Asking a few questions I'm sure have been answered before....

[HBKidJr]

...but I did look for answers to my specific questions and couldn't find them.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to brew my next batch BIAB. I'm an extract brewer in the past, so naturally I'm hesitant on a few things:

My main question is this: I have a 6 gallon brew pot. Do I need to go ahead and get the 10 gallon pot, or can I use this? In my head, I figure I can mash with the pot nearly full, hoist the bag up and sparge with water and drain into the kettle. That'll give me 6 gallons, which will get me down to 5 after evap., right?

Anything special I have to know about this? I've done some research and everything says I can use the standard all grain recipes with the BIAB method, which would be awesome. I want to make sure I can make my higher gravity beers in my 6 gallon pot. If not, I'll go ahead and spring for the 10 gallon I've been eyeing.

Speaking of which: if I get the 10 gallon kettle, is a 5 gallon paint straining bag (which I was told to get for this) big enough to hold 15-20 pounds of grain?

Thanks guys!

 

[buzzerj]

I routinely did 4 gallon boils for 5 gallon batches when doing BIAB. I needed to because the stove I was using didn't put out enough heat for a full wort boil of 6.5 gallons. That said I used a 7-8 gallon boil pot too. But you can always do a concentrated batch and bring it to five gallons after collecting the boiled wort that's left. But if you want to do all grain BIAB then you need to look at a 10 gallon boil pot. I was doing partial mashes of 4-4.5 lbs. of grain with 3.15 lbs. extract. For that I was using an 18"x 30" nylon mesh bag that would fit maybe 5 lbs. of grain. I think you are stretching things trying to get 15-20 lbs. of grain + 6 gallons of water in a 10 gallon pot. Way not enough room. Please consider some extract instead of all that grain. Sounds like you want to make some really huge beers for 5 gallons (10% ABV+?). If you do remember they take a longer time to age and then you can only sip them or you're under the table. Otherwise invest in a 15 gallon keggle or make much smaller beers like 5-7%ABV.

 

[LLBeanJ]

What you describe is doable, but it will take some adjustments. I don't think I'd want to start the boil with 6 gal in a 6 gal pot, so you may want to start with 5 and add another gallon of water during the boil. Either way, use Fermcap to keep the boilovers at bay. If you do end up buying a larger kettle, I would suggest going with 15g. It seems like overkill, but it's really not, especially for BIAB. I would not recommend using a paint strainer bag with the larger kettles as they are too small and constrain the grain too much. Either buy some voile fabric to line your kettle or make/buy a custom bag designed for the purpose.

 

[RM-MN]

Make it simple for your first batch BIAB. Do a half size batch in that kettle. That takes away the complexity of trying to fit in all the grain and whatever amount of water and getting the right strike temp. It also takes away the worry about losing efficiency with a concentrated wort. Your 6 gallon kettle will be big enough for a full volume BIAB session then and you'll have room in the kettle for a good hot break(which will be bigger than any you got with extract). Once you have done a few half size batches you can decide where to go from there, be it concentrated boils or bigger pot or back to doing extract.

 

[fuzzy2133]

I am with RM-MN on this. You can ferment the 3 gallons in a 5-6 gallon carboy with no problems and it will allow you to get a handle on BIAB without buying a new pot (and possibly an out door burner).

 

[McKnuckle]

Ditto on smaller batches. For some reason the mythical 5 gallon batch size is discussed as if it is sacred, and not to be deviated from. But that's silly. A 3 gallon target, even 4 gallons boiled in a 6 gallon pot is doable and yields plenty of beer. Especially if you're trying out a new technique prior to investing in more equipment.

 

[HBKidJr]

Thanks for the reply guys. I think what I'm going to do is get the 10 gallon kettle and start with some very simple kits to get my feet wet. I just hate to get partially involved in the stuff required for a small batch and then purchase the stuff again for larger batches. I've got a kettle picked out and I'm probably going to get some voile for my bag, as has been suggested around the interwebs.

Thanks guys! I'll be sure to keep you updated on how miserable or awesome everything turns out!

 

[TexasWine]

Best deal around for a 10 gallon kettle. Don't forget to get a lid.

Supera AP-40, 40 qt Aluminum Stock Pot

http://m.staples.com/touch/product.html#1115499

 

[HBKidJr]

Best deal around for a 10 gallon kettle. Don't forget to get a lid.

Supera AP-40, 40 qt Aluminum Stock Pot

http://m.staples.com/touch/product.html#1115499

MAN that's a great price. Unfortunately the closest Staples to me is 2.5 hours away.

Is 10 gallons large enough? 5 gallon BIAB batches. I think I'll be hoisting my grains up and suspending them over the kettle and sparging to increase efficiency.

 

[ballsy]

Why won't you consider partial boils? Mash with appropriate volume (in your case around 4 gal) and in true BIAB Style just crush the **** out of the grain and get full conversion and mashout at 170 and squeeze the grain. Could even rinse them with a little extra!

 

[TexasWine]

MAN that's a great price. Unfortunately the closest Staples to me is 2.5 hours away.

Is 10 gallons large enough? 5 gallon BIAB batches. I think I'll be hoisting my grains up and suspending them over the kettle and sparging to increase efficiency.

Free shipping with orders over $50. When I bought mine (and the lid) I just added a box of large garbage bags, which I needed any way, and qualified for free shipping.

10 gallons is plenty. Most of the time I use my 9 gallon kettle and with a sparge step have plenty of room.