My new indoor BIAB kettle- too big or ok?

Here's my new bayou 10 gallon on my bluestar. Luckily,it barely fits, and I Even have the height clearance use the strainer to pull the bag if I choose. I chose 10 gallons over 8, there's a thread on here somewhere from a guy who had the same struggle. I did my first all grain batch at 2.5 gallons in my 5 gallon pot, and the burner blasted out 1.3 gallons in 1 hour, not even on full. So I think the bluestar 24000 btu can handle kettle volumes of 7 gallons, but it is a bit focused on the center of the pot. I think my standard batch will be 4 gallons fermented in a 5 gallon carboy, since I don't drink too much, and want to stay in the kitchen, and my chamber fits 2x 5 nicely. However, I also have some 3 gallon fermenters, and want to have flexibility to split batch from a full 5.5 gallon batch, and want enough space for a 4 gallon big beer.

A lot of my set up is based on inspiration from Gavin's thread, who seems able to manage 10 g indoors. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=507054&highlight=Indoor+BIAB

Before I break down the Amazon box and order a bag from wilserbag, should I reconsider an 8 gallon kettle instead? Then I'd just have to scale down big beers to 3.5 gallons. My concern with the 10 gallon is having to tweak the mash temp up with a burner since I'll normally be mashing at about 6.5 gallons, and will lose heat to the open headspace. I brew all sorts of beer, so I want to keep versatile.

Planning on using Mylar bubble. Wrap, recycled from blueapron for insulation.

Help me decide, keep the 10 gal pot my wife bought, or return for 8 gallon?

Well I can't speak exactly to your dilemma, but I'll say what my process was maybe you'll find it helpful.

I wanted to do maybe up to 15gal and definitely 10gal batches BIAB and for that I wanted a Blichmann burner. I knew I wanted the ability to do large volume high gravity batches also, which led me to 15 and 20gal kettles. (Sort of like the 8 and 10gal dilemma)

After I read up a bit on water displacement and how much water the grain absorbs I aired on the side of more headspace the better. Largely because of the risk of boil over with low headspace and because of the large volume of water I needed in batches where there would be 30+ pounds of grain in my kettle. Which was exemplified by a boil the other day mashed in with 14.5 gallons of water and 32 pounds of grain. I was nearly pushing the limits of my kettle during the mash but the final in fermenter volume was 10.5gal.

I think what I'm trying to say is go for the larger kettle.

You want to have more headspace, especially in a nice kitchen like that where you do not want to have a boil over or even risk it. In your case the difference is only two gallons which is what I assume to be ~4 inches in height? I don't think that will help much, you may find yourself doing a dunk sparge in a spare pot or just doing a good squeeze and calling it that. But I don't think you'll regret the larger kettle especially if your burner is up to the task.

8 is too small, keep the 10 no doubt...

10 G is a universal size for most anything up to and including BIAB 5.5G batches.

I'd keep and use the 10G kettle no question.

Experience tells me you have to decide on one of two options. Either keep the 10 gallon kettle or send it back for a smaller one and then order the 10 gallon kettle later.

Ok, I'm keeping the 10 gallon. Wilser, you'll have an incoming order shortly. ��

Tommydee said:

Ok, I'm keeping the 10 gallon. Wilser, you'll have an incoming order shortly. ��

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Good call.

The 10 is the right choice,,, returning the wife's choice is a bad idea....don't ask lol

The 10 will also likely fit in your oven with racks removed, great way to mash as opposed to wrapping or reheating as you mention above.

wilserbrewer said:

The 10 is the right choice,,, returning the wife's choice is a bad idea....don't ask lol

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This [emoji41]

wilserbrewer said:

The 10 will also likely fit in your oven with racks removed, great way to mash as opposed to wrapping or reheating as you mention above.

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And this.

Rather than a test boil, I decided to brew a Christmas ale extract kit that I got for xmas, at full volume, of course. . New kettle rocks! Did take 20 minutes to get from steeping temp to boil, which was longer than I hoped. Did a full boil and assumed some loss, so started with 5.75 gal. Of course, forgot how much volume extract adds, but still hit the kit OG target, thank god. Also got to try new oxygenator.

Only problem is it sure is heavy to move to the mudroom sink for cooling, but was happy that my 1/2" immersion chiller handled it fine, down to 66 in 20 minutes. Looks like I can move my chiller setup to the kitchen, just need to run a hose through the kitchen window!

Only issue is that I got some burn marks on the stove, and the wife is a bit worried about all that vapor on the cabinets....I see kitchen exile in my future. But, I can see me sinking the wilserbrew Rachet in a garage ceiling joist, combing Craigslist for a burner, and moving to the garage come spring....we'll see.

Cant wait to try it next Saturday, might do a dales pale ale clone, since it's simple, and I had a craigslist seller give me a pound of cascade hops!

Finally, a shout out to wilserbrewer, I bought a bag on dec 26th, a holiday, and it showed up on Wednesday, 2 days later! Way finer than the first bag I tried, and much nicer. Cant wait to use it next Saturday.

