That's the key for any process workaround.
Brew kettle size for BIAB
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That's the key for any process workaround.
You make it sound more complicated than it is. Pot is not full any more? Add some water till it's full again. Easy as that.
What? You fill up your pot, you mix, you measure the gravity, job done. Water evaporates? Add water till the previous level of wort is reached again. Same gravity as before. Couldn't be simpler actually.
Yeast Farmer
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I have an 8-3/4 gallon kettle and do 5 gallon batches, I tried BIAB with it once and it was definitely not big enough. It was a cream ale, so it wasn't a ton of grain either. I'm sure I could have gotten it to work better, but I made an igloo cooler mash tun after that first BIAB attempt. I still find myself wishing I had a 10-12 gallon kettle, the extra room would be nice when it hits the boil.
If you're boiling over with 3.75 gallons of headroom, one might suggest turning the flame down.
Your 8.75G kettle was too small for a full volume mash. It was not too small for BIAB.
Your 8.75G kettle was too small for a full volume mash. It was not too small for BIAB.
I guess I'm a bit confused. If doing BIAB you mash in your kettle. It seems like keeping the temp consistent for 60/90 minutes would be a challenge in a kettle. So I read to blanket your kettle off. One the other hand, using a cooler seems more efficient than a kettle for mashing. So if using a cooler for the mash- what would be the purpose of a 15 gallon kettle for 5 gallon medium to high gravity beers other than using the kettle for an all in one container? Is this correct or am I not understanding the process?
A mash for a 5G batch, especially a full volume one, is actually pretty resistant to temp drop. With a quick wrap of a fleece blanket, my 1/2 volume mash drops ~2-3°F over a 60m period.
None. But nor would it be BIAB. Some brewers do M(ash)IAB.*
*These names are silly. No one boils in their bag. They do brew in the bag, but only for a part of the brewing process. The mash.
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Thank you for the reply. So your saying the temps do not drop that much in a blanketed kettle. So I guess that would kind of make the cooler thing really unnecessary. I just figured metal kettle = a lot of heat loss. So I think my purchase of the 15 gallon kettle was the right choice for medium to high gravity beers.
If you want a full volume mash and are ok with handling and storing that big of a kettle, yes.
I find the 3x rule to be geared towards brewing convenience. With some fairly simple process adjustments, I brew with 1.25x. It's less convenient for the brewing, but much more convenient for the cleaning, handling, storing.
I find the 3x rule to be geared towards brewing convenience. With some fairly simple process adjustments, I brew with 1.25x. It's less convenient for the brewing, but much more convenient for the cleaning, handling, storing.
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I agree. I have been able to brew all-grain batches targeting 5.5 gals into the fermenter up to around 1.080 with my 10 gallon kettle using a full volume mash (no sparge). For Belgian or other styles with a pound or two of sugar in the boil, I can push higher. Above that I have added in a dunk sparge. As a benefit, the dunk sparge will often push my efficiency back close to 75%, even for a batch with 20+ lbs of grain. The downside is that it adds a bit more work. Adding extract to the boil or lowering the batch size a bit will also let you brew high gravity batches in a 10 gallon kettle.
@dbr549 : A 15 gallon kettle does give more flexibility though and it is a solid investment.
As I type, I am in the middle of mashing a batch targeting 3.5 gals of wort into a keg using my 5 gallon kettle. It is a 1.046 OG beer though, but I am sure I could make a 1.070 batch just by shifting more water to the sparge. I should have about 0.5 gal of headspace at the start of the boil.
You can do it. I get 4G into the fermenter out of a 5G kettle. Up to 1.090 with 100% malt. I've recently done a 4G English stock ale, 1.099 with 10% invert and a 2hr boil. Sparge with 1/2 of pre-boil, close eye on the gas, gentle boil, reclaim wort by pouring through a filter.
Yeast Farmer
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The foaming at the beginning of the boil is the thing, after that I turn the gas down as low as I can get away with to maintain a boil. My pre-boil volume is more than 5 gallons, and the kettle is short and wide rather than tall and narrow, so the headroom isn't as much as it sounds. It will boil over spectacularly if you turn your back on it. It would be nice to have a bigger kettle and not have to lift it off the burner to let the foam subside. For sure, I could have tweaked my process and got BIAB to work better for my kettle size, but I wanted a mash tun anyway.
I use an oz of first wort hops to control foaming as I approach the boil. Works very well.
NO. you are right sized with a 15. You will see the wisdom on your first RIS or Quad.
plus, all my equipment stores inside the 15gal kettle with ease.
OK. I still don't see the issue. A wider kettle, you can still center it up. Something I'm just not seeing here?
I'd hate to have to clean and handle a 3x kettle for the 90% of my beers which are 1.040 just because I wanted a full volume mash for the occasional 1.100.
Because I use a kettle size appropriate to my single sparge process, I can use a mini-siphon. All my equipment fits in my itty-bitty 1.25x kettle.
Because I use a kettle size appropriate to my single sparge process, I can use a mini-siphon. All my equipment fits in my itty-bitty 1.25x kettle.
Same here.
I agree. My propane burner looks a lot like @BrewZer's. I have always had a wide kettle that sat on the other rim of the burner. It has always worked fine for me.
redrocker652002
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To piggyback on what was said about wrapping the kettle, I did that and it worked out perfectly. Did not have to turn the propane on again until I was done with the mash and sparge. I have a igloo cooler that I got cheap and I want to give it a try, but I need to do a test run of hot water to see how much the temp will drop. Other than that, the 10 gallon kettle works well for me. It is a bit of a pain to store, so 15 gallon would be way too big.
Komodo
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I'm so torn. I've got a 15G and a 20G and I'm trying to decide which to make into an electric, recirculating mash BIAB system. I do 6.5G into the fermenter to fill two 3G kegs (though it's possible I could do three kegs, so 9.75G at times?). Typically I'll do 7-9%abv, but as low as 6% and as high as 10%. I've made 13-15%, but wouldn't mind sparge or extra vessel if need called for it. I'm leaning 15G, but also want to add a steam condenser mounted on a 1.5" triclamp in the upper side wall. Also have a shorty Jaded chiller.
I just don't want the kettle hanging over the side of the burner, for stability purposes.
I have a 15 ish gal "kettle" (olive oil barrel) that I mounted a SS water heater element inside. Has a drain valve. I use a $10 12volt fountain pump to recirc while mashing. works wonders.
Komodo
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Yes, mine is SS element, recirc pump, the whole thing. Just can’t decide if 20G will be too big for most, or 15G will make me regret not using the 20?
I do a RIS with about 25# of grain in my 15 gal kettle. It will be fine.
I really can't see making more than a 5 gal batch of RIS. You are just not gonna drink it that fast enough to wanna make a bigger batch.
I could be wrong
Komodo
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My last RIS was a 15%, and I made 10 gallons. That was all bottled and I've since moved to 3 gallon kegs. I've brewed using a keggle and two 5 gallon cooler/tuns for almost 30 years. I have hit the ceiling and had to use an extra cooler, or had both coolers totally maxed with a lower water/grain ratio but again I was probably making ~10 gallons. I'm thinking the 15G is right, since I'm sticking to 6.5 gallon in fermenter. But, if I install a 1.5 TC into the upper sidewall, the 20 starts sounding better. The only reason I'm worried at all is because I'll be poking holes and welding up one of them. I guess I could do both and just try them out.
