15 gallon ss brewtech kettle good for 5 gallon batches?

[HoppyHills]

I recently purchased the SS brewtech 15 gallon kettle with the intention of doing 10 gallon batches.. but due to lack of carboys, I can only hold so much beer at a time. Has anybody has experience doing 5 gallon batches with a BK like this or similar? I'm not concerned with the thermometer placement, just performance, I'm sure it would be fine just looking for opinions on doing 5 gallon batches in a 15 gallon kettle.. also opinions on the 15 gallon kettle as I'm aware it's cutting it pretty close for doing 10 gallon batches

 

[madscientist451]

Should be fine. You'll have the option of doing 5 or 10 gallon batches.
I like a smaller kettle since I only do 5 gallon batches. I'd run boil test with plain water and see what your evaporation rate is.

 

[Zinc_Saucier]

I've got a 20g Blichmann kettle and do 5g batches from time to time. (Well usually 6 gal ending volume, .5 for trub and such in the kettle, and .5 for the yeast post fermentation)

 

[TimmyWit]

I don't think you'll have any issues but you might want to check out fermcap for insurance on the 10 gallon batches. I regularly do 15 gallon batches in my 20 gallon SS Brewtech kettle. The capacity is actually a few gallons more.

 

[HoppyHills]

Thanks for the quick response! This place is great.. I'll definitely look into fermcap because I'd hate to lose a couple gravity points due to a boil over.. but I gotta say I love the look of the SS kettle.. I gotta get myself a whirlpool setup next, any suggestions?

 

[MaryB]

I am doing 10 gallon batches in a 15 gallon kettle and do a 5 now and then. Works fine. Doing 10 I have to make sure I am there to stir during hot break! Once that settles it is fine.

 

[TimmyWit]

Thanks for the quick response! This place is great.. I'll definitely look into fermcap because I'd hate to lose a couple gravity points due to a boil over.. but I gotta say I love the look of the SS kettle.. I gotta get myself a whirlpool setup next, any suggestions?

I believe SS offers a modular port for whirlpooling. I have been very happy with my whirlpool immersion chiller. I actually picked up a plate chiller but found myself going back to the immersion chiller since it's easier to keep clean and if there is any difference in chilling time, it's negligible.

 

[HoppyHills]

I believe SS offers a modular port for whirlpooling. I have been very happy with my whirlpool immersion chiller. I actually picked up a plate chiller but found myself going back to the immersion chiller since it's easier to keep clean and if there is any difference in chilling time, it's negligible.

That's actually a great idea, I could even attach a small piece of copper to my current immersion chiller to make a whirlpool setup.. much cheaper than anything else I'd just need a pump and some tubing.. Got any links to a good wort pump?

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

For whirlpool, I did this.
http://http://betatestbrewing.com/whirlpool-arm.html

I tried to attach a video but apparently that's not allowed. It works really well, total cost was around twenty bucks and no kettle mods needed.

 

[TimmyWit]

That's actually a great idea, I could even attach a small piece of copper to my current immersion chiller to make a whirlpool setup.. much cheaper than anything else I'd just need a pump and some tubing.. Got any links to a good wort pump?

Chugger and March both make a good pump. But, if I was in the market for one at the moment, I would probably give that Blichmann Riptide pump some consideration. There is a comparison video here:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFvHAs0LXrA[/ame]

 

[MagicMatt]

I don't think you'll have any issues but you might want to check out fermcap for insurance on the 10 gallon batches. I regularly do 15 gallon batches in my 20 gallon SS Brewtech kettle. The capacity is actually a few gallons more.

I am doing 10 gallon batches in a 15 gallon kettle and do a 5 now and then. Works fine. Doing 10 I have to make sure I am there to stir during hot break! Once that settles it is fine.

How are y'all achieving this? For me (and most), a 5.5gal batch (final volume) requires 7.5-8.0 gallons pre-boil depending on a 60 or 90 minute boil. This means for a ~10 gallon batch you'd need about 15-16 gallons pre-boil; for 15gallon batches you'd need 21-24 gallons.

How are y'all fitting 15 gallons and 21 gallons into 15 gallon and 20 gallon pots (respectively)?

 

[TimmyWit]

How are y'all achieving this? For me (and most), a 5.5gal batch (final volume) requires 7.5-8.0 gallons pre-boil depending on a 60 or 90 minute boil. This means for a ~10 gallon batch you'd need about 15-16 gallons pre-boil; for 15gallon batches you'd need 21-24 gallons.

How are y'all fitting 15 gallons and 21 gallons into 15 gallon and 20 gallon pots (respectively)?

With all the variables in play, I don't think you'll be able to estimate the pre-boil volume for another setup by multiplying your results. Batch size, surface area and boil intensity all come into play and results will vary. I purchased the 20G kettle with the intent of doing 10G batches. But, since the kettle actually has 2-3 bonus gallons, I found that with a little fermcap, I can get a pre-boil volume of 20G which yields ~15 gallons.

