25gal Brew....What size of kettle is needed?

[BoulderBayBrewing]

Hey,

I've used the search function and can't seem to find a thread pertaining exactly to my question....

I'd like to do 25gal batches, what size of kettle do I need for that?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[batfishdog37]

Do you know what your average boil-off is from the beginning of the boil to the end? I guess I would just make sure you could hold a few gallons more than 25.

 

[BigEd]

If the relationship between batch and kettle size for 5 and 10 gallon batches holds I'm guessing you would need something in the range of a 40 gallon capacity.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm assuming you mean all grain batches in which case you'll need 30 gallons minimum to allow for boiloff and headspace for hot break. You'll need a pretty hefty burner for that.

 

[LakeErieBrew]

Good point on the burner Bobby. Any suggestions on what type of burner it would take to get a batch of this size boiling in a reasonable amount of time?

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Yep, one of these bad boys:
Low Pressure Burner 116,000 BTUs Natural Gas. | MoreBeer
OR
Low Pressure Burner 103,000 BTUs Propane | MoreBeer

They can be found cheaper here:
32 Tip Round Nozzle Jet Burner - CHINESE WOK RANGES - RANGES - EQUIPMENT

 

[wilserbrewer]

25 gal batch...40 gallon kettle. YMMV

 

[BoulderBayBrewing]

I did mean to say it was for all grain batches, sorry. Thanks for the replies! TwoHeads, thank you for the links!

Dan

 

[ol' rummie]

Going that big, you might as well use a stainless steel drum (55gal).
Then you can retrofit it with 1-2 electric elements.

 

[shamrock]

Unless you are using a CFC, don't forget to leave room for your immersion chiller. Batches that big need a large one and they take up a lot of volume.

We use this pot for 20 gallon batches. It's about 33 gallons and its just enough since we leave our chiller sitting in the pot in for the entire boil and our pre-boil volume is a little high (around 25 gallons) because:
- We want about 5.25 gallons for each primary bucket (21 gal)
- We lose about a gallon in the trub due the big flat bottom of the pot (22 gal)
- We lose about 3 gallons to boil-off (25 gal)

With all this, the pot is *just* big enough for a 20 gallon batch. With a CFC instead of the chiller in the pot, we could do 25 gallons no problem.

Hope this info helps and good luck!

P.S. We use an old Bayou Classic burner and it works fine. However, we had to build a stand for the pot out of cinder blocks as almost any burner stand will be too weak to hold that weight.

P.P.S. You may already have this worked out, but there are a host of other issues with doing large batches. For example, heating your 30+ gallons of strike and sparge water and the fact that your (huge) mash tun is now too heavy to move once it's full. If you want to chat, PM me your number and I'll be happy to relate to you every disaster we encountered moving to large batches.

 

[mandoman]

I use a 55 gallon blichmann to do 33 gallon batches and my banjo burner (kab6) works just fine - but it eats a lot of propane.

I highly recommend a kettle larger than 30 gallons unless you love staring at your kettle to avoid boiling over - and still end up boiling over.

 

[Bobby_M]

I agree with the suggestions for larger vessels than you think you need. I mean, I've boiled over with 7 gallons in a 15 gallon pot before. 30 gallon would be a minimum and you'd have to babysit it if it were a wide pot leaving only a few inches of headroom.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

This burner ought to be enough:

JK, I'm pretty sure this is designed as a weapon...i can see no purpose to have 880,000 BTUs aside from killing things.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

When I saw that I was wondering if its a burner or a flame thrower. 880K BTU's, you want it cooked well done in 30 seconds, no problem.