BIAB with limited pot size

[rickbath]

Hi All,

I have been brewing extract for quite sometime now and looking to move over to BIAB. I have read that i roughly need a kettle which is roughly double the batch size.

The batch size which im looking at is about 5-8litres. However, due to space constraints, i am looking at not purchasing an additional kettle /pot for this function.

I have 2 pots which can hold ~5-6 litres each.
What im thinking of is to perform the mash on the first pot and while im doing the hop additions to the initial pot, i commence the mash on the second pot.

Also should i split the grains into half or would that be ok to put in all the grains in the first pot and then dump into the second pot once ready.

What are your thoughts....

 

[Chrispy92]

I just did my first BIAB and initially contemplated something like this with two simultaneous mash's.

Someone may correct me but I dont think you can start one with all the grain then dump into another one, something to do with converting sugars, also I would think you need to boil the total volume of wort over the same time? In the same way starting the boil with one and adding hops to only one pot with half the amount of final wort would complicate the amount of alpha acid being released into the mash with a lower volume of water and effect your flavor/bitterness.

I think for this to work consistently you would have to do two identical grain mash's in each pot, with half the total grain bill in each. So two mini mash's, once they are done you can do the boil in each, adding half the hop schedule to each. The final of each can then be dumped into a fermenting vessel and boom, beer time!

I found a BIAB calculator http://simplebiabcalculator.com/ Really helpful with figuring out strike temps and mash volumes for my first BIAB.

Others may chime in with better information.But the split mash was something I was thinking of doing for a while, since then I have gotten myself a 19L pot which allows me to do a max 12L brew.

 

[tennesseean_87]

I started out stove top BIAB with two 4-gallon pots. I would mash in one and dunk sparge in another. Then I'd boil in both pots. Then I moved to a 5 gallon bucket and dunk sparging in the pots. Then I moved to fly sparging.

I would mash in one pot and do some sort of pour-over or dunk sparge in the other.

 

[Sadu]

I do 5 litre batches all the time using a 7.5 litre pot plus a 5 litre pot. I mash in the small pot, boil in the bigger one. It works fine, but a 10 litre pot would just work better all round and be easier. I'll buy one as soon as I see a good deal on one.

In your case you want to brew a bigger batch in a smaller pot - it's possible, but I'll say straight up you are making life hard for yourself. A bigger pot is like $15-$20 and they don't take that much space. I know you said you don't want to buy a bigger pot but you are making your brew day more complicated and expensive by not having one.

That said, I don't think you need to split the mash like you are suggesting. That sounds like a lot of extra work to me. Because you have small pots you do not want to do a full-volume BIAB like most people do. You want to do BIAB with a sparge which is what I do, you get better efficiency and can get away with smaller pots.

A typical 5 litre brew for me is just over 1kg of grain plus about 3 litres of mash water. I don't use the bag for mashing (that comes later), I just throw the grains straight in the pot. You will be fine mashing a 5 litre batch in a 5 litre pot, 8 litre batch in a 6 litre pot is cutting it close (depending on gravity). Put the pot in the oven at 60c to keep the mash temps stable, works real good. If you don't do this you will find the mash temperature drops very quickly.

While you mash with one pot in the oven you can heat the sparge water in the other pot plus electric jug. About 6-7 litres of sparge water is needed for a 5 litre 1.050 ale. I am not too fussy about the sparge temperature, anything from 70-78c is good.

To do the sparge use the bag as a sieve - pour your grains through the bag into another large bowl (big enough for 3-4 litres of water). Give the bag a good squeeze. Then rinse your mash pot and put the grain bag back in the mash pot. Pour about 1/3 of the sparge water into the mash pot on top of the grains. Give that a good stir then remove and squeeze the bag again.

Next move the bag to your other pot, which has the other 2/3 of the sparge water. Give it a good stir, and leave for a couple of minutes. Remove the bag, give it a squeeze again then discard the grains.

You now have 2 pots and a bowl with sticky wort in them. Add the bowl wort to the 2 pots then bring both pots to the boil.

For a 5 litre batch in a 7.5 litre pot I can combine everything into one pot once the risk of boilover is reduced, after about 20 mins. But your pots are too small for this so you will be doing the whole boil in 2 pots on 2 stove elements. This will use more gas/electricity and you lose a lot more water to boiloff, which is why I say you are better off to just get a bigger pot. But it should work if you follow the above process without having to split the mash.

 

[JohnSand]

I used to make 5 gallon batches in a 5 gallon pot. The method is similar to extract brewing and topping off. I mashed in the pot with a typical grain/water ratio. Remove the bag to a strainer in another pot to drain, sparge in that pot if you like. While that is draining, start your boil in the main pot. After the hot break, top off the boil to about 4.5 gallons, keep an eye on it. Add your hops gradually to avoid boil-overs. As the wort boils down, keep topping off. Take a gravity measurement when your boil is over, and top off in the fermenter to reach the proper gravity.
This all sounds much more complex than it is. You don't need any more pots, just the ones that you own. Good luck, find your best method. There are many ways to make great beer.

 

[Aristotelian]

You can do this, just have some kind of extra container with your sparge water.

Or, do yourself a favor and get a super cheap kettle. I got myself this 16 Qt (15L) one for $12 at Walmart.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-16-Qt-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pot-with-Metal-Lid/37320203

 

[atcsat]

One thing to remember if considering a bigger pot: it increases the time by a LOT to get it to boil on a kitchen stove! So finding a way to do two smaller pots into one fermenter is commendable. I had to move out of the kitchen under orders from wife, and it made for an easier step to all grain.

Although I never made it to all grain in the kitchen, I think it's very possible. If you mash in one and dunk-sparge in the other (which I think you are planning), you don't have a pot big enough to boil both together. But if you make the wort equal in both pots after the mash/dunk (like pouring back and forth from pot to pot) and boil two pots, I think a two pot boil will work fine until chill time (having to chill two pots).

Just my thoughts, good luck!

 

[RdeVjun]

Here, this MaxiBIAB guide might help, covers the methodology for squeezing more out of a limited kettle than the stock no- sparge BIAB.

 

[Tribe Fan]

You can do this, just have some kind of extra container with your sparge water.

Or, do yourself a favor and get a super cheap kettle. I got myself this 16 Qt (15L) one for $12 at Walmart.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-16-Qt-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pot-with-Metal-Lid/37320203

This. I got a 20Qt on sale at BBB for $20. I use it for canning too.

 

[rouge_brewer]

Bigger pots also mean bigger caramelized mess around your stove! This mess will be supporting evidence when you pitch your electric brewery to your CFO. Plus you can find some 3-5 gallon pots for cheap and they come in handy for cooking! Plus siphoning 1 gallon batches is very difficult and getting 6 beers is disappointing when they turn out well.

 

[rickbath]

Thanks guys for your advise.. will try some of the recommendation..