Hello from SW Ohio, for now!

Hello all,

I've been brewing since the fall of 2013, but am new to this forum. I did learn a lot from the forum so I thought that I should join and participate in the sharing of information.
I've been doing 2 gal all grain batches by the process described in "Brooklyn Brew Shops" books. It has been fun, and I've made some good beers, but I think I'm ready to take it to the next level. The process I've been using doesn't involve taking SG readings, so I never knew how strong the beer was. I mashed in a crock-pot which means my temperature would fluctuate between 147-152. Sparging was a pain. I used a big strainer and poured hot water over the grain. I'm sure I had terrible efficiency, but the beer always turned out ok.
This weekend I borrowed my neighbor's turkey fryer and tried a full volume BIAB. It turned out easier than I expected. Still a 2 gal recipe, but with the full volume, and a towel and laundry bag for insulation, I only lost 3 degrees during mash.
I think I want to upgrade to full volume BIAB. I need to stay on 2-2.5 gal batches to keep on the stove. Right now I live in an apartment, and am likely to move every three or so years for a while.
Any recommendations for kettles? wort chillers? adjusting recipes to BIAB?
Thanks for all the help you've already provided, and all the help to come!

Hello from Columbus! I've recently been rethinking my brewing and moving from 5-6 gallon batches down to 3 gallons. I've been thrilled with my SS Brewtech Brewmaster Bucket and am now looking to buy their 5.5 gallon kettle. I have a 10 gallon Bayou Classic kettle right now and have not been happy with how it's scorching the wort. Plus it's a pain to carry downstairs for cooling.

Welcome to the Forum! I know a guy around here who does small batches in a crock pot...and I'm not entirely sure you aren't him (I'm in Dayton). He does two gallon batches, but all grain, and split between two crock pots for the mash. It's a mess, but he claims it makes good beer.

I recently switched from 5.5 gallong Partial Mash/Partial Boil BIAB to a nice 10 gallon kettle from AIH ($80 with a welded port and volume markings!!!). Anyway, for smaller batches like yours, full volume BIAB, an 8 gallon pot should cover you even into high gravity beers. There are a lot of options out there for them, depending on what bells and whistles you want, and what your spending limit looks like. I'll throw some links down below:

http://www.homebrewing.org/8-Gallon-32-Quart-SS-Brew-Pot-AIH-_p_2980.html (out of stock, boooo!)

http://www.morebeer.com/products/85-gallon-stainless-brew-kettle.html (I haven't felt the need for a second port, yet, mostly because I use a nice thermocouple dangling in the mash)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TV9LSU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTMWWXG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

As for other resources, a lot of people like Wilserbrewer bags (a user here who sells BIAB stuff for a reasonable price). I'm leaning that direction but right now I use a big bag I bought for a few dollars from Brewtensils in Dayton.

As for websites, I love the one below:

http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/

I hope this helps, and gives you some options.

Happy Brewing!

Howdy from the snow belt! I brew partial boil, partial mash biab of 5 or 6 gallons in the same 5 gallon SS kettle I started with. And on the stove. I use 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bags for the big mashes. 2 gallon nylon bags for the smaller ones. Makes things way easier to get regular size batches. The 2 gallon size would be great for your needs I think?

Welcome! North of Dayton here. I do full volume biab 5gal no sparge here. I have a 15g SS pot though. Been doing this way for 2 years.

Welcome to the group, from CO

For more experimental batches, I do 2.5G BIAB on a propane burner. All goes great. Only problem, some of the experiments turn out very well, and I only end up with a case of that beer. I did a Surly Smoke clone, only have four bombers left- took a year to age, so the next batch won't be ready for a looooong time. But I am going to do a 10G batch on my big system next time, so I'll have a few year's worth!