Ack! My kettle is too large

[ebstauffer]

In my excitement to switch from a classic 3-vessel rig to eBIAB I purchased a 160 quart kettle from Colorado BS. It's a fantastic piece of kit for large brews. Much less than 20 gallons and it doesn't work so well. It's absolutely impossible to brew a 5 or 6 gallon batch as nearly 8 gallons of liquid are below the basket.

There are two 5500 ripple elements below the mesh basket (see attachment)

I can cut off about an inch from the height of the legs which will give me another 2 gallons of "space" (each 1" of height is 1.6 US gallons). I was thinking about locating a source for stainless blocks (http://www.glforge.com/blocks-rectangles-flats.html) or something to take up room at the bottom of the kettle.

Any other ideas other than to buy a smaller kettle for smaller batches? I havent even begun to think about boiling challenges in that thing for smaller batches.

 

[stonebrewer]

I ran into a similar issue with my eBIAB setup. Never thought about it until I got everything together and said, shoot!, my mash is thicker 'n heck and I am not going to get all those sugars out cuz parts of my mash is above the liquid level! I like your idea about using SS blocks. I was going to remove the feet from my basket and try to retrofit it with removable feet and then have 2-3 different heights to accommodate my batch sizes. Until I figure it out, I have reverted back to my NG, three vessel setup. Please keep us posted on your progress as this might be more common than I thought! Cheers!!

 

[TX_Brewing]

Ummmm a 40 gallon kettle, what size batches do you want to brew??

 

[Curtis2010]

Ive got a big kettle and a small kettle for smaller batches. I think thats a better way to go. Good news is that setting up a small kettle is not that expensive. In my case, I just kept my old smaller kettle.

 

[normonster]

What a great problem to have. She is a beauty.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Give up the basket and mash full volume regardless of batch size. You likely will have to give up recirculation and temp control as well and manually monitor mash temps. Crush fine, strike a few degrees high, if you need to add a little heat lightly fire an element and stir constantly to avoid scorching grain or the bag. It can be done I'm sure, perhaps without fancy pid and pumps but rather the "old fashioned" manual BIAB way. Try it, many more important factors to making good beer than holding your mash temp to a gnats ass.

40 gallon kettle OMG you think big mate!

 

[madscientist451]

Just get a 5 gallon round cooler at Walmart for $20, put a BIAB bag in it tp mash your small batches, and boil in your big kettle. You may have to adjust your water volume because your boil off rate will be somewhat high, but it should still work.

 

[ebstauffer]

@stonebrewer -- while at Lowes this morning I had an idea -- glass blocks!

@TX brewing -- I consult (recipe development) for distillery in town. This is perfect for small batches of anything other than corn. There's no amount of rice hulls that enables you to lauter 35 lbs of corn!

@wilserbrewer -- you said "Give up the basket and mash full volume regardless of batch size.". I'm a bit concerned about the bag damaging the elements, or am I missing something.

@madscientist451 -- sometime the simplest is the best.

 

[wilserbrewer]

@wilserbrewer -- you said "Give up the basket and mash full volume regardless of batch size.". I'm a bit concerned about the bag damaging the elements.

Don't understand your concern for the elements?

Heat full volume strike water, add grain and bag without basket so you have essentially zero dead space.

That's pretty much it....

If your losing temps, reserve some water and add boiling water to the mash during the rest to bump temps and combat heat loss.

I know this sounds archaic, but with a little experience you can manually control mash temps " close enough" IME.

Another option is to lightly fire the element and stir to boost heat.

Or basically strike high expecting MT losses and figure them into your process.

Damage an element, how?

 

[andrewmaixner]

Hm, time to start always doing "double" or triple batches, and varying each fermentation with different hops, fruits, yeasts, dark candi syrups, and all of the other neat things that make a beer unique after brew day is finished. Invite a friend and send a their fermenter back full also

I'd guess that 15gal of water + 17lb of grain (for 11gal of a 4% beer) should take up enough space to make the batch work out?


I specifically have thought about this issue a lot, and got a custom skinny 21gal kettle (about 15" diameter by 27" tall) made so I could still do a 5-6gal batch when desired.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

er... you do realize that most conversion takes place in the first 15 minutes, and most home brewers mash an hour "to be sure" and to polish off a home brew of 3, don't cha??