BIAB Basket Rack Weight

[DaSwede]

I will soon be finished with my eBIAB setup using a 62qt Bayou Classic Steamer Pot with basket. There's not enough money in my budget to get a brew stand and hoist and since I live in an apartment with no garage, I have to good place to add a pulley. So, my plan until I save enough for the brew stand and hoist is to use a round grill rack to place my basket on top of to drain.

Do you guys think this rack will be able to hold basket with 21 lbs of wet grain?
18.5" Steel Grill Rack

My kettle is 15.25" wide.

 

[wobdee]

It should work fine, that's what I use but brew smaller 2.5 gal batches. When I squeeze down on my grains I'm sure I put a lot more than 21lbs of pressure on mine.

 

[ThatGeekGuy]

The only drawback would be if the grain bag flattens out on the rack larger than your brew pot. Then you'll have wort dripping outside the pot making a mess.

I'm getting ready to try BIAB, and have seen folks that use a big plastic tote with a big round hole in the center that the grill rack sits on top of. That way everything has to go into the pot even if the bag is oversized.

 

[DaSwede]

The only drawback would be if the grain bag flattens out on the rack larger than your brew pot. Then you'll have wort dripping outside the pot making a mess.

I'm getting ready to try BIAB, and have seen folks that use a big plastic tote with a big round hole in the center that the grill rack sits on top of. That way everything has to go into the pot even if the bag is oversized.

It'll be inside a stainless steel basket, so it's really just the weight that I'm worried about.

 

[MagicSmoker]

...
Do you guys think this rack will be able to hold basket with 21 lbs of wet grain?
18.5" Steel Grill Rack

My kettle is 15.25" wide.

I was just looking at that same rack today while at the Home Despot. While it looks plenty strong for the job, I didn't like that it was made of bare, unplated mild steel. Even if you aren't worried about acidic wort leaching iron from it every use, it's still going to be a pain to clean and dry it properly after each use to prevent rusting.

What I decided to do instead is drill a bunch of 1/4" holes in the aluminum lid that came with my 30qt. turkey fryer, and use that as a strainer for the BIAB bag after mashing. I used an angle grinder to take the handle off the lid earlier and will be drilling a bunch of holes in it shortly to complete the transformation from lid to strainer basket.

 

[Hawkeye11]

I will soon be finished with my eBIAB setup using a 62qt Bayou Classic Steamer Pot with basket. There's not enough money in my budget to get a brew stand and hoist and since I live in an apartment with no garage, I have to good place to add a pulley. So, my plan until I save enough for the brew stand and hoist is to use a round grill rack to place my basket on top of to drain.

Do you guys think this rack will be able to hold basket with 21 lbs of wet grain?
18.5" Steel Grill Rack

My kettle is 15.25" wide.

I use this exact rack on top of my Blickmann 10 Gallon Kettle with the extended legs. Generally I split my grains into multiple 5 gallon bags, with a target of around 7lbs each. This rack will easily hold 21lbs. I squeeze and press with much more force than that without issue.

 

[Hawkeye11]

I was just looking at that same rack today while at the Home Despot. While it looks plenty strong for the job, I didn't like that it was made of bare, unplated mild steel. Even if you aren't worried about acidic wort leaching iron from it every use, it's still going to be a pain to clean and dry it properly after each use to prevent rusting. [\QUOTE]


I have several batches on mine. The bags are only on top for a couple of minutes, far less than meat on a grill. After I am done, I wash with soap and water then dry. Again, only a couple of minutes clean up while the wort is boiling.

 

[DaSwede]

That makes me feel better! Sounds like a done deal for me! If it last me for 6 months, it'll be perfect.

 

[wobdee]

Just took a closer look at my grill rack and after 5 batches there seems to be a little rust forming. I don't know if a little rust will effect the beer or not but if it gets worse ill be looking for a different option.

 

[MagicSmoker]

Here's my solution to draining BIAB bags:

 

[Ticebain]

I think that weber rack is fine. I would put money on you being able to stand on that thing. It's not thin metal and its steel. I bet you would crumple your pot with pressure before you break that rack

Maybe exaggerating a little about the pot but I'm sticking to my guns on you being able to stand on it