Small Batch EBrew Kettle

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to build a small electric brewing kettle with my 12 quart kettle. I am going to start making some smaller test batches.

I'm trying to find a parts list and instructions on making this happen. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Not trying to be rude, but search and read through this forum. Lots of helpful information but you gotta weed through some of it.

I would say that 12qt is basically useless though unless you are down with 1gallon batches which ends up being not much more than 6 pack of pounders.

-BD

-BD

Is it just going to be a boil kettle or are you trying to do BIAB mashing in it also? You can probably boil 2 gallons with a 1500 watt element.

Maybe look into induction burners if your going small.

I'm just looking to make a small electric kettle that I can do extract batches with steeping grains. If I make two gallons of wort, I can top off with 1/2 gal water in my 3 gal carboy, then serve in my 2.5 gal keg. This is going to be my winter brewing set up.

I would think the basic scheme of any electric system would be useful. 2 gallons or 10 gallons, you have the same steps and same best practices to follow to make optimum beer.

In your case, you get advantages of scale in making smaller batches. But you still need to heat water, monitor and maintain temps, boil wort, cool down wort, pitch yeast, etc.

Look around and find a conventional system you like and then see what you can scale down. You can scale down your heat source. And with scale you might find new options such as induction heating, that might be a practical option at 2-3 gallons. Look for ways to take advantage of your smaller size.

Some things you cannot scale, such as a PID. If you need one, you need e one. You cannot buy a small PID.

A 3-4 gal kettle with a 2000w element would be just fine for your setup, but I'd still suggest a PID based controller in case you decide to BIAB (which isn't that big a step from extract). Nice to have precise temp control. At any rate it's pretty easy to find 20 amp 120v toggle switches so no need for contactors, a simple controller is not very hard to build.

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Edit: as always theelectricbrewery.com is a good spot to pick up info.

wobdee said:

Maybe look into induction burners if your going small.

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Yeah, cheaper 1800W models certainly have enough power to boil 10 qts, and usually have a 20F temperature control step, which would be fine for steeping grains. I think the one I bought cost about 70 bucks. Obviously, you need an induction compatible kettle.