Best Way To Go All Grain

[Skeptidelphian]

Fellow Brewers,

I've been reading - a lot. I am ready to go all grain. I've got an extract batch and two partial match batches under my belt and another to come next week, and I want more control over my beer. I'm just trying to weight out the pros/cons of going traditional or BIAB.

I have a 7.5 gallon kettle. I've been doing partial mashes in them - mashing, then transferring to a bottling bucket, returning to the kettle, sparging, then adding it all in and boiling. I've gotten a good turnout - my PM beer is better than my extract beer PLUS I pay good detail to my fermentation temps.

I'm looking into getting a kegging setup soon, so that's gonna be costly, but I also want to get an all grain rig. ALSO: not handy at all. I can't build anything because I have no tools.

1) Go BIAB - I have to buy a bigger kettle. I'd go for 15 gallons. I'd probably spring for a model with a thermometer and a ball valve (not a blichmann though, a little out of my range). I'd get most of the advantages of AG with only one investment. plus a nice 15 gallon brew kettle would do me well down the line if I decide to do 10 gallon batches with a traditional setup. Or it could be a MLT down the lineI'd need a false bottom too, no?

2) Get a 10 gallon MLT. I'd still have to deal with the plastic buckets for storing my wort because my brew kettle would be a HLT. I'd be able to do decoction mashing and all that fun stuff too.

Thoughts?

 

[hercher]

You need not be handy. You can have friends do the work for you, in exchange for future beer! Also, some of the work is really pretty simple, and the tools needed are minimal. The most common tool you would want is a drill.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

I don't think you need a bigger kettle. I use a 4 gallon quite a bit. Just get a 5 gallon paint strainer bag for a dollar at the hardware store and try a batch BIAB and decide from there.

Here is my simple setup:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/09/biab.html?m=1

 

[Komocabo]

IMHO I would go with option 2. You could also buy a cheap 5 gal kettle (about $40) and use that as a HLT and then you're all set up. All you should need is a drill and a step bit (bits are $12 from harbor freight) and thwn get some weldless fittings. I 've got all my weldless goodies from barginfittllings.com. they have everything you need to do weldless set up except for vessels.
Again, that is my opinion. It's your money and your beer. Tge above is basically what I did and it all works splendidly. Just use gravity to move all of your liquids. I'm about ready to get 2 pumps and step up to 10 gal batches now that I have three15 gallon vessels (BK, MLT, and HLT)
Happy brewing

 

[Komocabo]

Good point woodlandbrew!

 

[kh54s10]

I scored 2) 10 gallon stainless steel pots off Craigslist, so I bought 2 kettle valve kits from Northern Brewer. I also got their cooler valve kit. The kettles required drilling holes. I bought a $19 drill at Harbor Freight and a step bit. It was not too difficult. I used a water heater supply line for the braid.

I have also done BIAB and find it to be a PITA. It is quicker and requires less equipment, but I dislike messing with a hot, wet, sticky bag of grain.

 

[Skeptidelphian]

Hm, looking at those weldless kits, for a cooler conversion and a kettle.. I do have a drill lying around. Scared to take it to my brewpot though it would be nice to have a ball valve and thermometer on it.

 

[jiggs_casey]

I wouldn't cut up your brewpot for the ball valve and thermometer! Nice, but not necessary. I went from kits to AG about four years ago and the only thing I did was convert an old ice chest into a mash tun. There are a bunch of 'how to's' out there and really, the only tools you'll need are a drill and a pair of pliers. ...and maybe a hacksaw, or even a good pair of scissors for the stainless steel braid.

It'll take you a couple of hours to put one together but definitely well worth it!

 

[HomebrewMTB]

I wouldn't cut up your brewpot for the ball valve

Why not? It's easy to do (drill a hole with a step bit) and the ball valve is much easier than siphoning.

 

[Gear101]

Sam's Club has a Bayou burner w/ a 9.5 gallon right now for 49usd. Then get a cooler for a mash tun.

 

[ajlee]

I had this same decision to make and decided to skip over BIAB. I got two nine gallon, two weld pots and a false bottom from adventures in home brewing. I know a lot of people use coolers as mash tuns but I'd rather keep everything stainless steel. Putting really hot water into plastic makes me nervous. I know a lot of people do it without a problem, it's just a personal choice.

 

[nbrack]

Looks like you could do 4 gallon BIAB batches with your current setup. Or add a cooler MLT and sparge for 5-6 gallon batches. I am at the same stage as you (maybe one step further). I just started AG last week and went with option 2. I bought a 10 gallon cooler from HD and just using a sink line instead of a false bottom. I thought it worked pretty slick. I have the 7.5 gal boil kettle as well, and I used my 4 gallon soup pot from the kitchen as a HLT. Maybe not the best setup but I used many tools I already had on hand and made an official AG bactch of beer. Not saying this is the best way to go or anything but it was cost effective for me and it works!

Oh, and I didnt pump or syphon the wort, just used a sanitized pitcher and scooped out several scoops until the BK was light enough to pour into the fermenter.

 

[brycelarson]

I have a 10 gallon brew kettle. I added a cooler and 5 gallon kettle for HLT for well under $100. Works great. My normal operation is to heat my first water addition in the 10 gallon pot. That goes into the cooler with the grain. While that's mashing I heat my sparge water in the 5 gallon pot. Since I don't brew in it the 5 gallon pot is one of those super cheap stainless ones - I think I paid $12 for it. Works great for just heating water.

 

[Komocabo]

A ball valve on a brewpot is a good cheap investment and much easier to transfer onve your down to pitching temp. Thermometer is somewhat useful on BK but I think thats a waste. Just ise a handheld dial thermo for now. You only need to sanitize it if you use it acter ypur boil. A good tip: get a spray bottle and put some starsan and water in there. Saves a lot of sanitizer and you can just spray those small items.

 

[Denny]

Check out the Cheap'n'Easy system.....www.dennybrew.com

 

[Epimetheus]

I do 5 gal BIAB in a 32 qt pot. A $5 voile curtain was sacrificed and sewn to make a pot-sized bag. Other BIABaggers suggested I max out the mash vol as much as possible, then top off before and after the boil as needed. Now planning to add a valve because it makes things MUCH easier.

Use what you got, and go for it!

 

[Yesfan]

If you go the BIAB route, I would not put a thermometer in your pot. The stem will gash the bag. I just use the basic ones that have the clip for the kettle. A ball valve, on the other hand, is worth it.

If you do get a bigger pot, I'd probably look at a bigger bag (again, if you're going the BIAB route). I've used the 5 gallon straining bags and didn't like them. They have their use for the smaller pots, but I didn't like using them with my 10 gallon kettle.

 

[wilserbrewer]

All good choices, you could get your feet wet w/ BIAB and then decide if you want to go 3 vessel w/ MT and HLT. A simple bag would get you brewing 5 gal batches for very little cash outlay, simply dunk sparge or pour water through the bag to get 6+ gallons in your 7 gal pot and brew on! I vote don't over anylyze it and get busy brewing!

You can use a paint strainer bag for like $2-3, make a bag for $5ish or order one for $20, they all work. Just about any cooler will make a decent MLT and can be had cheap, maybe you already have one?

 

[WoodlandBrew]

If you want to figure out what the maximum amount of grain you can mash is check this:

http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-more-grain-doesnt-add-more-sugar.html

There is a maximum to every system, and it's not as much grain as you can put in the pot or mash tun.