Yeah I feel your pain I lugged my 20G kettle with 11.5 gallons of brew from outside to inside in my kitchen I practically pulled my back out.

I will be making a dolly with wheels for next 10G brew, may not be a bad idea for you too

Stoked that everything went as planned for ya

Tommydee said:

Only issue is that I got some burn marks on the stove, and the wife is a bit worried about all that vapor on the cabinets....I see kitchen exile in my future.

Finally, a shout out to wilserbrewer.

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Unfortunately your wife may be correct

Most kitchens aren't properly set up for full volume boils, lacking both heat and ventilation. If you look closely at Gavin's stove, it's a high end unit with likely a vent to match.

As for the burn marks on the stove, try being a little more patient and running the stove on 9 instead of 10 or 11 j/k.

As for the condensation, lots of over stove microwave vent units are just a grease filter and don't vent to the outside. Perhaps a fan moving some air near the stove and cracking a window with a little less boil vigor as well. Might be a long winter if the wifey is upset
Thanks for the shout out

wilserbrewer said:

Unfortunately your wife may be correct

Most kitchens aren't properly set up for full volume boils, lacking both heat and ventilation. If you look closely at Gavin's stove, it's a high end unit with likely a vent to match.

As for the burn marks on the stove, try being a little more patient and running the stove on 9 instead of 10 or 11 j/k.

As for the condensation, lots of over stove microwave vent units are just a grease filter and don't vent to the outside. Perhaps a fan moving some air near the stove and cracking a window with a little less boil vigor as well. Might be a long winter if the wifey is upset
Thanks for the shout out

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The kitchen cabinets may not be the only thing damaged by the moisture being boiled off. I use the kitchen range hood with a powered vent to the outside to limit the amount of steam released to my home.

You can find a cheap burner for less than $50. I bought a KAB4 for under $40 from Amazon. I brew year round outside but I live in the south. We rarely see temps in the low 30's and definitely no snow.

my vent hood is 600 cfm, the fire inspector made me put in make up air, so extraction of moisture is not an issue:rockin:..and the range is also way overpowered and overpriced, to be honest....so using it to brew beer and sear a steak helps justify the exorbitant cost to me.

That being said, the geometry causes steam to hit the cabinet on the way out, and I'm pretty messy and clumsy....I already spilled a bunch of starsans and that luckily the dishwasher "caught" most of on a bottling day....but I didn't think to run the thing to drain the sump, so it squeaks now....

So, in hindsight wife and I spent more money on a kitchen than we should have, and though it is more capable to brew than most, that's not a good reason that I should ruin it by trying to get my money's worth....decision made, I'll be moving into the garage this spring!

Ok another word of caution, undiluted starsan is a strong acid and can etch certain surfaces. An open bottle can and will drip trace amounts down the side that are present on the outside of the bottle and can leave a tell tale round stain on counters.

Ok y'all have been warned....

PSA over cheers

Another view...
BIAB with 15# of grains means that the bag when soaked will weigh about 35# and be HOT.
Your range hood prevents you from lifting it up and letting it drain without some gymnastics.

I bought a propane burner, used it on the floor near my chiller area and put a hook in a rafter so I could lift the bag up and let it hang and drip for a while and then I can squeeze it.

Bains999 said:

Another view...
BIAB with 15# of grains means that the bag when soaked will weigh about 35# and be HOT.
Your range hood prevents you from lifting it up and letting it drain without some gymnastics.

I bought a propane burner, used it on the floor near my chiller area and put a hook in a rafter so I could lift the bag up and let it hang and drip for a while and then I can squeeze it.

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I came to the same conclusion. The 44qt bayou classic kettle is tall enough that I didn't think I would have enough room to easily pull the bag. I would have had to lift the kettle from the stove top to the floor to pull the bag. As much as I wanted to be able to brew on my stovetop it just didn't work space wise. So a few mouse clicks, some $$ and a few days later a bayou sq14 was at my door. I will brew outside under my deck weather permitting or near the entrance to my garage where I will use a step ladder as a hoist point to pull the bag. Then the only time I'm moving a full kettle around is when I fill the kettle in my kitchen and then I have to get it to my brew spot outside - then I'm only moving cold water which is a lot safer than moving hot wort around.

I think the height will be fine for my batch size and reasonable grain bill, colander approach. I typically only plan to do 4 gallons now while I learn how to brew better. It's not high enough to pull the Bayou strainer by the handle, but I don't think I'm going to use that at all (unless I decide to fry a turkey in November��

I really can't make any more investments in equipment for awhile, and won't have so much time to peruse HBT come Tuesday...but, I'm thinking my priority for future is as follows, in case something comes up on craigslist! :

1. Yeast starter kit
2. Burner- garage in spring!
3. long temp probe for kettle lid. (My BBQ maverick probe is just not accurate enough, and I'll lose heat each time I open lid and use handheld probe during mash.
4. Keg system and kegerator with 2 faucets
5. Pump/plate chiller/whirlpool port- faster cooling with less wasted water, particularly if I scale up to 5.5 gallons post garage move!

