I don’t use a cooler mash tun. Unlike the majority of all-grain homebrewers, I mash in my boil kettle. It’s a process that was suggested to me by a former employee of my LHBS in order to save money on start-up equipment, and I’ve never changed.

The downside to doing this is that I do a mash transfer to my Zapap lauter tun after my mash is done. It’s one more step, but since I’ve always done it, it seems normal.

The upsides to having my mash in my boil kettle are many. First of all, it’s one less piece of equipment that I had to buy. Secondly, if I want to do a step-mash, or even just ramp up to a mash-out temperature, I don’t have to boil water and hope that I’ve heated enough to get me to the step I want to hit. I just turn on the burner and stir until I hit the temp I want.

I know that mastering a multi-infusion process would be a good thing to learn, and I’m sure I will someday, but for now, I like my process. It works really well for me, and I’m glad to have it.