5 Gallon Converted Igloo Cooler Mash Tun with False Bottom

5 Gallon Converted Igloo Cooler Mash Tun with False Bottom

I just want to counter the negatism with respect to the false bottom used to build this mash/lauter tun. I built my own 5-gallon and 10-gallon tuns using 9" and 12" AIH false bottoms. I have been brewing all-grain beer since 1993. The AIH false bottom is hands-down the best false bottom I have ever used. The earliest manufactured false bottom I used was a Phil's Phalse bottom. The Phil's Phalse was made out of domed perforated plastic sheet. That false bottom was eventually replaced with a domed perforated stainless steel false bottom, which was an improvement. However, for the experienced all-grain brewer, the AIH false bottom is light years better than any other cooler false bottom sold in the homebrew trade. It is slotted like a pro-level false bottom. Anyone who is experiencing difficulty with setting a husk filter bed is crushing his/her grain too finely, resulting in too much husk damage. Additionally, the ball valve, not the false bottom is used to control the flow rate on mash/lauter tun. The ball valve on a mash/lauter tun is not an completely open or completely closed device. It can be partially opened to control the rate of flow from the tun.

It works great, but the false bottom type is too fast and canít really make a good grain bed filter, I think the round hole type would be better. Also the connection to it isnít secure/solid. Itís nice to have metal in there, but a quality hose would be better so it can be a rigid connection between the false bottom and the drain port that goes through it. Cooler and itís port and ball valve, all those connections, are quality and work great. But Iím kinda wishing I had built my own because of the false bottom thing.

Having the manufactured false bottom and the spigot makes the mash so much easier to maintain temperature and control. These guys offer great customer service, shipping was fast and complete. Very impressed.

I have both the Igloo mash tun and the HLT. Quality products and easy to use. I have had my cooler mash tun for 4 years and have brewed over 50 batches. The mash tun cooler shows some signs of use, but the false bottom hardware inside is in great shape and the HLT cooler still looks like new (only using for sparge water). With the mash tun be sure to take out the hardware and clean up underneath the false bottom in-between brew days.