BIAB 7.5 gal brew kettle big enough for 5 gal batch?
- Thread starter Chaddyb
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I've done it but the wort was half an inch from the rim when I stirred (carefully) in the last of the grain. This was on a 1.05 gravity batch so if you want a higher gravity batch the answer is no. You can modify the BIAB technique to do higher gravity batches if you have another pan or pot by doing a dunk sparge step or a pour through sparge.
The other option is to do a slightly smaller batch. I do 2 1/2 to 3 gallon batches in my 5 gallon pot too. In your 7.5 gallon pot you should be able to do a 4 to 4.5 gallon batch easily.
The other option is to do a slightly smaller batch. I do 2 1/2 to 3 gallon batches in my 5 gallon pot too. In your 7.5 gallon pot you should be able to do a 4 to 4.5 gallon batch easily.
TromboneGuy
Well-Known Member
I have an 8 gallon that works fine for BIAB. You just won't be able to get more than about 1.060 OG.
Sure it can be done, but you will be living near the top of the kettle for both the mash and boil (Now that you have been warned). The rackers calculator here....http://rackers.org/calcs.shtml/ indicates that with 12 lb of grain at 2.2 qt/lb your total mash volume will be 7.5 gal. The grain will absorb about 1 gallons so you will be left with about 5.6 gallons pre boil. I would guess with the kettle filled to the rim during the mash you could get a bit more. To collect more wort if needed, you could do a dunk sparge of the bag in either another pot or a bucket.
Challenger440
Well-Known Member
I do all the time, but I do a modified BIAB (ie I sparge). I pull the bag out and toss it in a bottling bucket. Then I sparge through the bottling bucket. It allows me to mash out properly and use a normal qt/lb level and I can hit those higher OG's if I desire.
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
I'm only planning on doing a couple 2.5 gallon batches to get used to AG, but if I can stretch it for a little while I would like to maybe do a basic wheat or brown 5 gallon batch to fill my kegs. I'm not gonna plan on using a 7.5 forever, it would just buy me some time till I get a 10gal + kettle. For anything real high gravity I will most likely only do 2.5 gal batches.
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
I've thought about this too, but having never done it, I'm not sure how to calculate the water.
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
yes;
I can't fit all my water in my kettle for my batch size either. So, I put in as much water as I can; I mash, lift the bag a bit and mash out. While the bag is hanging and draining over the kettle I start the boil and add the remaining room temp water needed for a full boil (about 1 1/2 Gallon).
I use Beersmith to calc all this out wrt strike water temp, grain weight, etc
I can't fit all my water in my kettle for my batch size either. So, I put in as much water as I can; I mash, lift the bag a bit and mash out. While the bag is hanging and draining over the kettle I start the boil and add the remaining room temp water needed for a full boil (about 1 1/2 Gallon).
I use Beersmith to calc all this out wrt strike water temp, grain weight, etc
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
How far into the boil do you add the water?
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
I usally add the water as my water is heating up before boil; that way I'm all mixed in and I can check my Pre-boil "calcualted" gravity prior to Boil so I know if I have to boil "viqourously" or slower to hit my target target OG
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
MikeSteele
Well-Known Member
When I decided to go from extract to BIAB, I bought a 15 gallon heavy duty kettle. I often brew high-gravity and wanted the option of also making 10 gallon batches. The pros/cons are extreme:
1. It's super high quality and volume so far has never been a concern. I love using it.
2. It's freaking massive. 18" wide x 15" tall and heavy. An effort to clean. Honestly it would be hard to store in a standard-size apartment.
If space is tight I would modify a 5-gal kettle and brew 3 gallon batches. But for now I have the space and have no regrets about buying a 15 gallon.
1. It's super high quality and volume so far has never been a concern. I love using it.
2. It's freaking massive. 18" wide x 15" tall and heavy. An effort to clean. Honestly it would be hard to store in a standard-size apartment.
If space is tight I would modify a 5-gal kettle and brew 3 gallon batches. But for now I have the space and have no regrets about buying a 15 gallon.
Fastmetal
Well-Known Member
When it's super cold outside I do stovetop BIAB in my 32 qt pot. For bigger beers I "dunk sparge" in a bucket and then add that to get to my pre boil volume. I am lucky that my stove will actually boil 6.5 gallons. I know a lot of them won't. I was going to brew outside today but the wind is blowing 20mph so I will do it on the stove. Good luck!
solbes
Well-Known Member
1.060 is about the biggest beer I can do in a similar sized pot. Any bigger and I switch to partial mash by adding 3 or 6 lbs of LME. Have never been able to pick out this taste, so I don't sweat it.
This is a great option. The mash volume won't be too much for that pot usually. It's the sparge volume added to the grain (full volume single vessel BIAB) that's the kicker. Add another vessel for one or the other, and you're golden.
