BIAB 8 gal kettle

[Rayi]

I have never brewed anything but extract. Could I BIAB 5 gallons or would I have to do 2.5 gallons

 

[singybrue]

Yes, if you already own one.
With a larger grain bill, you may have to sparge a little bit.
Fermcap can help prevent boilovers.
If you are looking to buy a kettle, go 10g

 

[RM-MN]

I've done 5 gallons in a 7 1/2 gallon pot but if I remember right, I used a small sparge so the pot wouldn't run over as I added the last of the grain and I had to watch really close as it came close to a boil so the hot break didn't spill. I've heard that Fermcap takes the foaming of the hot break down so it won't spill.

Short answer is yes you can.

 

[Rayi]

Great I have a 8 gal Megapot that I really like and can't afford to go bigger. But when I win the Lotto the first thing I will do after I sober up is get a bigger kettle

 

[Rayi]

Also forgot to thank you. The reply was so fast I was stunned

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Yes you can. You'll need to sparge some depending on your grain bill.

Checkout my biab mash calculator for more info.

There's no reason you can't do a 4 or 4.5 batch size without a sparge.

 

[newnick]

Yes you can. You'll need to sparge some depending on your grain bill.

Checkout my biab mash calculator for more info.

There's no reason you can't do a 4 or 4.5 batch size without a sparge.

I checked out your calculator this weekend and I like it, good job and thanks for putting it out there for us to use.

 

[jason.mundy]

As a rule of thumb for full volume BIAB, your batch size is about half of your kettle size.

For a 5 gallon batch, 1.052 SG, 80% efficiency

Batch Size:	5	Gallons	
Target OG:	1.052	Specific Graity	
Preboil gravity:	1.043	Specific Graity	
Efficiency:	80%		
Grist:	8.8	Pounds	
Room Temp	70	F	
Mash Temp	152	F	
			
I consider the batch size and the volume at the end of the boil to be the same thing.  If you need to compensate for losses due to trub in the kettle or fermenter, increase you batch size accordingly.			
			
For a traditional BIAB, the total water needed is equal to the batch size, plus the amount of water absorbed by the grain, plus the amount of water lost to evaporation.			
			
I generally lose .1G per pound of grain due to absorption.  I'll lose another gallon of water due to boiling for an hour.  (It's strange, but I always seem to lose one gallon, no matter the batch size)			
			
Strike Water Volume =		Batch Size + Absorption + Evaporation	
Strike Water Volume =		5G + 0.9G + 1G	
Strike Water Volume =		6.9	Gallons
Grain displacement =		1.1	Gallons
Kettle Size needed =		8.0	Gallons
			
Strike Water Temperature =		(.05 * Pounds / Gallons) * (Tmash - Troom) + Tmash	
Strike Water Temperature =		157.2F

So a standard strength beer would be pretty tight in a 8 gallon kettle. To make it work, you would want to hold some of the water back and sparge with it.

 

[paperairplane]

That's where I started - make it easy on yourself, do 4 gallon batches until you get a bigger pot. You are really well set up for partial mash BIAB as you can mash less and use DME to make up the difference.

 

[brew-bandit]

I did about five 5 gallon batches in an 8 gallon kettle with no issues. Just mash with as much water as you can, pull the bag, drain and top off to pre-boil volume then take gravity measurement. It will work great for beers up 1.070ish OG beers. So go for it till you can get a bigger kettle.

Try Concord Kettles... Got an awesome 15gal stainless for about $100. Then you can do full volume mashing.

 

[wilserbrewer]

One easy "kettle stretching" trick is to add water after the mash to get up near the kettle rim, stir well prior to removing the bag. I like this trick as mashing in maxing out at the kettle rim can get messy.