10 gallon batches... 8 gallon kettle?!

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WorryWort

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Here's my deal: I'm new to AG. But in the interest of planning ahead I bought a 60qt cooler so that I can handle 10 gallon batches.

The problem is that I only have an 8 gallon SS kettle and I'd like to try to make 10 gallons of beer at the same gravity, but with 2 separate boils. I do know how to partigyle, but that's not my goal now.

I'm wondering how, or if, I could batch sparge and collect my first boil volume (~6.5 gallons) into my kettle, and then maybe put the second boil volume into another carboy or pail to be boiled after the first one's in the primary. I do realize this will consume several hours... but I don't care.

I'd like no more than a 5% variance in OG between the beers. Is there anyway I could get roughly the same gravities from the first 6.5 gallons of runnings as I will from the last 6.5? Is there any other solution that will equalize the gravities of the separate volumes?

All ideas welcome (Recommending that I buy a bigger kettle does not count!)

Thanks!
 
Are you splitting the batch into 2 six gallon primaries? If you had a 15 gallon fermenter, I think it'd be safe to just add the 2nd boil to the 1st.
Maybe mix them before bottling or kegging?
 
i asked a similar question here.

How about collecting half of your first runnings into the kettle and the other half into a carboy/pail, then collecting the second runnings in the same manner.
 
Mix them together post-boil by pouring them back and forth between carboys a couple of times. That will nicely aerate your batch at the same time.

If your sanitation is up to par there shouldn't be any problem with infections and such. There really isnt much need to be gentle with your wort until after you pitch your yeast and it starts producing.
 
fivehoursfree said:
Are you splitting the batch into 2 six gallon primaries? If you had a 15 gallon fermenter, I think it'd be safe to just add the 2nd boil to the 1st.
Maybe mix them before bottling or kegging?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I am not. I need to get them into 2 6.5 gallon primarys.
 
pirate504 said:
Mix them together post-boil by pouring them back and forth between carboys a couple of times. That will nicely aerate your batch at the same time.
Click to expand...

My 6.5 gallon carboys won't really allow for much mixing back and forth as they'd both be full. Otherwise this would work for creating one beer.

A4J said:
i asked a similar question here.

How about collecting half of your first runnings into the kettle and the other half into a carboy/pail, then collecting the second runnings in the same manner.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I thought about this. Have you done it?

It seems like it would be the cleanest and least vessel intensive method of splitting the wort up. I think I'll try it for the hell of it!
 
I would want to combine the runnings from the mash tun before doing two separate boils. This way the gravity of each boil is the same. You don't need to worry about how heavily to hop one boil over the other. If one boil was over 1.050, then the hop utilization is reduced.

You might not have another 60QT container laying around.

You could collect your runnings into buckets/carboys. Once you are finished sparging, dump your grains and clean your Mash Tun. Then use the mash tun to mix all your running back together.
 
I would just do two batches if your doing two different boils into two different fermenters. Otherwise trying to keep everything even is just too difficult. You won't really save that much time by doing a single mash, since you can do the second mash while your first wort is boiling.
 
I did this once, but I was brewing extract, so I did a concentrated boil, and diluted in 2 fermenter pails...used 2 diff yeasts, and both came out fine ..

AG seems like a real chore to do this..

Time for the keggle...
 
noeldundas said:
Here's my deal: I'm new to AG. But in the interest of planning ahead I bought a 60qt cooler so that I can handle 10 gallon batches.

The problem is that I only have an 8 gallon SS kettle and I'd like to try to make 10 gallons of beer at the same gravity, but with 2 separate boils. I do know how to partigyle, but that's not my goal now.

I'm wondering how, or if, I could batch sparge and collect my first boil volume (~6.5 gallons) into my kettle, and then maybe put the second boil volume into another carboy or pail to be boiled after the first one's in the primary. I do realize this will consume several hours... but I don't care.

I'd like no more than a 5% variance in OG between the beers. Is there anyway I could get roughly the same gravities from the first 6.5 gallons of runnings as I will from the last 6.5? Is there any other solution that will equalize the gravities of the separate volumes?

All ideas welcome (Recommending that I buy a bigger kettle does not count!)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The best answer is the one you have said you don't want to hear. Start saving for a bigger kettle. That is by far the best solution.

For an immediate solution I would double batch. It's the best way to insure you will get the same results on two beers and if you time it right would probably add 2 hours or less to the session.

:mug:
 
BigEd said:
The best answer is the one you have said you don't want to hear. Start saving for a bigger kettle. That is by far the best solution.

:mug:
Click to expand...

I'm just trying to track down a keg now for a keggle. But I hear ya... Ever hear the one about NASA spending millions to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity? The Russians just used pencils.


Jonnio said:
I would just do two batches if your doing two different boils into two different fermenters. Otherwise trying to keep everything even is just too difficult. You won't really save that much time by doing a single mash, since you can do the second mash while your first wort is boiling.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking - Too runnings of the same gravity, but then different hops, and yeasts perhaps, and definitely 2 different fermenters. It's not the time savings I'm after as much as I'd like to utilize most of my over-sized mash tun.
 
Well. I'm mid way through my first all grain and first 10 gallon batch. And I lucked out 3 days ago and found a guy selling two used kegs on craigslist.

So i have a 15 gallon keggle. Problem solved. (except they say "Molson" on them, I'm going to have to grind that off!)

Thanks for the help!
 

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