mash tun? I've seen other conversions but not for this one specifically.


Yep, I have one. I used a braid with a bulkhead/valve conversion for years. I recently pulled the braid in favor of one of these - love the results so far.

http://www.brewinabag.com/collections/frontpage/products/copy-of-the-brew-bag-a-mash-tun-filter-for-coolers-rectangular

I am curious; did you keep the braid when you got the bag? I got the same bag last week, and putting together a new cooler and am wondering if I need to bother with the braid at all?

Cheers,

Fergus



No, I pulled the braid when I started using the bag. The bag serves the same function, a little more successfully IMO.
Jon H.