DIY small batch all in one system

[Zrloth]

Ok everyone I'm looking for ideas and opinions. I'm just starting my homebrew journey first batch is in the fermentor right now but I'm looking ahead. I want to go to all grain biab all in one system eventually but I'm thinking I'd like to stick to a small batch size of 1 to 2 gallons. Has anyone built a 1 to 2 gallon all in one system? I was thinking like a 20 quart kettle a heating element small enough to fit in the pot but high enough wattage to boil. I know the size of any holes put into the kettle would have to be judged carefully so as to not make things to crowded. So what do you all think?

 

[paschpacca]

I did stovetop 3 gallon batches for a while before I got a Brewzilla. The general rule of thumb for BIAB is, your kettle should be twice as big as the amount of wort into the fermenter. So a 20 quart (5 gallon) kettles is perfect for up to 2.5 gallons of wort. Maybe 3 if your grain bill is low.

A 5 gallon pot fit fine on my stove, and I would occasionally use an induction burner for the boil. For the mash, I used a sous vide stick to maintain temp and circulation. Worked fine, no issues. David Heath uses a similar setup to mine for test batches.

The 5 gallon pot also fit fine in my sink for an ice bath. Simple. No chiller needed, especially for less than 3 gallons.

Good luck! Small batch brewing is my first love!

 

[palmtrees]

I do 2.5 gallon BIAB myself, so I'm a big fan of small batches. Are you sold on electric? Most people who do batches this size use their stove, since you can easily get a rolling boil with these volumes. You may have another reason to prefer electric, but if not, consider just getting a nice 5 gallon pot and going with that on the stove.

If you aren't totally set on DIY, you also might look into Clawhammer's basic system, which doesn't have an element or controller. It's just a steel grain basket and a nice kettle with a pump. But you can easily add the element and controller later, if you decide you want that after a few brews. I have looked into that system before and really liked it, but I eventually decided the equipment was bigger than I wanted to go.

 

[Zrloth]

I do 2.5 gallon BIAB myself, so I'm a big fan of small batches. Are you sold on electric? Most people who do batches this size use their stove, since you can easily get a rolling boil with these volumes. You may have another reason to prefer electric, but if not, consider just getting a nice 5 gallon pot and going with that on the stove.

If you aren't totally set on DIY, you also might look into Clawhammer's basic system, which doesn't have an element or controller. It's just a steel grain basket and a nice kettle with a pump. But you can easily add the element and controller later, if you decide you want that after a few brews. I have looked into that system before and really liked it, but I eventually decided the equipment was bigger than I wanted to go.

I like the idea of electric for the fact that I wouldn't be taking up a burner and 90% of the space in our small galley kitchen for an entire day and it would be nice to brew outside/in the garage in the summer. I'm also I big time tinker and gear guy so that factors into the want of electric and the diy

 

[Pennine]

Been using one of these for many years. It's expensive but worth it. I read more, seems you want to go the diy route. I might recommend to just take the plunge with an all in one, it helps keep the hobby more accessible.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/speidel-braumeister-electric-brewing-system-10l26g-110v.html

 

[NSMikeD]

sous vide in a stainless steel pot or a tamale pot (gives you the false bottom) will control your mash temp and then fire up on the stove for your boil. Drill a spigot and thermowell. you can then add a recirculating pump (anvil has a high temp with a stainless steel head accessory).

I started with 1 gal and then 2 gal but settled in 2.5 gal using the anvil foundry 6.5 AIO. for the price it was a no braniner and 2.5 at 20 pints was perfect plus fiends and family would give me kits as gifts and dividing in half was convenient.

 

[ba-brewer]

If you have not already looked, check out brewhardware.com they have everything you need to build an electric kettle.

I don't do BIAB but I have used these part to make some small boil kettles from small inexpensive stainless pots for my small batch brewing. 1650W is more than enough to get 3gal of wort boiling.
Heating Element Kit, 1650 watt TC, Weldless TC, Clamp, Gasket

 

[Bobby_M]

The anvil 6.5 seems like a slam dunk for this situation. I would recommend going for 3 gallons post boil, ferment 2.75 and package 2.5G. It's pretty simple to scale a 6 gallon batch down to exactly half and not be left with a bunch of half ounce hop packs. It also lines up with the amount of yeast you'll get in a single liquid pack with a little typical age on it. I know there are people that really like 1 gallon batches, but if you were to ever try rebrewing the same beer or scaling one of those up larger, you'll find how hard that is due to the high margin for error at low volumes.

 

[Zrloth]

The anvil 6.5 seems like a slam dunk for this situation. I would recommend going for 3 gallons post boil, ferment 2.75 and package 2.5G. It's pretty simple to scale a 6 gallon batch down to exactly half and not be left with a bunch of half ounce hop packs. It also lines up with the amount of yeast you'll get in a single liquid pack with a little typical age on it. I know there are people that really like 1 gallon batches, but if you were to ever try rebrewing the same beer or scaling one of those up larger, you'll find how hard that is due to the high margin for error at low volumes.

I actually did not realize anvil made a system for 2.5-3 gallon batches until I was doing some looking around earlier and at its price I would probably be about Equal in price to anything I could diy.

 

[palmtrees]

This isn't equipment related, but since you are interested in small batch BIAB, I will also suggest you check out Bitter & Esters. It's a homebrew shop in New York that has a ton of great recipe kits, and they sell all of them in 1gal, 2.5 gal, and 5 gal sizes. I've brewed probably twenty of their recipes (whether kits or gathering the ingredients myself) and have enjoyed all of them. I buy a few at a time to mitigate shipping costs. Plus, they will double crush your grain for you, which almost no other brew shop will do for online orders. Double crushing is super helpful for these all-in-one systems, particularly when you are new to brewing.

 

[Grizwold1]

+1 on the anvil 6.5. With a bit of tweaking it can go much closer (if not all the way) to the traditional 5 gallon batches for those times you want to.

 

[youngdh]

+1 on the anvil 6.5. With a bit of tweaking it can go much closer (if not all the way) to the traditional 5 gallon batches for those times you want to.

I do 2.5G batches and chose to go with the Anvil 10.5 so if I ever want to do 5G batches I can. You can do 2.5G target batches in the 10.5.