Enough dreaming about equipment.....I'm going to try Yoopers pale ale this weekend..wanted to go lagering, but want to do something simpler with the new kettle. This will be my first non-kit recipe, so wish me luck!

Tommydee said:

Enough dreaming about equipment.....!

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This! Your long stem thermo want may only promote worrying....Rdwhahb

If you want to open your kettle and check temp go ahead. If you want to put a small flame under your kettle and stir to raise a couple degrees go ahead.

Focus on learning with the equipment you have rather than concentrate on what you "think" you need. With more experience you'll have a better feel for what's going on.

from my experience...
i started by doing 1 gallon extract on the stove - chilling in the laundry sink...
then i upgraded to an 8 gallon kettle on the stove (3 gallon biab) - with an immersion chiller in the laundry sink.

Now - I mash on the stove, move the entire pot outside, including the grains to the burner on the deck. Chill outside attached to a hose with an immersion chiller.

This is still not good enough.

I intend to fully move outside once I get some insulation so I can mash outside as well. The mess in the kitchen is just not worth it!

Also I plan on upgrading to now a 15 gallon kettle, for 5 gallon biab, which will be great for high gravity beer as well...

Did my first BIAB in this setup today, and overall, went pretty good. Sorry for the boring details, nothing really new here.

Used RO water, and treated with CaCl2, baking soda, epsom salt, and, gypsum to hit Bru'nwater APA profile.

Set Beermith for 68% mash efficiency, did Yoopers house pale ale, 4.3 gallon batch size. Minor mod to crystal, rather than mixing 20 L and 60 L, I just used 40 L. Also modified (lowered) hops for my batch size and AA to get it to 49 IBU

Started with 6.6 gallons water, and just under 10 lb of grain. Hit mash temp of 153 right on, and using leftover shiny bubble wrap from blue apron as insulation, held temp ok. It dropped to 151.8 after 15 min (ph of 5.3), 149.5 after 70 minutes, and decid d to leave alone. Finished at 148.7 after 90 minutes. I stirred at each temp check. Next time, I'm going to add my down coat on top, and not mess with it.

First time using the Wilserbag, it worked great! Lauterr was easy. Went no sparge, and just let the colander drip while I heated to boil. Did a little squeeze, and I was at 6 gallons preboil.

Boiloff was 1.25 gallons, and starting gravity was right on! (Sort of). First time using a refractometer, calibrated it w distilled water, and it said 1.053. My hydro said 1.057, corrected for room temp. Target was 1.058. Based on pics in this forum, my grind is in the coarser side of things, so I'm pretty happy with this, even if the refractometer is right.

Chilled with immersion chiller, and sent some cold break over, based on recent research telling me not so important to leave trub behind. Got about 4.1 to 4.3 gallon to fermenter.

Looking at my beersmith recipe, it has both mash efficiency and efficiency at 68, so I'm wondering if I need to go in and tweak my profile to get s little more into the fermenter next time.

Oxygenated for 2 minutes, and pitched a WLP001 pack ( no starter). Have it set for 67 F in the chamber. This will be my first time dry hopping, and I might fine w gelatin to get clear...

Wort tasted pretty darn good, looking forward to this one.

Good job! With your attention to detail and thoroughness, you and Gavin may just be brothers from two different mothers

Good job on this batch. Since you have a refractometer, stir your mash well at 15 minutes and take a gravity reading. You may lose a degree or two doing so but it might not matter much. Try again at 30 minutes to see where your mash is going. If your grain is milled well you may not get much more conversion after this which means that any temperature loss from 30 to 90 minutes won't matter much. It also may mean that you don't need to continue the mash after the 30 minutes. If you are still getting higher gravity after 30 minutes your grains could be milled finer. Be aware that doing so will gain you a higher OG. YMMV

I'm in the camp that dumps everything into the fermenter. Anything you leave behind in the mash is lost. Any liquid can become beer and by leaving the beer in the fermenter a bit longer the trub will settle out and most of that liquid will be recovered. Be aware that this may get you more quantity of beer. Have a couple extra bottles available just in case.

Most people will advocate for a starter no matter what. I'm a believer in oxygenating the wort as that will create the conditions for yeast to multiply there in the wort so starting with a larger number of yeast cells shouldn't be necessary. Give us a report on how the fermentation goes and the attenuation.

Hydrometers are calibrated to a specific temperature and it seems that you used a correction table to determine the OG at a higher temperature. That may have caused the difference in the OG reading against the refractometer. Next batch cool a sample to the hydrometer's calibration temp and check the reading against the refractometer reading. Let us know if they differ significantly. My hydrometer and refractometer seem to match at pitching temp so I only use the hydrometer for the FG.

Here's fermentation at day 4, 66 F. Bubbling much slower now, but it seemed to go nice and steady. I decided to buy O2 before yeast starting equipment since I run a slightly smaller than standard batch size, I figure anything below 1.060 in 4.25 gallons should be fine with a good liquid yeast. Clearly next priority for me is to learn yeast starters, since I want to try a pilsner or dunkel soon. Actually, first priority is to heal my back, bulging disc from a slip playing laser tag with the kids means no carboy lifting for me for a few weeks