Kettle Upgrade BIAB

I am currently using an 8 gallon Enameled kettle to do the BIAB method using 16 pounds of grain. I start with 6 gallons of water and fly sparge another 2 gallons over the top. I end up boiling 7.5 gallons and have 5.5 gallons of wort post-boil. I'm getting between 70-75% efficiency and around 6.5% alcohol content.

I'd like to get a higher alcohol content, so I'm in the market for a larger kettle. I'm not sure if I should get the 10 or 15 gallon. I know that a 15 gallon kettle will be all that I will ever need because I enjoy 5 gallon batches and love having variety.

But I am thinking that the fly sparge and/or a mash out is necessary in order to get better efficiency using the BIAB method. In that case I don't think that I'll need anything bigger than a 10 gallon kettle for my 5-6 gallon batches.

What do you think?

I started with 10, but then moved to 15. No hassles with the 15 with bigger beers

Are you familiar with biabrewer.info?

There are some solid looking claims that full volume mash biab gets the same efficiency as sparging.
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2523
https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=site:biabrewer.info+jeans&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

The simplicity is beautiful, too. I got a 15gal kettle for the reasons you mentioned. (Base on my experience, I have to caution you away from BruGear, though.)

I would not buy a 10 gallon kettle if you already have an 8 gallon. Coming from a 5? Sure, but to me a 10 gallon would be more of a side step then a true step up from an 8 gallon kettle. At least with a 15 gallon, you could do big batches and big beers.

You could go 11g with the bayou classic 1044. It is 80 shipped on amazon I think the 15g is $20 more.

Go for 15g. It may seem like overkill right now, but I can assure you it's not. It's also really nice for those times you decide to do an 8 gallon batch so that you can keg 5 and bottle the rest.

I have a 15 gallon kettle and it's a touch undersized for 10 gallon biab batches. I also thought I would like to do five gallon batches but now with two small children and a burgeoning sour pipeline I have been doing larger batches and splitting to try different yeasts, dry hops, and sour some. The grain bag gets pretty heavy for 10 gallon batches though. I use my ratcheting pulley for skinning deer to pull out the hot grain bag. Works great.

10 gallon will heat faster but a fifteen will keep boil overs from happening so its your call, just an fyi you need twice the pot size to do a full boil with bib so fifteen is just the common for most all grain brewers making 5 to 7 gallon batches

I'd err on the side of larger- I have a 10.5 gallon pot and wouldn't care to go taller (basement setup is too high), but would love to have the extra volume.

Thank you all for your input, I'll shop around for a 15g kettle [emoji3]

This is the one I have. Looks like they are out of stock right now though:

http://www.homebrewing.org/2-Weld-15-gallon-SS-Brew-Pot_p_2756.html

If it were me, I'd instead opt to make smaller (3.5 or 4 gal) batches when making stronger beers and keep using the same kettle. One advantage of this is that you don't necessarily need a starter since you'll be pitching bigger for the given volume. But of course it's all about your preferences.

I use a 62qt (15gal) Bayou for 5 gal batches and I never worry about boil-overs. I haven't tried a 10 gal batch yet, but I feel I could pull it off. Keggle's a good option too. I'd say bigger is better within reason but I bet you'd hit a wall somewhere down the road with a 10gal.

Zen27 said:

Thank you all for your input, I'll shop around for a 15g kettle [emoji3]

Click to expand...

Check out Wayfair.com. They had some pretty decent prices for the Boyou Classice pots. I purchased 3 from them and I'm pretty happy with the 62 quart pots.

Yep, same as lots of folks said, go for the 15g. I also bought a 10 in the beginning and quickly sold it and got the 15. I only do 5 gallon batches but do full volume mashes with BIAB.
I also follow the advice of BIABrewer.info and do not believe sparging is necessary. I hit my expected OG quite regularly.

Finally, I must also recommend that whatever kettle you buy, get one with a thick bottom to prevent scorching of ingredients and the bag. I bought a Thunder group SS pot off Amazon. It has worked great for some time now.

20 gallon-10 gallon batches.
More beer same time-same cleanup.
Everything but the pot and bag are the same
No brainer
I have a concord pot with basket off Ebay,cheap and easy

FTR, I have a 15gal kettle because
1) I usually brew about 6 gallons into fermentor to get a fell corny and about a 6 pack of bottles
2) SWMBO wants me to keep at least one high gravity beer on tap and I don't want to put 3 gallons in a 5 gallon keg

but... if I were bottling or just kegging beer for my tastes I'd go with a 10gal kettle because

1) I mostly like session beers
2) When bottling you can just brew a smaller volume for high gravity beers and
3) echoing the smaller starter sentiment, you can just pitch 2 or 3 gallons on the yeast cake from a 5 gallon session beer
4) oh, I've made some great session beers with a 5 gallon pot without using extract by using invert sugars that add some great flavors, so I'd extrapolate on that for a 10gal kettle http://www.unholymess.com/blog/beer-brewing-info/making-brewers-invert/comment-page-1
Session beers on tap, smaller batch high gravity beers in bottles FTW.

But, I'd also suggest saving up for the kettle you can use for the rest of your life and a 15gal stainless steel kettle is a safe bet there (though again I'd save up for something better than Bru Gear).

And in response to the 20gal kettle suggestion:
1) Even with a Blichmann burner I don't want to wait that long
2) I definitely don't want the chilling time needed for 12 gallons of wort (for several reasons)
3) I don't want two kegs of the same beer for several reasons, even if I had more kegs and/or taps (besides I already feel excessive with 14 kegs and 5 taps)