Converting to AG, need some ideas...

[maclaren]

So I recently went out and picked up a wort chiller, MLT (cooler), and a 7.5 gallon pot so I can start doing some AG batches. I'm trying to get some ideas on what to use for an HLT. I'd like to stay on the less expensive side so a keg seems reasonable. However I read on here that some have used a 5 gallon cooler to hold your sparge water. Has anybody had any success with this method?

 

[tre9er]

use the 7.5g. pot. The only difference is you'll need to collect your first runnings and first sparge addition in a bucket or something while you drain the last of your sparge water from the kettle, then add the wort to the kettle and run the last runnings into it as well.

I use a single kettle and a cooler for all of my brews.

 

[tre9er]

Sorry if that wasn't clear, here's what I do using a single kettle:

Heat strike in kettle, overheat a bit actually. Add to MLT cooler, cover, allow to pre-heat. Stir down to strike temps (just above actually) then dough-in.

Mash as usual, heat sparge water in kettle (same single kettle). When mash complete, either drain first runnings, or mash-out then drain runnings into a bucket or extra pot. Add first sparge addition to tun, vorlauf, and if kettle is empty (single batch sparge), run wort into kettle. If kettle still has sparge water, empty runnings into bucket/extra pot, do second sparge addition, run into kettle and add initial runnings from bucket into kettle.

Boil, chill, pitch, etc.

I have another 8g. pot slated to be my HLT but I just haven't gotten around to fitting an element (electric) into it yet.

 

[maclaren]

Dude, thank you for the response. I'll definitely try that!

 

[krazydave]

Lot's of people do use coolers for HLT's also, but it is nice to have the ability to adjust the temp of your hot liquor on the fly.
I'd personally go with tre9er's method until you found another vessel.

 

[SCUD_Brew]

Lots of options but I use a cooler for sparge. Pre-heat it as you would the MLT, drain and fill with your sparge water to the temp you want.....pretty simple and works great. For me, I prefer to fly sparge.

 

[beerguy2009]

I just use a small pot, 5.5 gallon, to heat the sparge water. I bought it at Walmart for $40. That way I can heat the sparge water to the correct temp right before I need it. Works for me as I batch sparge. BTW, if you haven't bought the brew pot yet, you can get a 10.5 gallon pot for less than $100 from Instaware. They are out of CA and I ordered mine online.

 

[christpuncher123]

Why not just do BIAB and eliminate all those steps and extra equipment and extra cleaning an stuck sparges and low efficiencies and so on and so on.

 

[christpuncher123]

Lots of options but I use a cooler for sparge. Pre-heat it as you would the MLT, drain and fill with your sparge water to the temp you want.....pretty simple and works great. For me, I prefer to fly sparge.

Wow, that looks nice and safe for the kids! LOL

 

[maclaren]

I just use a small pot, 5.5 gallon, to heat the sparge water. I bought it at Walmart for $40. That way I can heat the sparge water to the correct temp right before I need it. Works for me as I batch sparge. BTW, if you haven't bought the brew pot yet, you can get a 10.5 gallon pot for less than $100 from Instaware. They are out of CA and I ordered mine online.

I already bought a 7.5 gallon pot. I haven't seen any pots over 20qts at Walmart, you scored.

 

[SCUD_Brew]

Christpuncher, thanks for the insight.....much appreciated. Ive since hired some ex-walmat security guards to watch over the mash for obvious safety reasons. Not sure how to "make safe" the rest of my shop but I gotta do something! There's some scary dangerous stuff in there like powertools and the like.

 

[TrogdorTheBrewinator]

Does anyone have concerns about his 7.5 gal being too small for all-grain ? Depending on the boil-off rate he might have to do between 6 and 7 gal in there, which doesn't seem to leave much room for boil over. I have a 15 gallon kettle with around 2 gal/hour boiloff, plus boiloff during chilling, so when doing 90min recipes I have it filled close to 10 gallons of wort to get some 5.5 gallon in the end. And even with extra 5 gallons of headspace it could boil over quickly if not watched very closely during the first few minutes of boiling.

 

[tre9er]

Turkey fryer pots, which I assume this is, are tall and thus I never had boiloff much over 0.5g/hr. I had a really full boil once due to overshooting volumes...I boiled around 6.5g for a while until it went down enough to add more wort. It wasn't pretty but it was all I could do.

 

[tre9er]

to the OP:

You can get incredibly cheap pots for things such as sparge water. Instawares.com is a place I've used. Get aluminum if it's just for HLT...boil some water in it just in case you DO need to use it for wort, to build oxidized layer.

I got 8g. aluminum kettles from them for about $35 shipped. Sure you could get a 6g. for HLT for even less.

Here's a 4g. pot for $20
http://www.instawares.com/update-in...apt-16-smallwares.uin-apt16.0.7.htm?view=list

Also, check walmart.com and get free site-to-store shipping. They have tamale pots and such that are large enough for HLT.

 

[christpuncher123]

Does anyone have concerns about his 7.5 gal being too small for all-grain ? Depending on the boil-off rate he might have to do between 6 and 7 gal in there, which doesn't seem to leave much room for boil over. I have a 15 gallon kettle with around 2 gal/hour boiloff, plus boiloff during chilling, so when doing 90min recipes I have it filled close to 10 gallons of wort to get some 5.5 gallon in the end. And even with extra 5 gallons of headspace it could boil over quickly if not watched very closely during the first few minutes of boiling.

My turkey pot is about 29.99 quarts. I have two. When I do 5 gallon brews, 3.5 gal at 152 in first pot and 4 gal at 165 in the second. I'm left with 30 quarts after squeezing grains, to much wort for one pot. I put about 25 quarts in one pot and 5 in the other and start boiling both, after 20 mins I can add the 5 now about 3 to the 25 now about 22, and i'm safe. After about an hour I'm left with 6 gallon.