Moving up to a 10 gallon batch tomorrow

Well, I think I'm gonna do it tomorrow. I'm gonna brew a 10 gallon batch of my Haus Ale. I don't have a pump, so I gotta find a way to elevate my Banjo Burner and my MLT.

I have a keggle with a bazooka T already installed in it. How many folks are using an immersion chiller for 10 gallon batches?

Good luck with the upgrade! If you need an idea on an easy set up that would acomidate a burner under the HLT check out my gallery there are a few pics of my set-up, not much but it was cheap and easy. It's jst two saw horses and a small table top I make with some spare lumber. I use a CFC so I can't help you there.

Cheers and good luck again.

I use an immersion chiller on my 10 gallon batches. Works fine in cooler weather, a little slower as the temps rise. Usually takes about 20-30 minutes to get it down to 75*. Works a little faster if you can get some sort of whirlpool going. I'm thinking of building a whirlpool device using my pump and a piece of copper tubing. That or getting a prechiller (heck maybe both).

I brew 10 gallon batches and use an IC. I use a drill with a metal paint stirrer to create a whirlpool. I can usually get it down to pitching temp in 15 minutes. It aerates too!

Cooling time will most likely go up when the tap water is warmer this summer.

Cookiebaggs said:

I brew 10 gallon batches and use an IC. I use a drill with a metal paint stirrer to create a whirlpool. I can usually get it down to pitching temp in 15 minutes. It aerates too!

Cooling time will most likely go up when the tap water is warmer this summer.

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While some argue that hot side aeration is no big deal for homebrewers, I personally would still avoid excessively aerating your beer before you get the temps down under 100° or so. Just seems like one of those things to not take too many chances with. I gently stir my wort as it cools, and with my immersion chiller I'm at pitching temp within twelve or thirteen minutes.

While some argue that hot side aeration is no big deal for homebrewers, I personally would still avoid excessively aerating your beer before you get the temps down under 100° or so.

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I use a variable speed drill and go easy with the speed until I get the initial temp down for that very reason. Once I'm at 110-100, I start a faster whirlpool.

Gotcha Good to clarify for everyone, though.

That initial drop to around 110° or so it pretty fast, anyway.

Thanks guys. I'm going to use the keggle with the bazooka T. It's the one on the right. Snagged this setup a while back for $200 off of Craigslist.



I don't have a pump or extra hose for the Chillzilla, or the time to get it soaked and sanitized. Eventually, I'll build something to incorporate the whole system.



Does the bazooka T do a good job at filtering out the hops & hot break? I've never used one before as I normally pour my 5.5 gallons through a strainer into a plastic bucket. This time I'll be using two buckets.

That settup is pretty close to what I use... and I do use an immersion chiller. It takes about twenty minutes to cool 10.5 gal down to pitching temp. I think I'm gonna make another one that has more coils to speed the process.

cheers, -p

Ed
you know with that set up you can do 12 gallons. Your not limited to 10
JJ

jaybird said:

Ed
you know with that set up you can do 12 gallons. Your not limited to 10
JJ

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Thanks. I'm gonna do 11 gallons, that way I have my 5.5 gallons in each bucket fermenter which means I finish with 2 full kegs. Actually, I'm going to put this batch in 1 five gallon corny and two 2.5 gallon cornies. My 3 gallon cornies are reserved for Apfelwein.

The rain has stopped and I think I have my logistics figured out. Time to mill the grain.

EdWort said:

Does the bazooka T do a good job at filtering out the hops & hot break? I've never used one before as I normally pour my 5.5 gallons through a strainer into a plastic bucket. This time I'll be using two buckets.

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Well, for pellet hops, it's absolutely useless. The screen gets clogged almost instantly. I've since gone to using a muslin bag with pellet hops. I have heard that it works decent with whole hops, however.

As for break material, it passes right through the screen. I'm trying to figure out a way to implement the Bazooka T screen into my MLT, where I think it will work great, and provide a bit more "bling" factor than a SS braid.

EdWort said:

Thanks. I'm gonna do 11 gallons, that way I have my 5.5 gallons in each bucket fermenter which means I finish with 2 full kegs.
.

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VERY NICE!! you really can stock up the beer that way.
JJ

jaybird said:

VERY NICE!! you really can stock up the beer that way.
JJ

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Yeah, I have all these kegs to fill, so I need to get cracking.

Da-yum, what size freezer is that?

Lil' Sparky said:

Da-yum, what size freezer is that?

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Ya, it's a 19.7 from Frigidaire. 65 gallon capacity.

greg75 said:

Well, for pellet hops, it's absolutely useless. The screen gets clogged almost instantly. I've since gone to using a muslin bag with pellet hops. I have heard that it works decent with whole hops, however.

As for break material, it passes right through the screen. I'm trying to figure out a way to implement the Bazooka T screen into my MLT, where I think it will work great, and provide a bit more "bling" factor than a SS braid.

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It worked out really well today with 4 oz. of hops. I drained out about 10.5 gallons without an issue. So far so good.

10 gallons pitched & waiting for fermentation.

Well, I'm finished cleaning up. What a day with rain on and off messing up my brew time. I didn't hit my 11 gallons, but got 10.5. gallons at 1.055 O.G with 21# of grain. Not bad for my first try with keggles. I still need to measure and figure out how much gets left behind.

