3 gallon BIAB in a 5 gallon kettle?

[Bill Hopper]

I think several recent posts hint at this, but I'll ask the question anyway. I'm attempting my first BIAB but only have a 5 gallon kettle. I have an 8.5 lbs grain bill and most calculators say I need at least 6 gallons of water. I was hoping to mash 8.5 lbs of grain in 3 gallons of water and sparge to get the 4 gallons I need to boil. I have a pound of DME to help adjust preboil SG if needed. Am I heading down the right path or am I getting myself into trouble?

Alternatively, I do have a 7 gallon bucket I could mash in, but it would be extremely difficult to keep the temp at 150.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Your on the right path imo. Measure your first wort and sparge with the balance needed to get 4 gallons pre boil.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Use the bucket for a dunk sparge.

 

[LittleRiver]

... have a 5 gallon kettle.... 4 gallons I need to boil...

Boiling wort has the potential to produce a lot of foam. Hop additions can make even more foam. Since you are so close to the full volume of your kettle, go ahead and assume you'll have a boil over and plan accordingly.

If you are outside where you can take a water hose and spray away the mess it may not be that big of a deal. If you're inside on a stovetop, then cleanup can be a big deal. Here's some steps you can take to reduce your chances of a boil over.

• Watch the kettle closely as you approach boiling temp. Reduce the heat before it's too late.
• A gentle boil is all that is needed.
• Use Fermcap, an additive that reduces foaming.
• Keep a spray bottle of cold water handy, and spray the foam when you need to.
• Kill the heat while making hop additions.

When you can, get yourself a kettle that is 2-3 times the volume of beer you intend to make (for a 5gal batch, get a 10-15gal kettle).

 

[Bill Hopper]

Use the bucket for a dunk sparge.

Thanks! I’ll need to research that method.

 

[Bill Hopper]

Boiling wort has the potential to produce a lot of foam. Hop additions can make even more foam. Since you are so close to the full volume of your kettle, go ahead and assume you'll have a boil over and plan accordingly.

Thanks for the tips! Am definitely concerned about boil over. Trying a few methods out before deciding on next upgrade purchase - larger kettle, burner, cooler, or just straight to the robo brew. But kettle shopping is definitely on my mind too. Thanks again! Appreciate the advice!

 

[DanBeamer]

I did my first BIAB with a 6 gallon kettle last week . The preboil volume was 4 gallons , definitely keep a spray bottle on hand and a big spoon or whisk to keep the foam at bay early on in the boil . After that brief moment I was fine for the rest of the brew

 

[LittleRiver]

... larger kettle, burner, cooler, or just straight to the robo brew....

If you decide to go with an all-in-one system make sure you research it very thoroughly before taking the plunge. Include searches of the HBT forums. You'll find that all of them have issues, some of them quite serious.

If you're considering recirculation, first ask yourself why you want it. Is it because you think that a more complicated system just has to be better? Is it because that's what manufacturers want to sell you? Is it because you've heard the myth that you have to recirculate to get clear beer? Do you just like hardware, and you're looking forward to tinkering with it (nothing wrong with that, for some it's one of things they like the most).

I made a very conscious decision to keep my rig very simple, and I would not change that decision. A single vessel. No recirculation. I also keep my process simple, I generally do full volume mashes, without sparging. I get low/mid 80's brewhouse efficiency, and I can brew a 5gal batch (from starting to fill the kettle to everything cleaned and put away, no prior prep) in about 3:40. The beer is great, and it's clear.

 

[Bill Hopper]

If you're considering recirculation, first ask yourself why you want it. Is it because you think that a more complicated system just has to be better?

Honestly, it has little to do with recirculation and more about simplicity and expense. Looking at all these different rigs: cooler systems, kettle systems, etc., it seems (from my limited experience perspective) that the robobrew is an affordable way to replace burner, propane, kettle, chiller, etc. and get me out of the kitchen but still stay indoors. You got me rethinking that.

 

[LittleRiver]

... more about simplicity and expense....

Things like re-circulation and controllers capable of programmable step mashes are not necessarily what you need if those are your priorities.

...Looking at all these different rigs: cooler systems, kettle systems, etc., it seems (from my limited experience perspective) that the robobrew is an affordable way to replace burner, propane, kettle, chiller, etc. ...

