Considering stepping into all grain with BIAB

[jdanderson1449]

My buddies and I have been brewing extract batches for a few months now and are considering going all grain with BIAB.

My main concern is what kinds of equipment we'll need to upgrade to. I have a burner that will handle big batches and my lifting system is sorted out. Is it feasible to try to make a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon kettle or should we get something larger? I'm forseeing us never brewing more than 10 gallon batches. What would a good sized kettle be for something like this? Budget is fairly strict since we only set aside about $20 a person for every batch we brew. That leaves us a little extra to play with in case we need more consumable stuff like sanitizer and that sort of thing.

I guess, my question is really, what size kettle do I need to do 10 gallon batches and is my 5 gallon kettle big enough to a with a 5 gallon batch?

Thanks for your help.

 

[CorporateHippie]

Unless you are going to do a partial boil then your 5 gallon pot is big enough to handle 4 gallons of wort. A 10 gal batch (final product in a carboy) would require closer to a 12 gallon boil. soooo....if you want to do 10 gallon batches then you need closer to a 15 gallon pot.

 

[CorporateHippie]

However, I would suggest stepping up to the BIAB anyway and do a partial boil. 3-4 gallons and then add pre-boiled water to the carboy to bring your self to the 5 gallon mark. That way, you have all the equipment already , minus the bag, and you can get a good feel for the BIAB system. Plus you can taste the quality difference that BIAB has over just extract.

 

[solbes]

Equipment wise its super easy. For 5-7.5 gallon pots you can start with 5 gallon paint strainer bags you would buy at a home improvement store (They should be nylon). $3-5. Eventually you should upgrade to a tight weave custom bag, like the ones Wilserbrewer sells here.

For a 5 gallon batch you will need a 7-7.5 gallon pot minimum (works up to 1.060 OG or so). With BIAB you mash in with 5-6 gallons of water for a 5 gallon batch. More water means higher efficiency. If you want a high gravity batch in 5 gallons a 10 gallon boil kettle would work much better. For 10 gallons batches, get a 15 gallon kettle.

For now if you wanted to try it, make a 3 gallon recipe with the cheap paint strainer bags in your 5G kettle and see how it goes. Or order some 5G partial mash batches, which are supplemented by about half extract. Cheers!

 

[bondra76]

BIAB requires more volume. And I always tell people to get something big enough for a 90 min boil (requiring more volume because you're losing more water). With a BIAB I'd suggest up to 11-12 gallons for a 5 gallon batch and probably 20 gallons for a 10 gallon batch. I own a 12 gallon for my 5 gallon BIAB brews.

There's a steal of a deal right now out there on a stainless pot from Amazon for maybe your 5 gallon batches? It's an 11 gallon stainless.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000VXHKMC

I think in general with Turkey day coming up, brew pots are popping up on sale everywhere for use as turkey fryers. It's a good time of the year to buy.

I'd get second opinions on the 10 gallon BIAB though. Like I said - I'll be completely honest I have never brewed that big of a batch.

 

[mkyl428]

Depends what you wanna brew, you generally want a kettle twice your batch size to make it easier to keep everything in the pot. I use a 10 gal kettle for 5 gal batches some people get away with a 7 gal but it's trickier.

I mash 15 lbs of grain pretty easily in my kettle it may get tricky if I tried to brew a barleywine or something. However, you can always add in some kind of sparge step.

You could probably get away with a 15 gal for 10 gal batches, but you may need to add a sparge step of some kind with certain grain bills

 

[soccerdad]

I would do 3 gallon batches in the 5 g kettle and buy a 15 gallon (or bigger) for 10 G batches.

Homebrewfinds recently had a bayou classic 11 G stainless kettle for $70 .. can easily do 5 Gal full volume in that

 

[jdanderson1449]

My original plan was to go to the local restaurant supply store and by a 20 gallon SS stock pot. They're cheaper to buy that way because they don't come from a brewing supplier.

All in all, my assumptions were correct.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[dkevinb]

I can tell you from experience that I can't do a 5-gallon batch of medium gravity beer in an 8-gallon kettle using no-sparge BIAB. I have to sparge and squeeze to bring my boil volume back up. Even boiling 6.5 - 7 gallons of wort in an 8-gallon kettle is dicey.

