[linenoiz]

You might want to save the money on a bulkhead and look at my website for an alternative.  Although it varies some deopending on which cooler you use, I've found that often a bulkhead doesn't allow you o get the braid down on the floor of the cooler and you lose some wort because of it.

Too late, I already built it!

I attached a short piece of tubing to the barb on the inside of the cooler, then attached the hose braid to that. In my water drain test, I was able to drain about an inch or so below the bulkhead. How well that will work with grain in there... Well, I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

[rabid_dingo]

...

You might want to save the money on a bulkhead and look at my website for an alternative.  Although it varies some deopending on which cooler you use, I've found that often a bulkhead doesn't allow you o get the braid down on the floor of the cooler and you lose some wort because of it.

Too late, I already built it!

I attached a short piece of tubing to the barb on the inside of the cooler, then attached the hose braid to that. In my water drain test, I was able to drain about an inch or so below the bulkhead. How well that will work with grain in there... Well, I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

No prob, just prop the far end of the cooler with a couple of 2X4s. You wont capture all of the sparge lost the "dead space" but it helps. I've been looking for a cooler that has a channel for a lower spigot. I saw one once but it's "the cooler that got away."

[Hokerer]

I've been looking for a cooler that has a channel for a lower spigot. I saw one once but it's "the cooler that got away."

Any sporting goods joint or even something like Wally-World ought to carry the Coleman Xtreme's.  The pic of mine shows the drain channel and I end up with about zero deadspace losses...

[hopfenundmalz]

Denny - my name is Jeff, and I am a flysparger. 

But I can also adapt to different things, so I have pulled out the old Rubbermaid orange (sorry) round cooler from my brewing equipment museum, and will try a batch sparge or three.  Anything to take 30-45 minutes out of the brewday for some beers is a good thing to explore. 

Is a Coleman Extreme in my future?

[rabid_dingo]

I've been looking for a cooler that has a channel for a lower spigot. I saw one once but it's "the cooler that got away."

Any sporting goods joint or even something like Wally-World ought to carry the Coleman Xtreme's.  The pic of mine shows the drain channel and I end up with about zero deadspace losses...

That's the one! Will start looking for it...

[tygo]

Amazon has the 70 qt xtreme for $40 and free shipping right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-70-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler-Blue/dp/B000G64I1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1282877033&sr=8-2

[tschmidlin]

Amazon has the 70 qt xtreme for $40 and free shipping right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-70-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler-Blue/dp/B000G64I1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1282877033&sr=8-2

The 100 quart one comes with wheels, $75.  You could probably fit 75 lbs of grain in that!    I've been needing a new cooler anyway, and I'm a fan of the wheels.  According to coleman.com, it's got the drain channel too.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-100-Quart-Xtreme-Wheeled-Cooler/dp/B000G64FJK/ref=pd_luc_sim_01_02_t_lht1

But I think I'm going to get the 70 qt one and see how it goes.  I actually intend to use it as a cooler, not as a mash tun! 

[tygo]

But I think I'm going to get the 70 qt one and see how it goes.  I actually intend to use it as a cooler, not as a mash tun! 

And then one day soon at a nice picnic you'll be standing their admiring your 70 qt cooler and you'll start thinking, "I could just put a little braid in there..."

[denny]

Denny - my name is Jeff, and I am a flysparger.  

But I can also adapt to different things, so I have pulled out the old Rubbermaid orange (sorry) round cooler from my brewing equipment museum, and will try a batch sparge or three.  Anything to take 30-45 minutes out of the brewday for some beers is a good thing to explore.  

Is a Coleman Extreme in my future?

Jeff, the first step is to admit you have a problem!  

The round cooler will work fine for batch sparging, but I find a rectangular is much easier to use due to the larger opening.  They don't cost much, so my recommendation would be to just get a rectangular and avoid possibly having to change down the road.

[hopfenundmalz]

I am going to use the old round one just to see how it goes.  Also thinking of making a Fred Bonjour beer, you know, really really big.  So the plan is to use the 1/2 barrel mash tun and the rubbermaid cooler to add to the grain bill.   This was just with the stuff on hand, if I want to do more then I can get the Coleman Extreme. 

[denny]

Sounds like a plan!

[tschmidlin]

And then one day soon at a nice picnic you'll be standing their admiring your 70 qt cooler and you'll start thinking, "I could just put a little braid in there..."

I mash in a converted keg though, so there's really no need to change.  Although it would fit more grain . . . or if I wanted to do a second mash . . .

[bonjour]

I am going to use the old round one just to see how it goes.  Also thinking of making a Fred Bonjour beer, you know, really really big.  So the plan is to use the 1/2 barrel mash tun and the rubbermaid cooler to add to the grain bill.   This was just with the stuff on hand, if I want to do more then I can get the Coleman Extreme. 

Key is to collect lots of wort at a very high fermentability, then boil it down to volume,  long boil, another key.

[hopfenundmalz]

Fred, I have been paying attention!  Of late, I have been looking at some of the Thomas Hardy recipes that are in some books I have.  It might be fun to try something like that.

[Slowbrew]

Just got around to reading the latest issue.

Nice article Denny!!!  Even my wife chuckled when saw the byline.  "Is that the Denny from the forums you spend so much time reading?" she said.  Like it's a bad thing.   

Keep 'em coming because I still have lots to learn.

I found a blue Coleman Extreme (I can't recall the exact size at the moment, just big) this summer at K-Mart.  They had them on sale for $39 or so. 

If you need to get your braid closer to the bottom in a cooler without a drain recess you can use 2 45 deg. copper elbows fitted together and drop it about 3/4".  I did that in a smaller cooler I used for awhile.

Paul