Upgrading my mash tun?

Hello I am go to buy one of those 10gal blue lgloo cooler one that look like this http://www.lowes.com/pd/Igloo-10-Gallon-Plastic-Beverage-Cooler/4767313# I am wanting to know what size false bottom will fit this cooler?

I used a false bottom with one of those, and it was a complete unmitigated disaster. Constant stuck mashes and sparges. I switched to a 6" bazooka tube and it has been smooth sailing since. Highly recommend the bazooka tube.

To back up @porkchop, you can’t go wrong with the bazooka tube. I used stainless water supply braid that was too fine, and had a lot of Runoff problems. The bazooka has just the right mesh, and hasn’t given me any problems.

I use the same cooler for my mash tun. Tried a false bottom and had stuck sparges. Switched to a bazooka and have had no trouble since.

I’m not clever enough to figure out how to reply with a PM, so I’ll reply here:

I believe you can use any sparge method with a bazooka screen. Sparging is rinsing the sugars out of the grain bed. Any process that accomplishes that should produce good beer. A perfect, undisturbed grain bed will also filter out small particles and leave you with clear wort, which may or may not affect the clarity of the final product - opinions vary.

I can see where a bazooka may not drain as evenly across the bottom of the mash tun as a false bottom - have a look at this page of “How to Brew” by John Palmer:

http://howtobrew.com/book/appendices/appendix-d/tun-geometry-and-flow-potential

Stirring, followed by a brief rest and a vorloff (probably misspelled), should solve that problem. I recirculate with a pump and stir occasionally. It takes very little time for the wort to clear after stirring, so I assume running off a gallon or so of wort and returning it gently to the mash tun should also clear it.

If you batch sparge, uneven draining is not an issue. That’s because in batch sparging you’re draining, not rinsing as in fly sparging. Batch sparging also eliminates the lauter system as a variable. To the OP, take a look at www.dennybrew.com

Plus 1 to Denny. I can’t speak to fly sparging, as I have never tried it. But over the past few years, I can say I’ve never felt the need to try it, as batch sparging is so easy.

I used to fly sparge,and my last couple or mashes using a mash-tun was batch sparing. I’ve since gone to BIAB, but the bag is a basket. I am content with the way I do this. full amount of water in the keggle, very slow whirl pooling, pull the basket set it on a cookie rack, if you will, over the keggle and recirc over the grain as the water starts to ramp up. I quit when water is 170. Let it drip until its time to add hops then git it out of the way. And I found out to never try compact the grain to git the last bit of wort out of it. My suspicion of NEIPA! Sneezles61

Those flinty Vermonters, trying to save a few cents on grain with their sack squeezing :wink:

1 Like

They must have some big sacks if their doing biab at Alchemist.

1 Like

False bottoms are for kettle tuns. Wast of money for a cooler tun. Go with a braid

1 Like