Brew Basket questions

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Bane

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For those that have moved to a brew basket, such as those from Utah Bio Diesel, I have a couple questions.

1. How did you decide what size to have made to go with your kettle?
2. What are you using to hold the basket when you need to drain the grain?


Thanks,
 
1. In general you want it to be as snug of a fit as possible since you want all that space for your mash volume.

2. Utah has different options for draining, i went with the two hook tabs 1/3 up from the bottom that hook onto metal tubing that sits on top of the kettle.
 
I am planning on getting a Utahbio basket as well and agree with what Wagon said after doing some research. You can also get the basket with J hooks instead of the little hooks attached to the side.
 
I am in the same situation right now. I am trying to figure out dimensions for a 15 gallon kettle. It can be confusing but the one thing I think I have settled on so far is the sidewall clearance. As has been mention you want a snug fit, but not too tight, so I think I am going to go with a basket to kettle clearance of 3/8. I have seen people go as tight as 1/4 inch, but that just seems to be cutting it a little close. The other thing to realize is, depending on your element height, you could be losing up to 3 gallons of mash volume to accommodate the dead space under the basket needed for the element. Lots of things to consider, and an expensive decision to get wrong...lol. 300 or 400 mesh, solid sided or mesh, will the grain bed be covered at 12, 15 or even 20 pound grain bill? How much will the water level rise with the addition of grains? Maybe I am overthinking it. Better to figure it out now, wouldn't wanna end up with a $300 piece of stainless scrap metal.
 
Yeah same here Jet. I am planning all of it out now as the basket is expensive. I am gonna run 2 1650 watt elements and will probably have to get a spacer for 1 so they both fit on the same level of the kettle. I am planning on around 3/8 inch on the sides too and I will use the J hooks. All 4 bottom ports (2 elements, 1 temp probe, and drain) will be as low as they can go.

One thing I am not sure of as well is if I should put solid sides on part of the basket. I heard this may up efficiency...
 
I am in the same situation right now. I am trying to figure out dimensions for a 15 gallon kettle. It can be confusing but the one thing I think I have settled on so far is the sidewall clearance. As has been mention you want a snug fit, but not too tight, so I think I am going to go with a basket to kettle clearance of 3/8. I have seen people go as tight as 1/4 inch, but that just seems to be cutting it a little close. The other thing to realize is, depending on your element height, you could be losing up to 3 gallons of mash volume to accommodate the dead space under the basket needed for the element. Lots of things to consider, and an expensive decision to get wrong...lol. 300 or 400 mesh, solid sided or mesh, will the grain bed be covered at 12, 15 or even 20 pound grain bill? How much will the water level rise with the addition of grains? Maybe I am overthinking it. Better to figure it out now, wouldn't wanna end up with a $300 piece of stainless scrap metal.

I have a solid sided basket with 600 micron bottom. I love recirculating so I got the larger micron. My clearance is a little over 1/2” and it does leave a lot of water on the outside of the basket with the solid sides. I max out at about 14 lbs of grain and have to hold back a gallon or two of strike water in my 10 gallon kettle.
 
Yeah same here Jet. I am planning all of it out now as the basket is expensive. I am gonna run 2 1650 watt elements and will probably have to get a spacer for 1 so they both fit on the same level of the kettle. I am planning on around 3/8 inch on the sides too and I will use the J hooks. All 4 bottom ports (2 elements, 1 temp probe, and drain) will be as low as they can go.

One thing I am not sure of as well is if I should put solid sides on part of the basket. I heard this may up efficiency...

I have the same two element setup but they are stacked, using a spacer is a great idea. The legs on my basket are pretty high, 4.25”, to clear the last element.

As for efficiency i’m getting about 72%, .32 crush, i condition the malt, and i don’t squeeze the grain. When i used a bag on another system i was getting 70%. I mainly went with the solid sides because i had a grainfather for a little while and liked it’s “mash basket” design.
 
I have the same two element setup but they are stacked, using a spacer is a great idea. The legs on my basket are pretty high, 4.25”, to clear the last element.

As for efficiency i’m getting about 72%, .32 crush, i condition the malt, and i don’t squeeze the grain. When i used a bag on another system i was getting 70%. I mainly went with the solid sides because i had a grainfather for a little while and liked it’s “mash basket” design.

That brings up another question.. Why two elements instead of one higher power element?
 
That brings up another question.. Why two elements instead of one higher power element?

The only reason I can think of would be access to a proper plug-in. If you don't have access to a dryer 30amp outlet you have to go with smaller wattages. The most common is an element that runs around 1650 watts (15 amp outlet) or an element that runs at 2250 watts (20 amp outlet). Using the 2 elements will at least give you more horsepower when it comes to heating.

This is the same boat I am in. No access to a dryer outlet (renting a room in a house), so I plan on using 2 elements for the extra horsepower. Also even if I owned a house I still may want to brew in the kitchen so having 2 15amp elements is great for portability (fairly easy to find a gfci 15amp outlet in homes).
 
I have the same two element setup but they are stacked, using a spacer is a great idea. The legs on my basket are pretty high, 4.25”, to clear the last element.

As for efficiency i’m getting about 72%, .32 crush, i condition the malt, and i don’t squeeze the grain. When i used a bag on another system i was getting 70%. I mainly went with the solid sides because i had a grainfather for a little while and liked it’s “mash basket” design.

Yeah, WBCo gave me the idea. If I go with a 20g kettle I won't need the spacer as the diameter is big enough but with the 15g I will have to. The main thing is that they are on the same level so I can make the basket that much bigger.
 
