Hello gang,
Recently I bought a couple of 15 gallon kettles with the idea of doing bigger batches for myself and/or the common batches my cousin and me both like we can split. The kettles I have are 15 gallon Concord Cookware. For now, I'm a batch sparger, so thought I would mention that in case that affected anyone's recommendations.
1) I really don't want to waste gas to boil water to find my boil off rate. Does anyone know the formula to find this myself? The kettle dimensions are 16.5"H x16.5"dia (inside dimensions of course). I figured if my post boil is off on that first batch with these kettles, I'll just make a note of what I lost for the next one.
2) I'm thinking about adding thermometers to these kettles too since I need to add ball valves. Is there a rule of thumb for how far apart the holes for the thermos and valves need to be spaced from each other?
3) Valve/thermo placement. I've thought about putting mine under one of the handles (like Blichmanns), instead of the traditional "between the handles" of other kettles. The idea is tipping the kettle when draining the wort. Any other advantages and/or any disadvantages of doing this?
4) Could I use the false bottom from my 10 gallon kettle? I think it's 11" in diameter and it's domed. It's this one here for more specifics (link) It looks tiny in this pot, so thought I'd ask.
5) Any false bottom recommendations since the one I have isn't available for anything bigger than 10 gallon kettles/coolers?
6) Last (I promise), should I insulate one of the kettles or direct fire it? What's the best approach to hold temps.
Thanks in advance.
Recently I bought a couple of 15 gallon kettles with the idea of doing bigger batches for myself and/or the common batches my cousin and me both like we can split. The kettles I have are 15 gallon Concord Cookware. For now, I'm a batch sparger, so thought I would mention that in case that affected anyone's recommendations.
1) I really don't want to waste gas to boil water to find my boil off rate. Does anyone know the formula to find this myself? The kettle dimensions are 16.5"H x16.5"dia (inside dimensions of course). I figured if my post boil is off on that first batch with these kettles, I'll just make a note of what I lost for the next one.
2) I'm thinking about adding thermometers to these kettles too since I need to add ball valves. Is there a rule of thumb for how far apart the holes for the thermos and valves need to be spaced from each other?
3) Valve/thermo placement. I've thought about putting mine under one of the handles (like Blichmanns), instead of the traditional "between the handles" of other kettles. The idea is tipping the kettle when draining the wort. Any other advantages and/or any disadvantages of doing this?
4) Could I use the false bottom from my 10 gallon kettle? I think it's 11" in diameter and it's domed. It's this one here for more specifics (link) It looks tiny in this pot, so thought I'd ask.
5) Any false bottom recommendations since the one I have isn't available for anything bigger than 10 gallon kettles/coolers?
6) Last (I promise), should I insulate one of the kettles or direct fire it? What's the best approach to hold temps.
Thanks in advance.