Advice on setting up a Spike BIAB kettle.

[jetfixr]

I am trying to set up a BIAB setup around a Spike kettle. If you have a similar setup, I would just like to know what worked for you, and what you might do differently the second time around. I have not yet ordered the kettle, but I have ordered a BIAB 220v controller from ebrew supply, and I have a Riptide pump and counterflow chiller that I am salvaging from my last setup. I am planning on using a basket, so if anyone has a basket idea that works for them, I would love to hear it. Also the exhaust will be an issue so I am looking at going with a TC condenser cooling port up top, and will be using something like a Steam Slayer, if I can ever find them back in stock. Any ideas about port placement, basket design would be great. Thanks!

 

[k-os]

What size kettle/batches are you looking to do? There's a 20 gallon kettle in their Bargain Cave right now that would work well for eBIAB and has a TC port at the top for a condenser.

 

[jetfixr]

I never do more than 5 gallon batches, initially I was thinking of going with a 10 gallon kettle kinda like most of the all-in-one systems. Even though I would like a small footprint, I am now thinking of going with a 15 gallon to make room for the condensing contraption, also I would like the option of doing 2 or 3 batches of high gravity brew a year. I keep on waffling on the kettle because I am really not sure how I will set it up with the ports and basket and such. Thanks for the heads-up on the bargain cave, but I am thinking 20g will just be too big for my needs.

 

[k-os]

I never do more than 5 gallon batches, initially I was thinking of going with a 10 gallon kettle kinda like most of the all-in-one systems. Even though I would like a small footprint, I am now thinking of going with a 15 gallon to make room for the condensing contraption, also I would like the option of doing 2 or 3 batches of high gravity brew a year. I keep on waffling on the kettle because I am really not sure how I will set it up with the ports and basket and such. Thanks for the heads-up on the bargain cave, but I am thinking 20g will just be too big for my needs.

I agree that the 20 gallon would probably be too big for standard 5 gallon batches. I first bought a 20 gallon spike kettle to use for eBIAB and have mine configured with 4 1.5" TC ports on the bottom for element, temp probe, diptube, and whirlpool. I placed all of these as low as they allow (I believe 2" from the bottom to the center of the port). I then had a 1.5" TC added 2" down from the top of the kettle. Below is a picture of the 20 gallon kettle before the top port was added. Without having it in front of me, the element came to around the 4 gallon mark. I'll use this kettle for when I do 10 gallon batches.

I ended up buying a 10 gallon kettle from their Bargain Cave that was almost the same setup as my 20 gallon, except it has one less 1.5" port on the bottom and the top port was a 2" TC so I bought a 2" to 1.5" adapter from Brewhardware.

 

[Wagon_6]

I’ll be probably be able to help you quite a bit as I just completed my build that’s very similar to yours. I have a 10g Spike kettle and Utah bio basket. I also have a Riptide pump which is unbelievably quiet and had a customized Jaded chiller made. The only major difference is I have a 2 circuit panel and 2 120v elements.

I’ve brewed for about 10 years on various systems. Once i went electric i never looked back. I ventured to a couple 2 vessel systems but quickly realized it was more work/cleaning than biab. Plus i have a kids now so shorter brew days are required.

We moved houses last year and i scored a sweet basement bar area for the brewery. I had already purchased everything for my panel so i just stuck with the 2 120v circuit design.

As for some details, i had some experience with the grainfather and liked the solid sided basket design. So my basket is solid sides with 600 micron bottom. I condition my malt, don’t crush super fine, and love recirculating/doing step mashes. The EZboils are freaking fantastic, basically autopilot for your mash steps.

The other major design i love is the TC port high in the kettle. This gave me 3 separate uses for 1 port during a brew. I recirculate during the mash, then hook up steam slayer for boil (or will when back in stock), and then hook up whirlpool for the post boil/ chilling. I can’t tell you enough how cool it is to have a multi-purpose port.