 

[PeteNMA]

A ten gallon batch would need 11-12 gallons of wort at the end of the boil depending on your fermentation setup, to get 5.5gal into a carboy or bucket with some trub left in the kettle. Boil off of about a gallon per hour is about right at that batch size, so that gets you to 13 gallons. Add a little for heat expansion and chiller/pump losses and you're looking at maybe 14 gallons preboil

 

[Yesfan]

IMO, if you're losing 5-6 gallons of wort to evap for a 10 gallon batch, then maybe you're doing something wrong.

I have two 15G kettles. One's a Spike and one's a Concord. The Concord I would lose about 2 gallons (kettle size= 16"Hx16"dia). The Spike is about 1.5G tops for 10G batches.

 

[MaryB]

Boil off doesn't double because the batch doubles. It stays roughly the same. I start around 13 gallons and the kettle will actually hold 16.5 or so.

How are y'all achieving this? For me (and most), a 5.5gal batch (final volume) requires 7.5-8.0 gallons pre-boil depending on a 60 or 90 minute boil. This means for a ~10 gallon batch you'd need about 15-16 gallons pre-boil; for 15gallon batches you'd need 21-24 gallons.

How are y'all fitting 15 gallons and 21 gallons into 15 gallon and 20 gallon pots (respectively)?

 

[MaryB]

Yup I have a Concord 15 gal and it is about 2gallon boil off depending on outside temps and humidity. In winter it boils off a bit more in the dessert dry MN air, summer in 60-80% humidity a little less. And I am not super fussy at hitting exactly 11 gallons. +- .5 gallons is fine.

IMO, if you're losing 5-6 gallons of wort to evap for a 10 gallon batch, then maybe you're doing something wrong.

I have two 15G kettles. One's a Spike and one's a Concord. The Concord I would lose about 2 gallons (kettle size= 16"Hx16"dia). The Spike is about 1.5G tops for 10G batches.

 

[MaryB]

1/4 gallon boil kettle loss on my setup typically, I use hop bags to keep it out of the fermenters. No pumps so no loss there. I start around 13 gallons and end with 11 unless I screw up... like the day I ran out of propane and had to restart the boil then fudged how much time I had left so it wouldn't get to bitter...

A ten gallon batch would need 11-12 gallons of wort at the end of the boil depending on your fermentation setup, to get 5.5gal into a carboy or bucket with some trub left in the kettle. Boil off of about a gallon per hour is about right at that batch size, so that gets you to 13 gallons. Add a little for heat expansion and chiller/pump losses and you're looking at maybe 14 gallons preboil

 

[MagicMatt]

Boil off doesn't double because the batch doubles. It stays roughly the same. I start around 13 gallons and the kettle will actually hold 16.5 or so.

Good call, I don't know what I was thinking. Brain fart!

 

[MaryB]

Same brain fart I had at first going to 10 gallon batches LOL until I used one of the water calculators to figure out mash and sparge amounts. Then it slapped me upside the head, boil off doesn't change much. I see maybe a tenth gallon diff between 5 gal in the 15 gal pot and 10 in the 15.

 

[Speakeasyhomebrew]

Lots of responses here already so I may recap some. 15 gallon kettles will work fine for either 10 or 5 gallon batches. Just make sure to do the math correctly as the efficiency of your equiptment will change. Doing 5 gallons in a 15 leaves a lot more room. If you use Beer Smith and get your equiptment set right no matter the batch size to the size of your equiptment it seems to come out well. There are other good calculators out there to do this as well. If you have an old 8 or 10 gallon I’d still recommend those for use with 5 gallon. If you upgraded I would assume you have something smaller still sitting around unless you sold it or gave it to someone else. From my expierence though it’s good to have the older equiptment ready as back up or for other uses. Still haven’t got rid of anything I started with and still have use for most. Old plastic fermentors are now cleaning buckets and some still use as bottling buckets. I’m in the market for a plate chiller now but will still use my wort chiller in a bucket of ice to connect to the plate chiller to pre chill the water. As of now I just have an old pump I put in my cooler full of old bottles full of frozen water and pump from my well into it to pre chill and that goes into the wort chiller and cooling times are amazingly fast. Sorry to get off topic there, but the answer is yes you can do 5 gallons fine in a 15. Would recommend smaller kettle if possible but as long as the calculations are done correctly will turn out fine.

I recently purchased the SS brewtech 15 gallon kettle with the intention of doing 10 gallon batches.. but due to lack of carboys, I can only hold so much beer at a time. Has anybody has experience doing 5 gallon batches with a BK like this or similar? I'm not concerned with the thermometer placement, just performance, I'm sure it would be fine just looking for opinions on doing 5 gallon batches in a 15 gallon kettle.. also opinions on the 15 gallon kettle as I'm aware it's cutting it pretty close for doing 10 gallon batches