BIAB Brew Kettle suggestions needed

[Broken Crow]

I use an 8 gallon, undrilled Mega Pot and am very happy with it. I went undrilled after a totally unsuccessful attempt to build a mash tun out of a cooler. About four days of not being able to get it to not leak, made me leery of anything with a spout. Now that I have an Anvil fermenter with a spout, I no longer have that fear, but my undrilled Mega Pot works fine.

As far as temperature control, I brew 3 gallon batches, which are generally 5 to 5.5 gallon mash volumes, and use thick folded towels on top, for insulation. I think the amount of thermal mass, with the construction and size of the kettle, does a pretty good job of maintaining temperature. At first, I checked it every 10 or 15 minutes and re-heated to mash temp, but got to the point where I just cover it and forget it. It drops a few degrees, but I don't think it's had a significant impact on the beer I brew.

Thanks for bringing up leaks... a lot of folk through no fault of their own just don't get bulkheads because they don't regularly work with them....first: fellow member Bobby M has gifted us with the only ready-made bulkheads specifically for homebrewers and if you're not an avid DIYer, I recommend the pittance difference in cost between his and the cobbled together ones is well worth it:
https://www.brewhardware.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=true+bulkheads&Submit=
If you've already got the usual parts but you get a leak, then it's not the bulkhead: it's how you assembled it. That's not an accusation, you've just never had cause to consider the physics of a bulkhead before.
Please take a look at these posts I've put up on bulkheads: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/do-i-need-food-grade-plumbers-tape.734414/#post-10417185 and https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...system-for-cheap.680992/page-16#post-10364989 and save me the trouble of writing another long post. (I love doing it as a neurological axonal-regrowth exercise, but even with my brain damage I'm getting tired of repeating it for folk who innocently thought the guy on youtube knew what he was doing.)
Hope this helps.

 

[MaxStout]

You can always have a shop (one with a welder proficient in sanitary welding of stainless) weld a bulkhead fitting.

If you have a step bit, a MAPP torch and some DIY skills, low-temp silver soldering a bulkhead is an option. I've done a few of them that way.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/silver-soldering-for-diy-brewing-vessel-upgrades.678606/

 

[jsulmar]

I recently decided to upgrade my BIAB kettle to 15 gal. stainless in order to handle large grain bills. I put together this table comparing features of some major brands, hope it helps: https://bit.ly/42saiPS

 

[shoengine]

I recently decided to upgrade my BIAB kettle to 15 gal. stainless in order to handle large grain bills. I put together this table comparing features of some major brands, hope it helps: https://bit.ly/42saiPS

Nice list

 

[beerisyummy]

Brew Hardware is a reseller. They do custom welding there, which is what the post was about. Some nifty custom stuff on thay site though. I really like the weldless recirc fitting, and recently had these items fabricated there.

View attachment 871022

Agree with the 15 gallon, unless you have severe constraints on storage. No real reason to go smaller if aiming for 5 gallon batches. I shoot for 6 gal post boil which usually require 8.5 - 9 gal of water plus the grain. Never had a boil over. I can do ~10 ABV before my efficiency starts plummeting in a 16 gal pot.

I have this false bottom which I use for step mashes (after being an idiot and burning a hole in my Wilser bag). It's great!

 

[beerisyummy]

I really like my 10 gal Megapot. I use induction heat and it's compatible.

 

[jcech]

I've been extract brewing 5 gal batches for 10+ years and now I want to start brewing BIAB & have 2 all grain kits on order. I only have a 5 gal pot with propane burner and need to upgrade to a 10-15 gallon vessle.
I contacted the HBS & rep suggested that a 10 gal kettle would work but 14 gal kettle is more appropriate for biab. He explained that he had an 8 gal brew kettle for biab and he felt a bit crowded with preboils, at times, so he upgraded to a 14 gal kettle & is totally happy with it his experience now (has Brewmaster). After further review on the Brewmaster he suggested, I decided I wanted a better kettle since specs on this show 201 SS vs the 304 SS i'm looking for. Don't want issues down the road.

After some research, I've narrowed down my options to Ss Brewtech, MegaPot, & Spike OG Std Vert couplers. It's a bit overkill but here's what I'm seeing for 15 gal, Thermo guage & ball valve:

Ss Brewtech: Pros - 304 SS with 1mm wall & 6mm triclad bottom, all TC hardware, 3 piece Ball valve w/ Trub Dam pick-up tube, etched volume mrkgs, silicone coated handles, return policy with HBS = 60 days used or not
($359) Cons - Thermometer is at 5 gal mark (per Ss Brewtech support), no option to exclude thermometer, handles front to back (unsure if con)
(10g-$299)
MegaPot : Pros - 304 SS with 4mm triclad bottom, option to exclude thermometer, etched volume mrkgs, handles side to side, silicone handles
($325) Cons - .8mm wall, NPT hardware, thermometer at 4.5 gal mark, if thermometer is excluded no port is available for future use
(10g-$250)
Spike Std. : Pros - 304 SS with 1.2mm wall & 4mm triclad bottom, all TC hardware, thermometer opt will be moved to desired location (3 gal), option to only have thermo port for
($388) future use, silicone handle.
(10g-$368) : Cons - Lead time is 6 wks after order

I'm hoping to get some good advice/suggestions here for my options for a good brew kettle. Do you have one where, if you had a redo, what would you add or delete? Do you feel, from your experience, is a 10 gal vs 15 gal would be better? Also, doesmanyone need/have a recirc for your biab or do, you just stir by hand?

I read that a rule of thumb is a proper kettle size should be 8.5-10 gallons & if larger batches are planned, a 10-15 gal is best. I thought 15 gal would be good size, just in case I wanted to do a big brew of 8-9 abv but, after thinking about it, I could just add add'l DME to the mix instead, right?
I only plan on brewing 5 gal batches. Electric isn't an option.

Again, any thoughts are appreciated. I hate overkill & want to make a reasonable decision since I'm new to this part of brewing.
And, FYI, I told Spike that I'm doing biab and wanted something simple but a little future proofed. I got a quote for 4 ports - thermomoter, ball valve, recirc, & whirlpool. I'm having him revise...Was over $1.4k & I'm not looking to spend even half that.

I went with an SS Brewtech SVBS and could not be happier, both with the quality of the system, but also the design. The controllers hold everything right on the money and cleaning is very easy. Almost everything is removable which helps. And their service is terrific. The insulated fermenter with integrated cooling plates makes low temp control a snap. I added a chiller and lagers are now easy and routine.

 

[sikkingj]

Save your dough, a 60 qt (15 gallon) aluminum pot with a lid is all you need. Check Craigslist first, or order from WebRestaurant
15-Gallon Heavy Duty Pot with a Lid.

I'm assuming you will be using a burner for outdoor brewing. This allows me to do any 5-gallon batch size and most, if not all, 10-gallon batch sizes as a single infusion mash.

 

[MaxStout]

The Concord stainless steel kettles are quite good for the money. I have two of them, 15 and 20 gallon. The 15 gal is $150 on Amazon, free shipping.

 

[greywolf]

I bought 15 and 20 gal pots on closeout from a cajun boil outfit. $39 bucks each. I brew in a basket and won't use my multi system ever again. The beer is just as good and the process is simple and faster. Less stuff to clean. Good beer easier, faster. The nice pots are NICE. Get one if you can afford it. I'm sure that you won't regret it. It's just NOT required to brew outstanding beer.

I do recommend the 15 gallon size. No boil overs and can handle 10 gal batches with ease.