Questions from a biab beginner (cooler mainly)

[Bassius]

Hi guys,

So my employer gave me a voucher and since i want to start with all grain (biab to start with) i went Rambo and ordered a 5gal cooler.

Now that I have it here, i'm kind of unsure on wether i should have gotten the 10gal version instead. While searching Google i found a topic here where some recommend a 10g one because of the depth and such.

The reason i initially bought the 5gal one, was because my theory was "i am not going to make large batches anyway". I've joined a brewing club that has a 60L and 180L setup that I can use at a purchase coat for the ingredients.

I wanted to try small(er) batches at home and if i like it, make more at the club.

Will i be able to make around 9-10L worth of beer in my 5.5gallon cooler? Thats about 24 33CL Bottles, which is one full crate.

Can i make all types of beer in this size cooler? Im particulary looking for non standard beer. I like stout, triple and some ipa's.

All would be one step mashing beers until i become more experienced with adding water to do multi step mashes.

I've got some money left on the voucher and could send the 5gal one back to get the 10l one. Bear in mind that I do also need a large pot and heat source for my setup.

What kind of pot would i need for my desired batch size?

Last question, would a larger cooler allow require a much larger pot as well?

 

[jalc6927]

Better off with the 10 gallon cooler. The pot size depends on the batch size

At least 10 gallon to do 5 gallons of beer

5 gallon batches are most common. Takes same amount of time and effort as 3 or 2.5 gallons

 

[Bassius]

Hmm. This cooler cost me 75€. The 10gallon one is €125...

 

[Mothman]

If you plan on only doing 2.5 gallon batches you should be fine with the 5.5 gal mash cooler.

If you do a full volume boil, again for a 2.5 gal batch, so maybe around 3.5-4 gal Pre-boil volume, a 5 gallon kettle should be fine.

 

[Tommydee]

If it were me, I'd send the cooler back, get a 10 gallon kettle, a wilserbag, a decent digital thermometer, and some reflectix at HD.....oh, and a burner. If you want to stay small batch, I'd do induction base, 6 gallon kettle, and brewbag...or brew on the stove. Either way, no cooler. I thought I would stick to 3 gallon, but quickly went to 5. As soon as you start sharing...or kegging....

Go to the BIAB section, check out the sticky, and search for Gavin's thread, wilserbrewer, etc. I've been BIAB for 1 year now, and learned a ton from those 2 threads, more than any brewing book to be honest. Wish you the best!

 

[Bassius]

Thing is though, i am on a budget. This online store sells a lot of household stuff but no particular brewing goods.

1) they sell pots of large enough size, but they are aluminum and dont have a tap.
3) Will a 2kw inductioncooker boil my desired volume?
3) Will aluminum work as well as stainless?

Lastly, id prefer induction. Refilling gas sucks. BTW i am from The Netherlands, stuff is more expansive here

Thanks again!

 

[deks77]

I started out with a 5 gallon water cooler (actually 2 of them) they were free. What I did was mash then do a second running. That is where #2 the induction cooker came in to play. I'd heat it while The second running sat for a bit, then I'd pour that into the pot that was already close to boiling. Since then I found I liked brewing so much I got the 10 gallon cooler and a propane burner. Start where you need to and get creative, but buying something to upgrade down the road isnt a good investment either.
1. you can get a weldless valve (tap) then install it yourself ..
2. In the past I Have used a 1.8 kw induction cooker sometimes. It was workable, but took a while longer. 6 or 7 gallons takes a very long time to boil at once.
3. I'll let someone that knows better answer this one.

 

[PADave]

No need for a cooler, mash in your kettle.