I have a solid sided basket with 600 micron bottom. I love recirculating so I got the larger micron. My clearance is a little over 1/2” and it does leave a lot of water on the outside of the basket with the solid sides. I max out at about 14 lbs of grain and have to hold back a gallon or two of strike water in my 10 gallon kettle.
I am new to using a basket.....why would you want the sides of the basket solid? I get the 600 micron larger mesh (you want more exchange of fluids through your mash), but what is the down side of the larger mesh....more trub? Thanks and cheers!
 
I am new to using a basket.....why would you want the sides of the basket solid?

It's main advantage is in recirculating. By having the sides solid, the hot liquid flows from the top, through the grains, into the bottom. If the sides were mesh, you'll have some hot liquid flow from the top and straight through the sides, not keeping an even temp in the grain bed.

I get the 600 micron larger mesh (you want more exchange of fluids through your mash), but what is the down side of the larger mesh....more trub? Thanks and cheers!

Reduced efficiency, as far as I can tell. Although I haven't done a side by side comparison. I also think the reduced efficiency should be minimal.
 
I have a standard steamer basket that I use. I actually have to grind the top lip a bit to get it to drop in the my kettle. side clearance is less than the basket lip. I also have a roll of aluminum flashing inside to close the side hole to force recirculation thru the bottom of the grain bed.

As to the original question...When I pull the basket with a hoist I place 2 super long screw drivers under the basket and let is rest on that while it drains. but any two long bars will work. or you could just tie off the hoist and let it hang.
 
It's main advantage is in recirculating. By having the sides solid, the hot liquid flows from the top, through the grains, into the bottom. If the sides were mesh, you'll have some hot liquid flow from the top and straight through the sides, not keeping an even temp in the grain bed.

OK thanks Specialkayme that makes good sense; I assume your recirculated wort is sprinkling on the top of the grain bed, right? What if the return wort to the bed was through a vertical pipe in the center of the grain bed, with holes along the length of it and a cap on the bottom? I have seen at least one person doing it that way, and their basket has mesh sides and bottom. I tried to illustrate that in my attachment. I might have to do it that way because of the dead space outside, and below, the grain basket. Otherwise I think the wort would have little contact with the dead space outside the basket, resulting in lower efficiency.
 

Attachments

  • BIABasket Recirculation.jpg
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It's main advantage is in recirculating. By having the sides solid, the hot liquid flows from the top, through the grains, into the bottom. If the sides were mesh, you'll have some hot liquid flow from the top and straight through the sides, not keeping an even temp in the grain bed.

OK thanks Specialkayme that makes good sense; I assume your recirculated wort is sprinkling on the top of the grain bed, right? What if the return wort to the bed was through a vertical pipe in the center of the grain bed, with holes along the length of it and a cap on the bottom? I have seen at least one person doing it that way, and their basket has mesh sides and bottom. I tried to illustrate that in my attachment. I might have to do it that way because of the dead space outside, and below, the grain basket. Otherwise I think the wort would have little contact with the dead space outside the basket, resulting in lower efficiency.
 
I have a solid sided basket with 600 micron bottom. I love recirculating so I got the larger micron. My clearance is a little over 1/2” and it does leave a lot of water on the outside of the basket with the solid sides. I max out at about 14 lbs of grain and have to hold back a gallon or two of strike water in my 10 gallon kettle.
Wagon_6, my setup in development sounds a lot like yours. May I ask what is the height of your (solid sided) basket? How do you recirculate, on top or into the mash with a pipe, etc? How do you maintain mash temperature? Do you find you have more trub with the 600 micron bottom mesh? Thanks, and cheers.
 
how are the Utah baskets going? if the basket has solid walls does the side clearance matter as much, particularly if you are recirculating? also wondering how to calculate how many lbs of grain can fit in a basket if you know lengthxwidth. I'm kicking this around for my e kettle, or making my 2nd kettle and e mash tun, or just add an electric hlt to my setup and do a three vessel and continue with the annoying herms.
 
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I like my Utah basket. Although it has some drawbacks.

I talked to them about the dimensions before I ordered. I probably would have gone a little wider on the diameter. I have probably a half inch space on either side between the basket and the pot. Doesn't sound like much, but its more than I thought it would be.

In order to lift the basket off the bottom and have it clear both my temp probe and heating element, it needs legs (obviously). It takes 4 gallons before the water line starts to hit the basket due to the size of the legs. So in reality, if I was mashing 12 lbs of grain, and I'm shooting to have the grains sit in about 1.25 quarts per lb, that would mean I need 7.75 gal to mash (4 to hit the bottom of the basket, 3.75 to soak the grains). Which after grain absorption and boil off, for a 5 gal batch is about right for me. If I'm mashing 20 lbs of grain, I would need 10.25 gal of water to maintain 1.25 quarts per lb. Which, for a 5 gal batch, doesn't make sense. So I have to scale back on the water, which pushes my water to grist ratio down. Usually about 8.5 gal of water, for a 0.9 quart water to grist ratio. You need a few brews under your belt with the system to get a better feel for how it works between different gravity brews. But it does work.

I want to try and find a way to fill the void space under my basket with something (to the left and the right of the heating element). I haven't found anything I like though. Maybe some high heat tolerant foam? Or maybe some foam wrapped in pfte tape? I don't know. Likely just chasing a pipe dream though.

I don't have solid walls on my basket, but I find I need to hit it with the mash paddle every 15 min or so when recirculating. The grains will press against the screen, and eventually clog it up. If I have a high grain bill, and I'm not paying attention, the basket looks like it's going to overflow. If I had solid sides, it would overflow.

The only thing I don't like about the basket is squeezing out the extra water. With my nylon bag, I could squeeze almost all of the water out. With the basket, you use the press plate and push on it with all of your might and hold it there for 60 seconds, then release and it's still dripping water. Not a big deal, just a difference between the bag and the basket (if you're used to a bag).

But it's a sturdy basket. And it works great.
 
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