BIAB question

[sir_ybarra]

I am currently extract brewing and wanting to step into the all grain world via BIAB. I'm wanting to make 5g batches. How big of a kettle will I need? Is an 8g kettle adequate? Or should I upgrade to 10g?

 

[doug293cz]

Ten gal is better. Boiling 7-7.5 gal in an 8 gal pot requires very close attention to avoid boil overs. 8 gal is also too small for doing full volume (no sparge) batches. I started with an 8 gal pot, and it turned out to be $$ poorly spent. I have upgraded to a 15.5 gal pot which gives me the option of doing 10 gal batches (but there I will have to worry about boil overs and sparging.)

Brew on

 

[holleypt]

I agree, ten gallon is the way to go. It gives you plenty of room to even do bigger beers if you want

 

[soccerdad]

10G good !!

 

[sir_ybarra]

So I'll need about 7g of water to make a 5g batch

 

[soccerdad]

That's just a guess - the grain will retain some water and you will boil some off, but your system and process is the final determination - you gotta brew how you brew and find out

 

[mishadude]

Or more since biab is usually a full volume mash. Higher gravity recipes you'll probably need more than 7 since you'll have more grain which will absorb more water. I have a 9 gal kettle and have been pushed to the rim on a couple brews.

 

[sir_ybarra]

Or more since biab is usually a full volume mash. Higher gravity recipes you'll probably need more than 7 since you'll have more grain which will absorb more water. I have a 9 gal kettle and have been pushed to the rim on a couple brews.

Do you use the 9g for 5g batches?

 

[Foosier]

depends on the recipe. I did a Triple and between the grain and the water for a 90 min boil I maxed out my 10 gal pot for a 5 gal batch. 10 gallon pot is really the right size if you are going to do 5 gallon BIAB

 

[fuzzy2133]

I have maxed out my 10g pot a couple times this year doing a few 6g batches at 6.5% abv had just enough room to put the lid on during the mash. Decided to get a 15g kettle to give me some breathing room.

 

[MaxStout]

Go with a 15 and that'll be the only kettle you'll ever have to buy. That will give you plenty of headroom to do high-gravity brews.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Go with a 15 and that'll be the only kettle you'll ever have to buy. That will give you plenty of headroom to do high-gravity brews.

+1

10g is better than 8g and will work fine most of the time. Go 15g and it will work all of the time.

 

[Gavin C]

In 10 gallon pot you will be able to brew most "normal" beers as a full volume mash. If you plan on doing beers bigger than 1.080 10 gallon would be insufficient. You could still do these but not as full volume BIAB.

Anything under 1.070 1 gallon pot is adequate. This is a typical view of a full volume mash in my 10 gallon Megapot. Target SG 1.052

If big beers are your thing go with the advice above and get a 15 gallon

 

[wilserbrewer]

Is an 8g kettle adequate? Or should I upgrade to 10g?

While I agree with the advice given that an eight gallon is a little small, you can certainly do a few batches with the 8 gallon assuming you already own it....not sure the way your post is worded.

I wouldn't advise buying an 8....but of you already own it, go ahead and run it and get some experience.

Lots of small kettle work arounds like a sparge step. Even topping up after the boil with bottled or boiled water doesn't make you a bad person

Could also try a 4 gallon batch to start, then try a 5 when you learn the ropes a bit.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I have maxed out my 10g pot a couple times this year doing a few 6g batches at 6.5% abv had just enough room to put the lid on during the mash. Decided to get a 15g kettle to give me some breathing room.

Go with a 15 and that'll be the only kettle you'll ever have to buy. That will give you plenty of headroom to do high-gravity brews.

If you're doing full volume mashes, 15 is what I'd do as well. I have a 10, and when making 1.060+ beers, it's a bit tight. I'd get a 15 myself, but I already have a 3 vessel keggle system.

 

[mishadude]

Do you use the 9g for 5g batches?

I do use it for 5 gal batches and it's a pretty close fit for higher og batches. I've had to do 1-1.5 gal sparges 1.056 and above, which still isn't a very big beer. But, having to sparge kinda defeats the purpose of biab. I'm in the market for a bigger kettle, but will keep brewing until I get one.

 

[TexasWine]

9 and 10 gallon kettles here, but I sparge and I brew in my kitchen. In the 9 gallon I've used as much as 14 lbs of grain. I went with that size kettle because it fit under the hood of my stovetop.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

I was using a 9 gallon pot and all was good when one day I was brewing a batch of something, and after dumping in my grains, I was literally at the top of the pot. So I bought a bigger pot. Would a 10 gallon pot work? sure but I went with a 15 gallon pot to cover all future brews.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I started doing PM in a 7.5 gallon turkey pot on the stovetop. When I went to the HBS to upgrades I looked at the 10 gallon and thought " that's not very much bigger" I got the 15. First 3 batches were 10 gallon. Never regretted the extra space. With BIAB and a 15 gallon pot I can mash with ALL the required water for a 5 gallon batch, , no sparging required. A 10 gallon batch can get a bit hairy depending on the grain bill.