Cooler mashing debate! Rectangle, round, false, manf...

[Test_Engineer]

Don't buy a premade system like that. The best part is the satisfaction of creating your own system. Especially with a name like Test Engineer.

The more I think about this fact, the more I want to build a Brutus Ten! Who the hell uses a plastic mash tun anyway.

[Lars]

The more I think about this fact, the more I want to build a Brutus Ten! Who the hell uses a plastic mash tun anyway.

Do IT!!! I built my Brutus 10 after brewing with a cooler for 4 + years. I'll never go back!

[ddgbrewing]

I use a round cooler with a false bottom.. I have a very limited budget and it works for me.
I wish I had a couple grand to drop on a structure... oh well maybe when I hit the powerball

[Mylo]

AH, the whirly-gig sparge arm... Don't you have other brewing gear to buy then that silly thing? I have never understood why you would need your sparge water to spin and spray - especially when you are maintaining an inch or two of water above the grains. And, as others have pointed out, if you dial it in to deliver 1 qt/min - then it's not enough to spin anyway.


Mylo

[TimmyR]

So, I've kicked off the upgrade with 60-quart SS MB HD pots. It's looking like Ice Cube Cooler (cheap) until I decide to spring for a 3rd 15 gal pot or I will just trial and error with my 10-gallon polarwear. Looking at another burner and a March pump and new immersion chiller.

More to follow...wish I had the skills to build the Brutus 10

[missing_link]

AH, the whirly-gig sparge arm... Don't you have other brewing gear to buy then that silly thing? I have never understood why you would need your sparge water to spin and spray - especially when you are maintaining an inch or two of water above the grains. And, as others have pointed out, if you dial it in to deliver 1 qt/min - then it's not enough to spin anyway.


Mylo

I had the same experience. On a 5 gallon batch = no spinning. I am assuming for those of you doing 10 or 15 gallon batches it would most likely spin. My first time trying to use the spinning arm, I spent quite a bit of time trying to get it to just start to spin and within 15 minutes I was done sparging!!! Grrrr.

I just use a PVC manifold on top of the grain bed now, seems to work fine and only costs a couple bucks.

Linc

[Stewbacca]

I have the round cooler with a stainless false bottom. I was using the spinning arm thingy and was getting 80% efficiency but i recently switched to some copper tubing that i drilled holes in so that i can keep the lid closed for my sparge. I found that i had to have my sparge water at almost 200F because I was losing tons of heat by the time it got to the grains. I still havent used my new set up but ill report back when I do..

[ziggy]

How did you figure out that the water was losing that much heat?