BIAB Kettle Size

Hi,

I'm looking to go all grain. My girlfriend bought me a Bayou Classic SQ14 for Christmas and I am striking out trying to find a keg. I am thinking of picking up the Bayou Classic 44 quart pot. I am hoping to do no sparge, although I'd be open to sparging if I am brewing a big beer.

It looks like I can pick up the pot from Amazon for 72, or 100 with a straining basket. From what I can tell, the basket isn't necessary, is it?

Thanks.

The basket isn't necessary but some people (like me) like using it anyways. I like it because it provides a convenient attachment point when using a pulley like this one to lift the grain from the kettle.

I saw another method on youtube where a guy put a grate over the top of his kettle and sat the grains on top, I believe he used a milk crate, but the basket could work for it too. Just wondering if its worth the extra $30.

What did you mount the pulley to, the ceiling in your garage?

weeple2000 said:

Hi,

I'm looking to go all grain. My girlfriend bought me a Bayou Classic SQ14 for Christmas and I am striking out trying to find a keg. I am thinking of picking up the Bayou Classic 44 quart pot. I am hoping to do no sparge, although I'd be open to sparging if I am brewing a big beer.

It looks like I can pick up the pot from Amazon for 72, or 100 with a straining basket. From what I can tell, the basket isn't necessary, is it?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

This is exactly the setup I use and you can mash a good amount of grain without needing a sparge. Get a bag sewn up and hop to it!

Edit: I don't think the basket is necessary if your bag is sturdy enough

weeple2000 said:

I saw another method on youtube where a guy put a grate over the top of his kettle and sat the grains on top, I believe he used a milk crate, but the basket could work for it too. Just wondering if its worth the extra $30.

What did you mount the pulley to, the ceiling in your garage?

Click to expand...

The milk crate method sounds like it would be messy.

I mounted the pulley to the rafters in the garage. You can also use a ladder as shown in this video. Skip forward to 12:00.

[ame="www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctbj61jrUmE"]like this[/ame]

Thanks for the video, I heard another option was a ladder, but it helps to know just how to use it.

Seven said:

The milk crate method sounds like it would be messy.

I mounted the pulley to the rafters in the garage. You can also use a ladder as shown in this video. Skip forward to 12:00.

like this

Click to expand...

Seven said:

The milk crate method sounds like it would be messy.

I mounted the pulley to the rafters in the garage. You can also use a ladder as shown in this video. Skip forward to 12:00.

Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctbj61jrUmE

Click to expand...

I just aim a tad high on my mash in temp then stir until it gets down. Great way to prevent dough balls. Part way through I add boiling water so the burner never has to be turned on, negating the use of some form of barrier from the bottom. You just have to account for the extra water at the start

weeple2000 said:

Hi,

I'm looking to go all grain. My girlfriend bought me a Bayou Classic SQ14 for Christmas and I am striking out trying to find a keg. I am thinking of picking up the Bayou Classic 44 quart pot. I am hoping to do no sparge, although I'd be open to sparging if I am brewing a big beer.

It looks like I can pick up the pot from Amazon for 72, or 100 with a straining basket. From what I can tell, the basket isn't necessary, is it?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

One place to watch is Cabelas. I got a 8 gallon stainless pot and strainer with 55k btu burner for $55 on sale there. It was the turkey fryer setup. I don't BIAB but it seems like it would work for it.

44 quarts is plenty big for a 5 gallon batch, full volume BIAB no sparge. I use the basket and pulley system, but it's not necessary. If you can find a pasta strainer or something similar and set it on top of a 5 gallon bucket, that would work as well. I tried looking for the post to describe this in more detail, but couldn't find it. If you plan on chilling, make sure you get (or make) a wort chiller as it can take forever (or it feels that way) cooling a 5 gallon batch using an ice bath.

I used a 32 qt kettle which was slightly too small for 5 gallon batched. I ended up having to top off after the mash to get my pre-boil volume. The 44 qt will be plenty big for 5 gallon BiaB batches. Have fun!

My rule of thumb for BIAB kettle sizing is double the finished batch size. For a five gallon batch (20 qt), a 44 qt kettle should be fine.