Any of the systems that are powered by a single 120V power feed are under powered for the task. There's just not enough energy there to quickly heat several gallons of liquid. Some of the units try to get around that with programmable start times, so the heat can be automatically turned on during the night (or while you're at work). I would advise you to read some of the stories about those units frying their controllers and internal wiring before you get comfortable with that idea.

...get me out of the kitchen but still stay indoors..

If you're going to be inside, and away from your stove (vent hood), think about ventilation. You're going to need to ventilate the room during the boil. Depending on your location, that could have a simple solution, or it could end up being a significant expense.

If you have water & a drain in your room, instead of ventilation you could use a condenser such as the Steam Slayer. Read up on it on the HBT forums before you make that jump, there are some things (the odor) you need to be aware of before you go that route.

 

[toolboxdiver]

I do 3 gallon batches in a 5 gallon kettle. I do however mash my BIAB in a 5 gal Cooler. I start with 3.5 gal of water and then do a 1 gal dunk sparge to get my preboil volume.

 

[Bill Hopper]

Thanks for all the advice. For better or worse, I’m mashin n spargin n boilin. Got a 1.060 OG w/o adding any extract. Wort taste good. Let’s see how it is in about 4 weeks. Now for the next challenge, 3 1/2 gallons in a 5 gallon carbon.

 

[Bill Hopper]

Final thoughts on this: I did this twice, and it worked out fine both times. The first time I did a 2 gallon sparge using a strainer and measuring cup. This is where I made a mess. The bag full of grains was a little big for the diameter of the kettle and it trickled some outside the kettle and onto the stove. I quickly cleaned it up, or so I thought. After boiling, I realized I missed the puddle under the kettle and it got baked in pretty good. The second time, I did the dunk method. It was very quick and very clean and worked out much better. I feel like I got a little more sugar out of the grains by doing the strainer and cup sparge, but not enough to compensate for the time spent and having to constantly keep an eye on the grain bed. In both cases, I did a 4 gallon boil and had to watch the kettle closely the entire time. But it did work out, and I'm happy with the results so far. The first batch is being bottled today with a OG of 1.060 and FG of 1.019, not bad for my first try. Beer tastes great and I can't wait to see how it is after 2 or 3 weeks in the bottle.

Having had this experience though, I am definitely ready to get a larger kettle and start doing this properly and relaxing a little more while I'm doing it.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I do 3 gallon batches in a 5 gallon kettle and it's super easy. I've never even been close to a boil over. My starting water volume is 4.25 gallons, of which 3.25 is in the kettle to mash and I keep 1 gallon in a smaller kettle to dunk sparge. I have about 3.9 gallons after the mash, and 3 gallons after the boil. When I hit hot break I stir the foam a bit to keep it down but once that settles it's smooth sailing.

I only need to use 6-7.5 lbs of grain now depending on the beer, because I got a corona mill and my efficiency improved. Before when I was using 8-9 lbs for my 3 gallon batches I just used less water to mash(2.5 mash vs 1.75 dunk sparge). Still no issues with boil overs, just crappy efficiencies. If you're using that much grain because of poor efficiency get yourself a mill or have it crushed really fine and that may make life a little easier.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Having had this experience though, I am definitely ready to get a larger kettle and start doing this properly and relaxing a little more while I'm doing it.

Awesome! Half the challenge of brewing is finding a process that fits you and adopting the process to fit your equipment. There are lots of way to make beer.

I have really been enjoying the flexibility of brewing 2 and 2.5 gal batches. Bottling that size is not too much of a pain, and you end up with 3 or 4 six packs of beer...so plenty to drink some yourself and to share with friends. I do feel there is a sweet spot in that 2 to 3 gal batch size.

 

[Bad Bubba]

I do small batches (2-3 gallons) biab for testing and beers that are not my go to beers. I discussed my set up before here. I use a 24 quart pot with Sous Vide for the mash and an induction burner to boil.

The 24 quart pot has not problem with 3 gallon batches. I do recommend brewing software to determine your volumes. I use Beer Smith.

 

[cmybeer]

I usually do 2.5 gallon batches in a five gallon kettle.
First, it's super easy to scale up or down to or from five gallons to get there.
Second, it allows a little more space.

Yeah you can find a work around for three gallon recipes but it's more trouble than it's worth to me personally.