Like I said, add a vessel. Cheapest is to add a 5+ gallon cooler and mash in that with the bag lining it. Then heat your sparge volume up in your pot and put the grain bag in there for sparge. Stir it and then lift, squeeze. Then add your runnings from the cooler.
It's what I do, coolers are like <$20 and hold mash temp better than a pot with no heat added.
It's what I do, coolers are like <$20 and hold mash temp better than a pot with no heat added.
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
So if I got a big ol igloo cooler and mashed in that, it would be all good?
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
I concur; I have a 10 gallon Mega Pot and the 15 gallon would be my prefered choice if I had to go and buy one again. I'd say for five gallon batches; the 15 gallon is really the better choice. I also though brew for 6.5 gallons post boil; 5.75 gallons into the feremeter, and 5 gallons in the keg. So, I plan for 1 1/2 gallons scrap
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for a sanke keg, I figure that way I should have more than enough room, but I'm mainly curious if I can rig the smaller pot to work if I want to. I like the idea of a cooler to mash in, then its just a matter of moving the water from vessel to vessel. I don't mind if its a pain for a little while.
in a 8.5 gal pot i can accomplish a rather beefy brew, i do a modified dunk sparge. It takes a lot of my day to accomplish it and i really need another vessel but is is possible. adding another vessel would easily shave an hour or something off your brew day.
My initial thoughts on getting new equipment is to think about really hard about how much beer is too much beer (which the simple answer is there is no such thing as too much beer) and buy as big of equipment as your pocket can handle
Anyways what I am doing, mash thick 1qt per pound with maybe a little extra for fun. dunk sparge with the rest of my preboil volume, which means I have to take the grain out of the wort, and move it and the wort to one of my buckets, heat sparge water to mash out temps, put drained grain back into kettle, stir and allow plenty of time, again pull out grain bag, add my first run into my second and get it to a boil. I usually am aiming for about 6 g into the fermenter cause the bottom most gallon is probably going to be waste from sediment and yeast. I usually have at least an inch, of wiggle room on big beers. The biggest of which was a 1.1 IIPA.
Just make sure you have a tight gap on your mill, you don't want it floured but the smaller the gap the higher the effciency is going to be and with a bag a stuck sparge isn't an issue. The higher the efficiency the less grain you will need, the lower the initial volume, etc etc etc
My initial thoughts on getting new equipment is to think about really hard about how much beer is too much beer (which the simple answer is there is no such thing as too much beer) and buy as big of equipment as your pocket can handle
Anyways what I am doing, mash thick 1qt per pound with maybe a little extra for fun. dunk sparge with the rest of my preboil volume, which means I have to take the grain out of the wort, and move it and the wort to one of my buckets, heat sparge water to mash out temps, put drained grain back into kettle, stir and allow plenty of time, again pull out grain bag, add my first run into my second and get it to a boil. I usually am aiming for about 6 g into the fermenter cause the bottom most gallon is probably going to be waste from sediment and yeast. I usually have at least an inch, of wiggle room on big beers. The biggest of which was a 1.1 IIPA.
Just make sure you have a tight gap on your mill, you don't want it floured but the smaller the gap the higher the effciency is going to be and with a bag a stuck sparge isn't an issue. The higher the efficiency the less grain you will need, the lower the initial volume, etc etc etc
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
Ive seen some old kegs for sale for $150; that would make a great BIAB and Boil Kettle.
You can get a 60qt. pot for less than that, new. I saw one linked for $110 or $120 today I believe. Update International is the brand. Aluminum, but they are usually 4+mm thick.
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
There's some for sale locally on craigslist for $60 ea, but I have a buddy who owns a bar, and he's checking with his distributor to see what he can get.
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
I've seen some cheap ones on sale as well on Craigs as well; Careful though, many of those don't belong to the Sellers and are deposit Kegs. No, paying a deposit doesn't mean you bought them they are still the property of the Brewery until they are "scraped" out.
OP
OP
Chaddyb
Well-Known Member
Yeah that's true, I might call summit or surly and see if I can buy some kegs from them.
MMJfan
Well-Known Member
What types of volumes of water are you talking about as far as mash and sparge volumes go.
I have a 7.5 gallon kettle and I've been doing all extract brewing but I'm going to try a BIAB batch but don't want to buy any new equipment. I have an Igloo cooler so this method sounds like it would work for me. Just don't know how much water to use for the mash and the sparge. I've got about 11 #'s of grains for my BIAB batch that I will be using as well fwiw...
If you add a batch sparge in another pot (so you're not doing the traditional no-sparge BIAB), you can make really big beers BIAB. I ONLY BIAB in my 7.5 gallon turkey fryer and in 7.5 gallons I can mash 22lbs of grain at 1qt/lb. I recently did just that and made perhaps the most delicious barleywine ever. OG was 1.100.
Similar threads