Tomorrow morning, the two buckets get moved to the garage into the fermentation chamber before I head to Lost Wages for the week.

Time for some beer now!

congrats! worked out good ah. you like the new stuff??

Welcome to the 10-gallon club. My setup ain't pretty, but it sure is nice pitching yeast to 10 gallons instead of 5. I just finished up 10 gallons of a Red Hook ESB and just ordered ingredients for 10 gallons of Bass Ale next weekend.

Like I said...it ain't pretty.

Thanks. I bit more work for a lot more beer.

Works for me. I had to have SWMBO's help picking up a keg full of wort to put on the burner. That banjo cooker worked fantastic except for the paint catching on fire. It heats thing fast without having to use the afterburners.

How do you move water to your MLT?

Man everyone is moving up, and im thinking of going to 3 gal. batches.

# hell shoot for 12 brothaaaa and just find a way to (justify) it
YA YA YA I know I cant spelll & I am totally ok with it
JJ

I'm using a keggle for 5 gallon(UK) (23l) 6 gallon US.

I'm boiling 30L to get 23l in the carboy. That makes my keggle 3/4 full. I don't believe there is any way I could go to double capacity in a keggle.

How much wort are you loading into the keggle and what is the capacity.

orfy said:

I'm using a keggle for 5 gallon(UK) (23l)
How much wort are you loading into the keggle and what is the capacity.

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It's a 15 gallon keggle and I loaded 12 gallons into it. I figured I'd boil off a gallon in an hour. The banjo burner had it boilling in no time. I dropped in my IC and then turned up the gas a bit and it was back to boiling in under 20 seconds when I backed it down. I think it left about 1 quart of wort & hops when I drained it into two buckets. The bazooka T did a good job keeping out the hops.

I think I'm going to get a pump to move things around.

EdWort said:

Thanks. I bit more work for a lot more beer.

Works for me. I had to have SWMBO's help picking up a keg full of wort to put on the burner. That banjo cooker worked fantastic except for the paint catching on fire. It heats thing fast without having to use the afterburners.

How do you move water to your MLT?

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You've just discovered the beauty of a brew stand. You don't move anything, and work for 10 gallons == work for 5 gallons.

Time to get started building, brotha.

FWIW, I know that I am a little late, but i think that my bazooka T does a good job straining all kinds of hops. I found that it does work better with at least a little whole hops in there. But as far as moving liquid around I use gravity. Heres the set-up:



Cheers

WOP31, I think that's about as good a setup as I've seen without going the full-blown brew sculpture route. Isn't it nice having everything stable and where you need it? Very nice.

wop31 said:

FWIW, I know that I am a little late, but i think that my bazooka T does a good job straining all kinds of hops. I found that it does work better with at least a little whole hops in there. But as far as moving liquid around I use gravity. Heres the set-up:

Cheers

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Sweet! What size is that cooler? Do you have a burner for your HLT?

EdWort said:

Sweet! What size is that cooler? Do you have a burner for your HLT?

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It is a 48qt with a SS Braid for a pick up, I am looking into custom making a false bottom for it out of perforated stainless, like Yuri's. My HLT is electric fired so no need for a burner. i have two 1500W elements in it and can maintian a rolling boil with just one. Here are a couple more of the HLT:
The inside:


And the outside:


It now also has a thermosight on it I will post those in the gallery later.

Lil sparky, it is very nice to have it all right there handy, also this set-up is very portable, i can bring it with me to any of the events that I need to, like a 24 hour brew-a-thon.

Cheers

EdWort said:

Yeah, I have all these kegs to fill, so I need to get cracking.

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you are making me want to buy this off craigslist for $150, if only I had a garage or space for it

EdWort said:

Thanks. I bit more work for a lot more beer.

Works for me. I had to have SWMBO's help picking up a keg full of wort to put on the burner. That banjo cooker worked fantastic except for the paint catching on fire. It heats thing fast without having to use the afterburners.

How do you move water to your MLT?

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Right now I have to use the step ladder and a sauce pot. I'm loosing a lot of heat that way so my strike temps to get a 154 mash are like 170-173.

My last batch, Red Hook ESB, I wanted to mash at a higher temp for a maltier flavor. I was flying up and down that ladder like a mad man, trying to hurry up.

Pert near dropped a bucket of hot water on me.

I gotta rig a collapsable, protable three-tier.

Ed, how did your immersion chiller work? I use one for my 10 gallon batches, but the ground water up here is plenty cold for that, even in summer. I was just wondering what the temp of the ground water was down in TX and if the immersion chiller worked OK for you.

Bernie Brewer said:

Ed, how did your immersion chiller work? I use one for my 10 gallon batches, but the ground water up here is plenty cold for that, even in summer. I was just wondering what the temp of the ground water was down in TX and if the immersion chiller worked OK for you.

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I have 50' of copper coiled and it worked out great. It took about 30 minutes to chill to pitching temps. I use a pre-chiller of 25' of copper in a cooler. As soon as the temp hits about 100 degrees, I drop in a bag of ice, water and some salt into the pre-chiller cooler. Works like a champ. I then gravity feed two bucket fermenters.