 

[jetfixr]

Nice... With a 10 gallon kettle is there any concern of water rising up to the upper TC port when grain is added? Do you think it would be possible to do a higher gravity brew if you kept it to like 4 gallons? I would like a smaller footprint of the 10g, but if I go that route I would like to keep the tolerances between the whirlpool arm/basket and element/basket to be as tight as possible to allow for the largest grain basket possible. I'd like to see how your basket fits. Thanks.

 

[Wagon_6]

I’ve done 3 brews now and have to hold back 1 to 2 gallons for the mash to keep the volume at or below 9 gallon mark. Not a big deal for biab, i either cold pour over sparge or just add before boil.

My most limiting factor is two stacked elements, kills quite a bit of volume for me. You shouldn’t have that problem with 1 element. Yes i think 4 gallon batch of high gravity will buy you more space. I plan on trying out reiterative mashes for high gravity brews. I mostly stay in the 1.040 to 1.065 range and that’s the way i designed my system.

I too really wanted the small footprint. Utah bio was great to work with in the design. Since i had to leave the clearance for the whirlpool as you mentioned, i added the drain j-hooks. Very convenient to lift, hook in to drain, and start heating towards boil.

I think you’ll have plenty of room for high gravity beers, especially if you hold back a gallon or two of water. Just play around with the mash volume calculators out there and you can get a ball park idea. I max out at about 14 pounds of grain in my basket and it’s a pretty thick mash at that point.

 

[jetfixr]

I am kinda digging the multi-use port up top.... nice the way the basket just clears it. I think I am going to hold off until the last minute to get the basket. That way I can mock up the kettle and get exact measurements. I like the idea of a drop-down whirlpool arm, there is no need for another valve. Also you get to ue that port for a condenser port, I could make some sort of sparge attachment for mashing as well. Based on that I could go with the stock kettle with 2 horizontal 1/2 inch NPT fittings as low as I can go for temp sensor and outlet spigot, add a TC down low for the element and a TC up top for multi-use. How are you finding the efficiency with the solid sides? I see most baskets out there are mesh sided 400 with a pretty aggressive crush on the grains to drive up efficiency.

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

Saw this thread and wanted to respond since I just got a Spike Kettle and got set up for BIAB. I think I went a lot simpler than you are planning, though. I posted this pic on your thread about weight of grain, but here is my super simple Spike BIAB setup. Its the standard 10 gallon Spike BK with just two ports and the side pickup tube.

I just got back to homebrewing after a 20 year (!) hiatus and came up with this setup. Going great. Have brewed 3 batches so far (5 gallon)

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

Inside view/ action shot. Again, this is just the standard 10 g Spike BK with side pickup tube.

 

[Wagon_6]

I am kinda digging the multi-use port up top.... nice the way the basket just clears it. I think I am going to hold off until the last minute to get the basket. That way I can mock up the kettle and get exact measurements. I like the idea of a drop-down whirlpool arm, there is no need for another valve. Also you get to ue that port for a condenser port, I could make some sort of sparge attachment for mashing as well. Based on that I could go with the stock kettle with 2 horizontal 1/2 inch NPT fittings as low as I can go for temp sensor and outlet spigot, add a TC down low for the element and a TC up top for multi-use. How are you finding the efficiency with the solid sides? I see most baskets out there are mesh sided 400 with a pretty aggressive crush on the grains to drive up efficiency.

Yea it’s pretty cool how much fitting stuff is out there now, especially all the custom options. I agree, getting the kettle in hand for measurements is critical. But know that utah bio took a solid 5 weeks to fabricate the basket.

My brewhouse efficiency is 72% with the solid sided basket/600 micron bottom. If i cold sparge with 2 gallons on bigger beers i get the same efficiency. I started BIAB back before crushing super fine was a thing so i’m still stuck in my coarser crush ways. But yes, others get a lot higher efficiency with finer crush and squeezing.