OTOH, there's nothing in the world that says you have to do 5-gallon batches. 4-, 3-, or 2.5-gallon batches taste just as good, and are cheaper and slightly faster to make (less heating and cooling time). You can put the money you save into a kitty to save up for a bigger kettle. I'd recommend at least a 10-gallon for 5-gallon batches. Rule of thumb is twice as big.

Other than the kettle the only thing you need is a bag. Rule of thumb here is that the bag should be big enough to put the kettle inside.

Kevin B.

 

[wilserbrewer]

My buddies and I have been brewing extract batches for a few months now and are considering going all grain with BIAB.

You guys can save a lot of money if you start buying grain by the sack, hops by the pound, and start reusing yeast slurry.

For a group of brewers I think you need the largest kettle you can find

20 gallon for 10 gallon batches min.

Keep an eye on craigslist for a huge pot as well.

Where are you located? I'd lend you a pot and bag for a small cut of the fruit...

 

[jdanderson1449]

We're in Lincoln Nebraska. There are 4 of us and anything under 5 gallons a batch becomes kind of counter productive for us to split. We each take a gallon home and the rest stays on the shelf for us to enjoy on brewing day.

The local home brewer's club had a swap meet a few weeks ago that I couldn't attend otherwise, we'd have upgraded some gear but, such is life.

Craigslist is a good idea as well. I never thought of just running a search for pots or kettles. I'll try that next.

 

[bondra76]

Craigslist is a good idea as well. I never thought of just running a search for pots or kettles. I'll try that next.

Try restaurant auctions as well. That's where I got my pot for a steep discount. Even if it has dirt/grime, it's never impossible to rehab a good solid stock pot.

 

[wilserbrewer]

The local home brewer's club had a swap meet a few weeks ago ....

Some home brewers think used equipment is worth more than it is on the open market....

Ideally, you want to find something that's been sitting unused and dust covered for a decade or two and the owner wants it gone...just my experience

Like Uncle Jerry's old clam bake 25 gallon pot....$25 cash and carry


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[jdanderson1449]

The restaurant supply store locally has good pricing so we've go that going for us.

I'm hesitant to buy anything from "homebrew" suppliers just because when you attach the word brew to anything, it at least doubles in price.

Also, I've been checking in to bags and I gotta say, I'm impressed with your wilser bags and I fully intend to purchase one. Thanks for the plug.

 

[mkyl428]

The restaurant supply store locally has good pricing so we've go that going for us.

I'm hesitant to buy anything from "homebrew" suppliers just because when you attach the word brew to anything, it at least doubles in price.

Also, I've been checking in to bags and I gotta say, I'm impressed with your wilser bags and I fully intend to purchase one. Thanks for the plug.

You won't be disappointed with those bags I've got 2 & I love them

 

[Foosier]

Another place to look for a pot is Amazon. Especially if you look at larger aluminum stock pots (which work great by the way. The pot does not NEED to be Stainless Steel.) Winware AL pots are available on Amazon for cheap. 10G with a lid can be had for 60ish which gets you free shipping. They make bigger pots too which are also significantly cheaper than SS brewpots. Plus the AL pots are built like tanks, super heavy duty.

I have a 10 Gallon winware I use for BIAB and it works very well for my 5 gallon batches. If you are planning to do 10 gallon batches I would agree a 15 gallon pot would be needed at a minimum.

 

[jdanderson1449]

I have prime. Free 2 day shipping on everything.

 

[mkyl428]

I got my 40qt Thunder Pot from Amazon

 

[Brew_G]

I got my 9-gallon Bayou Classic pot from Amazon for about $70. I've only made one batch, but it worked perfectly. I probably didn't have to sparge, but I was being a little conservative for my first BIAB session and needed to sparge in order to meet my pre-boil volume.

I'm of the mindset that the simpler something is, the better. I have no desire to complicate matters, so I went with the least expensive pot I could get that would allow me to do 5-gallon brews.

 

[TexasWine]

You can get a 10 gallon pot from staples for $33, and $13 for the lid. Free shipping to the store or purchases over 50.

http://m.staples.com/touch/product.html?sk_test=a#1115499

 

[wilserbrewer]

Guys...the OP is brewing with three other guys and splitting the batch...

A 9-10-11 gallon kettle yields like a six pack each.

20 gallon min. IMHO.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[TexasWine]

Guys...the OP is brewing with three other guys and splitting the batch...

A 9-10-11 gallon kettle yields like a six pack each.

20 gallon min. IMHO.


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

Good point. He wasnt even asking about 5 gallon batches other than if he could do them in a 5 gallon kettle. In the OP he made it clear he wants to do 10 gallon batches.

