Bigger batches!

[Robbw]

Hi people,

I'm new to this board but I've been reading and you folks seem to know your stuff. I'm lucky because my best friend's been brewing partial mash for a few years and he hooked me up with his local homebrew supply shop where the owner and his wife are very knowledgeable and have excellent fresh products.

Anyway, being the OCD guy that I am I've been brewing a couple of batches of partial mash per week for about a month after doing single batches for a couple of months. I've got a little bar in my house that's pretty busy and people like the homebrew so it's been like "chasing my tail" to keep the supplies up.

I'm in good shape right now but now I want to go from 5 to 10 gallon batches. I keep hearing about using a keg but want to know about the setup. I can get a keg. What do I do, just have someone cut the top off with a torch?

Also, I assume I'll use my turkey cooker but it sits low. Should I boil the wort, cool it with a wort cooler, and then and then lift the kettle up to transfer to fermenting buckets?

I'd like to spend my money on beer rather than expensive kettles, conical fermenters etc so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

A torch won't cut stainless or aluminium, you need a saw or a plasma cutter. I think it's best to find a welding shop to do the dirty-work.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I used a 4-inch grinder with a metal cutting wheel. then switch to a grinding whell to get the burrs out & file & sand like crazy. Works great. Oh and be careful at first- the keg might be under pressure.

 

[RLinNH]

i just used a Sawz-all on my keg Mi Presidante.

 

[Brewpastor]

Welding shops are so easy and relatively cheap.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Hehe, I looked at the title of this thread wrong and thought it said "Bagger
B!tches", and that reminded me of some of the girls I slept with in college.

 

[Glibbidy]

Along with a good welder, you may want to consider hav0ng a sheet metal shop do it as well, they should have a plasma cutter on hand.

If cost is a factor then I would recommend visiting three local or virtual breweries, and asking the brewer what works for them, and what design flaws they encountered as well. This should give you a good idea of what you will need as well, as insight from people that have made the leap.

 

[phisig137]

If need be, you can cut the top off of a keg with a dremel..... granted, it will take quite a long time but you'll eventually make it!
i also would recommend a professional welding shop, but you could do it yourself if need be. While I'm lucky enough to know a stainless welder personally, I'd get it done in a heartbeat, but for others, price makes a difference.

If you can get it done, by all means, hae a stainless tap welded on. It's worth the money. If you can't afford it, or no-body is close enough to do ti,m then don't worry about it, your beer will be fine.....

 

[Robbw]

I've got a metal shop to do it so I should be all set.

 

[MorBro]

look around and see if there are any homebrew clubs in your area. drop in on one. ask advice there. i'll bet you can get a complete system that someone is moving on from for a song. and you'll have a local information base to utilize.

joining the GEBL's and ProMash were the two best things when we were just starting....not that a year is such a long time.

 

[noobrich]

Double batch all grains are all I do. My thinking is if your going to do that much work you may as well get as much beer as possible.

I bought a 50 litre say around 10 gallon aluminum pot.

I use plenty of grain which in my experience fill's this pot plus two pots in the kitchen for the boil.

then I transfer (mainly with plastic pitcher, this is alot of weight plus it is hot) it into large plastic container to be force cooled.

Then I transfer it into double size glass secondary's to ferment.
It ussually end's up to be about 4/5 full so say 40-45 litres (10-11 gallons)

I also stagger three double batches in the same day to increase my effieciency as well. One clean up with about 120 litres of beer. I share alot of beer. It will all be done in easily 4-6 months depending on how many gatherings i go to.

Hope this helps

 

[Pumbaa]

EZ way to get the presure out of the keg befor ya try to cut it is to take it outside (trust me on this and wear an old shirt). Take a piece of tinfoil and fold it into a strip. I make my strips about 4 inches long and fold it as many times as I can. Press down on the ball valve until you feel the pressure comming out. This usually ends up in what I call a BMC shower but while you are getting sprayed slip the foil strip into the ball balve so that it is wedged open and then let it sit until you can get it to a welding shop or a blacksmith, or ya are ready to cut it yourself