All Grain 5 gallon equipment

[tdbc2011]

I have been extract/partial mash brewing for about one and a half years, and I am ready to move to all grain. I am sure that I will only brew five gallon batches. 90% of of my brews have been below 1.070 SG and only a couple over 1.090. I have used Bobby M's Mash Turn chart and I am sure that at 10 gallon mash turn will be good. I would like to go with stainless kettles so I want to get the right size. Will a 10 gallon brew kettle work for all of my 5 gallon brews? If I brew an occasional big beer 1.100+ can I use another pot if I need more sparge? Thanks for the help.

 

[kapbrew13]

I have a 9.5 gallon kettle that works great for my 5.5 gallon batches. Just control your boil and all will be good. With a 1.10 brew, the concern may be the 10 gallon mash tun is too small with all the grain and water.

 

[tdbc2011]

I have a 9.5 gallon kettle that works great for my 5.5 gallon batches. Just control your boil and all will be good. With a 1.10 brew, the concern may be the 10 gallon mash tun is too small with all the grain and water.

What is the highest SG you have done with your 9.5 gallon kettle and what size mash turn did you use?

 

[dbhokie]

I use a 10 gallon MLT cooler. I have no problem doing High Gravity Brews. I did hit my limit one time. I mash with 1.25 water/grist ratio. The biggest beer I have done was a 5 gallon batch with a 25 lb gristbill. Came out at 1.15.

With the big beers I do, most of the time they involve a sucrose addition. You just have to watch your boil in a 10 gal kettle. I would rather use a 15, but 10 works fine for me, I tend to have about 6.5-7 gallon full boils depending on the length of boil I am doing

You can fit plenty in a 10 gal MLT though...only food for thought if direct fired is if you are buying one, why not buy a 15, make it your boil (10 works fine, its just 15 gives you more room for boilover with a large boil), and use your boil kettle for mash.

Once again though, 10 gal...plenty of room for 5 gal batches (I do 5.5)

 

[Pappers_]

Yup, 7 gallon boils to get to 5.5 gallons in the carboy - I use a 12 gallon boil pot, but a 10 gallon would work, too. As for the your tun, the other thing to remember is that for really big beers, your efficiency goes down as your grain bill goes up, so many of us add DME on big beers anyway.

 

[mpcluever]

When I had a 10 gal mash tun doing 5 gal batches, I maxed it out on a barley wine, but if you mash thick, you can pack quite a bit in there.

 

[tdbc2011]

Thanks for the replies. This has helped me make up my mind. Looks likes I will be fine with a 10 gallon mash turn and possibly a 15 gallon kettle. If and when I go above 1.090 I can use DME if needed.

 

[mpcluever]

tun

 

[tdbc2011]

Tun...I stand corrected. Thanks.