Brewing 5.5 gal batches in a 20 gal electric Blichmann boilermaker

[badmajon]

Hey All,

I'm trying to build a dream electric BIAB system and I'm considering buying a 20 gallon blichmann electric boilermaker. My goal is to have something I can brew everything I might want in, from a 5 gallon session beer to a 10 gallon barleywine.

I'm wondering if anyone could tell me if I could do a 5 gallon batch in a 20 gallon boilermaker. I would be doing BIAB with a stainless steel brew basket sitting on top of a false bottom which would sit above the boil coil.

My concern is that there would be too much wort below the false bottom and too much grain above and that it wouldn't mash very well. If anyone who has the G2 20 gallon electric pot could measure how high off the bottom of the pot the false bottom would need to be I would really appreciate it... I could then do the math.

Any other thoughts from anyone?

Also, I haven't found a commercially available false bottom designed for the G2 electric. Just the normal G2, but that would sit below where the coil is. I will probably have to have it fabricated (I guess it'd have to have feet to keep it above the coil). If anyone knows of an off the shelf solution please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[geoffey]

Well I don't have the 20gal but I would guess you'll have a really tough time doing 5.5g batches in it. I have a 15g G1 Blichmann and I got it with similar thoughts to yours. Problem is: I hardly ever actually brew batches larger than 5.5gal and two years later am wishing I had gone with the 10gal version as it would be less cumbersome.

So my suggestion for you is to think about getting a 15gal version. But really you need to ask yourself how often you'll actually brew more than 5.5g. For me I would be very happy just adding a couple/few pounds of dme to a batch when I'm brewing a bigger beer, and just accepting the fact that I so rarely brew a 10g batch that if I do it will just have to be a double batch day.

Lastly, hard to take false bottom measurement for you when we don't know what false bottom you have. You'll probably need to have one custom fabricated for you. Check out arbor fabricating. They make SS BIAB baskets. Really the info you need is at what height the boil coil sits at in the 20gal version. If it's higher than the 2.5 gallon mark then you'll probably have a really tough time with 5.5g batches as the water wouldn't cover the grain. But arbor fab has done a couple of really nice baskets for me and I've been very pleased.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I have a 20 gallon g1 with a boilcoil, the coil with spacers inserted into it would make it very impractical to have a false bottom above the coil as covering the coil takes about 5 gallons.

 

[Nmnbrewer]

Hey All,

I'm trying to build a dream electric BIAB system and I'm considering buying a 20 gallon blichmann electric boilermaker. My goal is to have something I can brew everything I might want in, from a 5 gallon session beer to a 10 gallon barleywine.

I'm wondering if anyone could tell me if I could do a 5 gallon batch in a 20 gallon boilermaker. I would be doing BIAB with a stainless steel brew basket sitting on top of a false bottom which would sit above the boil coil.

My concern is that there would be too much wort below the false bottom and too much grain above and that it wouldn't mash very well. If anyone who has the G2 20 gallon electric pot could measure how high off the bottom of the pot the false bottom would need to be I would really appreciate it... I could then do the math.

Any other thoughts from anyone?

Also, I haven't found a commercially available false bottom designed for the G2 electric. Just the normal G2, but that would sit below where the coil is. I will probably have to have it fabricated (I guess it'd have to have feet to keep it above the coil). If anyone knows of an off the shelf solution please let me know.

Thanks!

I am building a BIAB basket system with a 20 gal spike brewing kettle. One requirement is that is had to do 5 gallon batches. Therefore, the basket that I am having built by utah biodiesel is as large, both in width and height, as possible to avoid as much dead space as possible. It will sit just above the element by 3/4 inch and will have a 1/4 space around the perimeter. Just about every recipe for 5 gallon batches should work with a very acceptable qt/lb ratio. How high off the bottom of the Blichman kettle does the boil coil sit. Once you figure out the dead space the rest is just math. If you have the basket made with rim tabs you won't need a false bottom. I have also seen a basket that they've made that is cone shaped for the bottom 3-4 inches to sit right inside the boil coil. They can pretty much make anything that you request. That would certainly reduce you're dead space.