Mash Tuns

The Mash Tun is arguably as important as the kettle. When using the BIAB method; it is precisely as important, since the kettle doubles as your mash tun and you need not purchase a separate one.

Brewing with Batch Sparge or other methods requires a separate mash tun. 10 gallon beverage dispensers make great mash tuns at a reasonable price. Homebrewing specific mash tuns made from stainless steel are also available.

Considerations


Size	10 gallons of volume will work for either the BIAB or Batch Sparge methods; however, I recommend using at least 15 gallons to allow for full volume mashing.
Material	Most beverage dispensers are made with food grade plastics, and are fairly tolerant of the heat from mashing. They are a good choice for an inexpensive mash tun. Stainless steel mash tuns will last you a lifetime and can tolerate much higher temperatures, though they come with a larger entry price.
Ports	You will absolutely need at least one port for a drain valve and you may desire a second port for a thermometer. A plastic mash tun is fairly easy to add ports to later, while a purpose-built stainless steel one should probably not be modified.
Volume Marker	Volume markers make it more convenient to measure how much water you are adding.

Considerations

Size

10 gallons of volume will work for either the BIAB or Batch Sparge methods; however, I recommend using at least 15 gallons to allow for full volume mashing.

Material

Most beverage dispensers are made with food grade plastics, and are fairly tolerant of the heat from mashing. They are a good choice for an inexpensive mash tun. Stainless steel mash tuns will last you a lifetime and can tolerate much higher temperatures, though they come with a larger entry price.

Ports

You will absolutely need at least one port for a drain valve and you may desire a second port for a thermometer. A plastic mash tun is fairly easy to add ports to later, while a purpose-built stainless steel one should probably not be modified.