BeerBorg

I asked this over in the old Mrbeer forum's but can't find it over there, how much water and grain's can a 5 gallon cooler handle max. I Googled it but did not like what I saw.Somebody on the Mrbeer forum posted a link that was real simple I think it was just a chart.

You would be pushing the envelope with 10lbs of grain and 3.5 gallons of water. A 5 gallon batch is "doable" with a 5 gallon cooler if it is a low to average gravity beer. I would not to use anything less than a 10 gallon capacity mash tun for a 5 gallon batch.

Gymrat hit it on the head for you with the size of a mash tun for five gallon batches. Blichmann's website offers up a decent sizing chart for three vessel systems recommended for batch sizes.

Recommended Three Kettle Systems For Typical Batch Sizes (HLT / Mash / Boil)

5 Gallon Batches: 10 / 10 / 10
10 Gallon Batches: 15 / 15 / 20
15-20 Gallon Batches: 20 / 20 / 30
32 Gallon Batches: 55 / 55 / 55 (recommended) or 30 / 55 / 55
64 Gallon Batches: 100 / 100 / 100

Also, here is a good chart for MLT capacity based on your mash thickness, Quarts/Pounds

1.00 qt/lb
10 Gallons: 24
15 Gallons: 37
20 Gallons: 49
30 Gallons: 73
55 Gallons: 134
100 Gallons: 228

1.25 qt.lb
10 Gallons: 20
15 Gallons: 30
20 Gallons: 41
30 Gallons: 61
55 Gallons: 111
100 Gallons: 190

1.50 qt.lb
10 Gallons: 17
15 Gallons: 26
20 Gallons: 35
30 Gallons: 52
55 Gallons: 95
100 Gallons: 164

1.75 qt.lb
10 Gallons: 15
15 Gallons: 23
20 Gallons: 35
30 Gallons: 52
55 Gallons: 95
100 Gallons: 164

2.00 qt.lb
10 Gallons: 13
15 Gallons: 20
20 Gallons: 27
30 Gallons: 40
55 Gallons: 74
100 Gallons: 128

This would be for 2.5 gallons batch sorry for got to say that.

bcltoys wrote:This would be for 2.5 gallons batch sorry for got to say that.

That would work. If you ever decided to upgrade to 5 gallon batches you could just get a 10 gallon cooler and move your manifold and valve over to that.

I use a 5 gallon cooler for 2.5 gallon batches currently. It is the perfect size. I recently did a 1.084 OG Belgian tripel in it, using about 6 lbs of grain, and worked like a charm. I am certain I've got room for at least another 1.5 lbs of grain (and the extra 2.25 quarts of water to go with it). I use a false bottom connected to the spigot, but you can maybe fit more than what I can if you use a solid manifold instead.

Funky Skunk, with that MLT capacity list you put up, is that saying that I will not be able to fit 25 lbs of grain at thickness of 1.25 qts/lb in my ten gallon mash tun? I was planning on upping the abv on my chocolate stout a bit and was wondering if I could fit that into my mash tun. On BrewersFriend it says I need 7.95 gallons of strike water, and then 2.83 gals for sparge water. It says nothing about it not being able to fit without overflowing but I'm not sure it it takes that into account or not.

yankfan9 wrote:Funky Skunk, with that MLT capacity list you put up, is that saying that I will not be able to fit 25 lbs of grain at thickness of 1.25 qts/lb in my ten gallon mash tun? I was planning on upping the abv on my chocolate stout a bit and was wondering if I could fit that into my mash tun. On BrewersFriend it says I need 7.95 gallons of strike water, and then 2.83 gals for sparge water. It says nothing about it not being able to fit without overflowing but I'm not sure it it takes that into account or not.

I posted that pretty much direct from Blichmann's site and those amounts are with the MLT at 75% full, so 25 pounds of grain with that strike water will be pushing it close (to me). How are you sparging? If you are fly sparging, I don'y see an issue with it. 25 pounds is pretty much the limit for a 10 gallon MLT, again in my opinion.

This link http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml and using the 'Can I Mash It?' calculator will give you a good idea of what you can an cannot mash in your MLT. This calculator shows you will use 9.81 gallons of space, which will work but as I said, push the limit of a 10 gallon MLT. Note, (as the site says) this does not take into account a false bottom into the equation. That is why I said it would be pushing it. I'm sure some others will chime in on it as well. I feel you could, but again pushing it. If you fly sparge, I don't see an issue. I hope this helps.