 

[WBCo]

I am using something similar to everyone here as well. 20 gallon custom Spike kettle with a Utah Bio basket. I have four 1.5" TC ports in the bottom of the kettle. They house two 1.5" 120V TC integrated elements from Brew Hardware, a 1.5" TC temp probe from Auber, and a valve. I'm using a ball valve at the moment, but am thinking about switching to a Spike butterfly valve.

I'm also using a multi purpose port up top. I use it for recirculating the mash, whirlpooling with a custom TC whirlpool arm from NorCal Brewing, and a homemade steam slayer. I built my own before Bobby released his, but it made a huge difference for brewing indoors. Even when I'm boiling a 10 gallon batch I only need one of my 120V elements at 70% power to keep a rolling boil with the lid on.

I went with a full mesh basket from Utah Bio and get closer to 80% efficiency, but I am a stickler for water chemistry, I crush the grain pretty tight, and I "press" the mash with a custom press plate that I ordered with my basket.

I would go with a 15 gallon kettle if I was in your position. You do lose a little volume if you choose to have a TC port welded into the top of the kettle, as they can only weld it so far up without sacrificing the integrity of the kettle. You will also need to brew with a little bit extra for the losses for your counterflow chiller and hoses and pumps.

 

[Wagon_6]

. I built my own before Bobby released his, but it made a huge difference for brewing indoors. Even when I'm boiling a 10 gallon batch I only need one of my 120V elements at 70% power to keep a rolling boil with the lid on[\QUOTE]

What are your element wattages?

 

[WBCo]

What are your element wattages?

Both are 1650W. I use both (on different circuits) to bring the liquor up to mash in temp, for step mashes, and to bring it up to boil just to make my brew days a little faster.

 

[Wagon_6]

I do the exact same thing. Now I don’t have to experiment with the power % once i get a steam slayer. Thanks!

 

[mtcbrew]

Saw this thread and wanted to respond since I just got a Spike Kettle and got set up for BIAB. I think I went a lot simpler than you are planning, though. I posted this pic on your thread about weight of grain, but here is my super simple Spike BIAB setup. Its the standard 10 gallon Spike BK with just two ports and the side pickup tube.

I just got back to homebrewing after a 20 year (!) hiatus and came up with this setup. Going great. Have brewed 3 batches so far (5 gallon)
View attachment 620117

I'm trying to go electric. would be easier to use an electric hotplate instead of a heating element. this would be an ideal setup in my basement. I want something real simple like what you have.
Can you please list the hot plate brand and model - cant see very well on the picture. Also, what are the voltage requirements - is it 110 or 220V?

thank you

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

I'm trying to go electric. would be easier to use an electric hotplate instead of a heating element. this would be an ideal setup in my basement. I want something real simple like what you have.
Can you please list the hot plate brand and model - cant see very well on the picture. Also, what are the voltage requirements - is it 110 or 220V?

thank you

It's the Mai Cook Stainless Steel 3500W Electric Induction Cooktop.

It does require 240. I copied and pasted this from the Amazon listing, which is where I got it. I already had a NEMA 14-50 50 amp/240V outlet in my garage. I had to get an adapter (also from Amazon) to convert to the 6-20P.

• 3500W~208/240V，6-20P plug ; Measures:13.9'' x 17.5'' x 4.1''

 

[mtcbrew]

Thanks very much for the information. Will check it out.

 

[jetfixr]

Thanks for all the pointers guys. I ended up going with a 15g kettle with a 5500 watt ripple element. Planning on using a steam-slayer up top, cant wait until UPS delivers it. I am using a Electric Brew Supply 30 amp controller. I just did a leak/boil test yesterday, really cool how fast it gets up to temp. I will have to get some pics when I finally get everything dialed in. Struggling with the basket design now.... Looks like I can get away with 3 inch legs to clear the element. I am really not sure how much clearance to go with on the sides....Any ideas on spacing? I am using a detachable whirlpool arm so when the basket is in place I won't require any additional space for a whirlpool arm. Also does anyone have any idea what the lead-time is with either Utah biodiesel or Arbor?