Draining the Boil Kettle?

[depper]

I am switching my setup to all-grain and recently purchased a 10-gallon boil kettle from Spike Brewing (http://spikebrewing.com/collections...tles/products/10-gallon-brew-kettle-1-coupler)

Since the opening for the drain is a bit off the bottom, how are you people draining your boil kettle, without dumping it, into your fermenter? I have read about some people using 90 degree elbows but I'm not sure how to outfit my kettle to make this work. If anyone has a picture they would like to share, I would appreciate that as well!

Thanks for your help!

Tim

 

[solbes]

I just tip it to get the last 1/2 gallon out (I have a 15 gal BK with stainless ball valve). I suppose there is about a pint of trub left in the bottom that I do not transfer over to fermenatation.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

I put one of these on mine. It will screw directly into bulkhead.

You can file the tip to be parrellel with the bottom of BK to get even more wort. I used a piece of high temp silicone tubing to accomplish same thing, just attached to the end, because I have a large BK and there was room.

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=46&product_id=157

 

[kombat]

I use an autosiphon.

I chill the wort through a plate chiller, recirculating it back into the boil kettle until the whole batch reaches the target temperature (65° F). I then rack it to a carboy using an autosiphon, clipped to the inside of the rim of the boil kettle.

 

[m00ps]

I use a copper dip tube I got from adventuresinhomebrewing. They have dip tubes on almost every site though with the right fittings. Then just bend it to fit your kettle. Mines bent towards the edge of the kettle and I probably only miss 1/4gal in draining, most of which is trub anyway.

 

[jtratcliff]

Be like Mike, buy or make a dip tube...

Lots of DIY dip tube posts, I believe.

 

[b-boy]

Dip tube works well. You can adjust the height so it's about 1/2" off the bottom of the pot to leave behind all the hot/cold break material and hops.

 

[RM-MN]

Just pick the dang thing up and dump it. By the time the drain quits running you'll only have less than a gallon left in there.

 

[depper]

Just pick the dang thing up and dump it. By the time the drain quits running you'll only have less than a gallon left in there.

Then there's that.....LOL The dip tube is something I remember reading about some time ago, but I couldn't remember the name. I think that's the route I'll end up going since I already have the bulkhead in.

For those with the dip tube, about 1/2" about the average height off the bottom or should it be closer, or am I splitting hairs:fro:?? (pun intended)

Tim

 

[b-boy]

The nice thing about dip tubes is that they are adjustable. The height will depend on you pot size and dimensions. Skinny pot - thicker trub layer. Wide pot - thinner trub layer. Also, it can vary brew to brew, depending on the recipe. If you whirlpool, you can get most of it in the middle of the pot.

I'd start at half and inch and adjust as needed.

 

[steveoatley]

deeper


here is a 90 elbow inside a 10 gallon Spike brew kettle
Lower right hand side

 

[depper]

deeper


here is a 90 elbow inside a 10 gallon Spike brew kettle
Lower right hand side

Steve, about how much wort do you have left over with the 90 elbow in that kettle?? Thanks

 

[steveoatley]

Steve, about how much wort do you have left over with the 90 elbow in that kettle?? Thanks

20 or 24 ounces
depending on the hop trub & other 'left over' thickness

I have installed a Whirlpool inlet, as you can see in the pic
but I do not have 2 pumps right now
1 st- for recirculating cold water
2nd- for recirculating the wort.

I think I could get more, if I had a better whirlpool - leaving more 'stuff' in the middle of the pot

Steve

 

[depper]

20 or 24 ounces
depending on the hop trub & other 'left over' thickness

I have installed a Whirlpool inlet, as you can see in the pic
but I do not have 2 pumps right now
1 st- for recirculating cold water
2nd- for recirculating the wort.

I think I could get more, if I had a better whirlpool - leaving more 'stuff' in the middle of the pot

Steve

I'm not planning on using any pumps at this point so I won't be doing any whirlpooling yet, so I want to find the best option for obtaining the most quality wort I can. I also plan on using BeerSmith software, which will help me calculate how much I need to have in the boil kettle to come out with a good 5 gallons of wort (hopefully). Thanks for all your help!

Tim

 

[steveoatley]

I also plan on using BeerSmith software, which will help me calculate how much I need to have in the boil kettle to come out with a good 5 gallons of wort (hopefully). Thanks for all your help!

Tim

Tim,

Put your pot on your burner, pour in exactly 3 gallons of water, open spigot
Let water drain, close spigot, pour remaining water in measuring cup to
get an actuate measure of 'dead' space, most of the software's do an educated guess on what a Mash Tun or Brew Kettle has for 'dead' space.

When I did an accurate measure of both, and plugged the measures into my software..... a lot changed.

Steve

 

[depper]

Tim,

Put your pot on your burner, pour in exactly 3 gallons of water, open spigot
Let water drain, close spigot, pour remaining water in measuring cup to
get an actuate measure of 'dead' space, most of the software's do an educated guess on what a Mash Tun or Brew Kettle has for 'dead' space.

When I did an accurate measure of both, and plugged the measures into my software..... a lot changed.

Steve

Thanks for the advice. I was actually planning on doing something like that with my MLT and boil kettle, and I was also going to do an hour boil to measure evaporation as well. May I ask why you use 3 gallons? Does it matter what volume is used? Just wondering......

Tim

 

[steveoatley]

I only did 3 gallon, as a double check on my Spike kettle

I was very precise, when adding my Sight Glass, measuring out exactly 3 gal to match the sight glass markings.

And measuring with 1 pint Pyrex measure cups, that's a lot of counting...

I don't think it would matter is you boiled first, only that the kettle will be hot
to the touch....I did my boil test later....