For what it's worth, I have a mash tun made from a 5 gallon cooler. I regularly do 5 gallon AG batches using ten or eleven pounds of grain with no problem.

I usually do a ratio of 1 1/4 quarts per pound of grain for the mash and dividing the difference between two sparges to make a pre-boil volume of between 6 and 6.5 gallons.

This has worked for me for a couple of years, now. I'm getting an efficiency of at least 75%.

FedoraDave wrote:For what it's worth, I have a mash tun made from a 5 gallon cooler. I regularly do 5 gallon AG batches using ten or eleven pounds of grain with no problem.

I usually do a ratio of 1 1/4 quarts per pound of grain for the mash and dividing the difference between two sparges to make a pre-boil volume of between 6 and 6.5 gallons.

This has worked for me for a couple of years, now. I'm getting an efficiency of at least 75%.

Direct from The Hat

yankfan9 wrote:Funky Skunk, with that MLT capacity list you put up, is that saying that I will not be able to fit 25 lbs of grain at thickness of 1.25 qts/lb in my ten gallon mash tun? I was planning on upping the abv on my chocolate stout a bit and was wondering if I could fit that into my mash tun. On BrewersFriend it says I need 7.95 gallons of strike water, and then 2.83 gals for sparge water. It says nothing about it not being able to fit without overflowing but I'm not sure it it takes that into account or not.

I seriously doubt there will be room for 25 pounds of grain AND 7.95 gallons of water in a 10 gallon tun. 25 pounds of grain? REALLY? 5 gallon batch?
Think about it, 7.95 gallons of water won't leave much space in a 10 gallon cooler. 25 pounds of grain takes up a LOT of space.

Gymrat wrote:

yankfan9 wrote:Funky Skunk, with that MLT capacity list you put up, is that saying that I will not be able to fit 25 lbs of grain at thickness of 1.25 qts/lb in my ten gallon mash tun? I was planning on upping the abv on my chocolate stout a bit and was wondering if I could fit that into my mash tun. On BrewersFriend it says I need 7.95 gallons of strike water, and then 2.83 gals for sparge water. It says nothing about it not being able to fit without overflowing but I'm not sure it it takes that into account or not.

I seriously doubt there will be room for 25 pounds of grain AND 7.95 gallons of water in a 10 gallon tun. 25 pounds of grain? REALLY? 5 gallon batch?
Think about it, 7.95 gallons of water won't leave much space in a 10 gallon cooler. 25 pounds of grain takes up a LOT of space.

I agree for the most part as I have seen others attempt it (so they say) and it has worked for them, barely. My initial thought, though I said nothing was why 25 pounds of grain for a 5 gallon batch? I understand that the OP wants to vault the ABV% up for what ever reason, though it seems if they want to make a higher ABV% beer, it may be time to step up in equipment.

Although the OP did say is t was a 2.5 gallon batch and that makes me think why have 25 pounds of grain for a 2.5 gallon batch? I personally think he should explore other options for boosting the ABV in this smaller batch size. 25 pounds of grain for a 2.5 gallon batch seems over kill to me.

Just my $0.02 on it.

Plus, you hit the nail on the head in your original post, Gymrat. Nothing less than a 10 gallon cooler style MLT for 5 gallon batches should be considered to me as well.

Phil seemed to get a pretty good OG in a 2.5 gallon batch at 1.084 with just 6 pounds of grain. Even if his FG fell to say 1.020, that would give a pretty high ABV content in that beer. So it can be done without having to add 25 pounds of grain to a 2.5 gallon batch. Phil, what was the FG on that brew?

Funky Skunk Brewing wrote:Phil seemed to get a pretty good OG in a 2.5 gallon batch at 1.084 with just 6 pounds of grain. Even if his FG fell to say 1.020, that would give a pretty high ABV content in that beer. So it can be done without having to add 25 pounds of grain to a 2.5 gallon batch. Phil, what was the FG on that brew?

1.011 FG. It was the St. Sebastian Tripel. 9.5% ABV. I dried it out a bit by using a pound of sugar in the boil.

nice calculator link you posted Funky Skunk.

Phil - Thank you. Just an example of a higher ABV% beer that can be achieved without have a huge grain bill for a 2.5 gallon batch. Still unclear on why the need of 25 pounds of grain for a 2.5 gallon batch.

Jim - Thank you, sir. Hope others find it useful as well.