A 5 gallon batch would yield 2 six packs each, plus 4 bottles left over for brew day.

 

[whiskeyjack]

If you are splitting the beer 3 ways I'd get a 20+ gallon pot and do 15 gallon batches. With a sparge you dont have to have all the water in the pot. You could have 5 gallons or so heated and either dunk sparge in a cooler or whatever, or pour over the grains when they are draining over the pot. If it were me I'd either do BIAB with a small sparge, or a mini mash with about 25-50% with DME.

 

[dkevinb]

If you are splitting the beer 3 ways I'd get a 20+ gallon pot and do 15 gallon batches. With a sparge you dont have to have all the water in the pot. You could have 5 gallons or so heated and either dunk sparge in a cooler or whatever, or pour over the grains when they are draining over the pot. If it were me I'd either do BIAB with a small sparge, or a mini mash with about 25-50% with DME.

The only problem with a 15 gallon batch is that it would be a SERIOUSLY heavy bag. You'd definitely need a strong bag and a good lift system, maybe with a basket. You're definitely not going to dead-lift that thing and hold it while it drains.

 

[Brew_G]

Good point. He wasnt even asking about 5 gallon batches other than if he could do them in a 5 gallon kettle. In the OP he made it clear he wants to do 10 gallon batches.

A 5 gallon batch would yield 2 six packs each, plus 4 bottles left over for brew day.

It didn't seem to me that it was clear he wanted to do 10-gallon batches. He simply said he didn't see going over 10 gallons.

No matter. Best of luck to him and his buddies making the beer they're looking for!

 

[jdanderson1449]

I do intend to make larger batches. I think for the time being, we'll still brew 5 gallon batches but, I can forsee 10 gallon batches sooner rather than later. The point is, I want to be able to brew ten gallon batches. So, 20 gallons it is.

 

[wilserbrewer]

The only problem with a 15 gallon batch is that it would be a SERIOUSLY heavy bag. You'd definitely need a strong bag and a good lift system, maybe with a basket. You're definitely not going to dead-lift that thing and hold it while it drains.

Um yea...the op here stated he brews with THREE other guys...so all together now I'm assuming each can handily lift a five gallon batch, so 20 gallons is easily attainable IMHO, if they opt to use a pulley double that...jmo and experience.

Bag strength if properly constructed is not an issue...at all!


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[whiskeyjack]

The only problem with a 15 gallon batch is that it would be a SERIOUSLY heavy bag. You'd definitely need a strong bag and a good lift system, maybe with a basket. You're definitely not going to dead-lift that thing and hold it while it drains.

Oh yea I agree would have to have a pulley system, and a hefty bag from Wilsorbrew :cross: I see now that he's looking for 10 gallon batches only. 10 gallon batches can still be pretty rough without a pulley. As far as the pot goes if you wanna do full volume mashes with a 10 gallon batch gonna want a 20 gallon pot. You can get away with a 15 but you are gonna need another pot/cooler to hold a portion of the water in until the grains are out to either dunk or pour the water over the grains to reach your boil volume

 

[jdanderson1449]

So, I'm gonna take the plunge. I'm gonna go buy a bag and brew a 3 gallon batch in my 5 gallon pot.

I think I'm gonna try a Belgian dubbel. Time to comb the interwebs to find something acceptable.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

My buddies and I have been brewing extract batches for a few months now and are considering going all grain with BIAB.

My main concern is what kinds of equipment we'll need to upgrade to. I have a burner that will handle big batches and my lifting system is sorted out. Is it feasible to try to make a 5 gallon batch in a 5 gallon kettle or should we get something larger? I'm forseeing us never brewing more than 10 gallon batches. What would a good sized kettle be for something like this? Budget is fairly strict since we only set aside about $20 a person for every batch we brew. That leaves us a little extra to play with in case we need more consumable stuff like sanitizer and that sort of thing.

I guess, my question is really, what size kettle do I need to do 10 gallon batches and is my 5 gallon kettle big enough to a with a 5 gallon batch?

Thanks for your help.

What I love about BIAB is the ease. Full volume mashes just make it simple. No rinsing, no sparging. I have a 10 gallon pot, so I can do 5 gallons of up to about 1.065 full volume. Of I had it to do over, I'd go with a 15 gallon pot so I could do full volume 10 gallon mid gravity batches and 5 gallon high gravity batches.