E BIAB Parts List

[GuitarZan]

Hey,

I am new to All Grain brewing and came up with this parts list and am wondering if I am missing anything:

- 15g Spike Custom Kettle (4 TC ports on the bottom, 1 near the top)
- SS Basket from UtahBio w/ J hooks (400 micron)
- SS Hop Spider UtahBio (was going to go with 300 micron but after reading about clogs may go to a 500 or so as I like IPA's)
- Controller (Thinking about the Unibrau 120v controller)
- 2 x 1650 Watt TC Elements from BrewHardware
- TC Temp Probe
- 3 Piece Ball Valve
- Riptide Pump w/ upgrade for TC fittings & extra valve control
- Chiller (Probably going to go with the Hydra but open to a CFC as well)
- Steam Slayer
- Whirlpool Arm (Most likely from Norcal)
- Dip Tube
- Possible TC Extender for one of the Element ports on the bottom so that they can both sit on the same level which will give me more SS basket space
- Silicone Hose
- TC Clamps & Gaskets

Huge shout out to WBCo for all the help he has gave me over the last few days and pictures he has shown me in regards to my build. I am kinda emulating his. Oh yeah, and money to a point isn't an object with this thing. I am looking for quality and buying something once if I can help it.

As for buying the stuff I was planning on first throwing up my Spike custom design on this forum to see if it can be tweaked at all. After that I will order the actual kettle as well as the elements, and TC thermoprobe. This way I can measure everything out in regards to how low my SS basket can go in the kettle. Also planning on leaving about a 3/8 gap on the sides with the basket. After that, I can order the basket (still deciding on full mesh, or only partial mesh), as well as possibly a hop spider. Once that is taken care of the rest should be straight forward! Oh yeah, and only 1 controller for 1 element and the pump. The other element will just get plugged in to bring up to mash and then to bring up to boil.

Anything I am missing? Any thoughts on my ordering process? Anything you would have done differently if you could do it over?

All the Best

Cody.

 

[GuitarZan]

I forgot to mention that I plan on doing 5 gallon batches. If and when I move up to a 10 gallon batch I will either be able to do it in the 15g kettle or I will sparge if I have to.

For fermentation I was looking at either the Spike Flex + or the Spike CF10. I may go with the Flex + and a fridge as I am not sure I will benefit much from the 2" trub outlet on the bottom.

 

[gmmoran]

This is very similar to a set up I've been putting together on paper. I did not have the basket or steam slayer, though. Looking at prices I was figuring around $1700, so I'm guessing you're closer to $2000? Please update this thread as you go along. I'm very interested in your progress.

 

[GuitarZan]

I will definitely keep it updated. Yeah I am right around $2000 for all of that equipment. Beer up here is really expensive so it will pay itself off in about 2 years if I make a 5 gallon batch every month. If I do make 10 gallons it only takes a year to pay off haha. You don't really need the basket from what I have read its just a convenience thing. The steam slayer will be great in a place where there is no ventilation like where I am now.

It's not cheap haha. $2000 is just for the Mash, Boiling, & Chilling side of things. I needs to spend another roughly 400 or so on the fermentor and then whatever it costs to keg.

 

[jetfixr]

Lol.....I always tell my buds if I can get their beer down to $50 a 6pack I will be doing good. It's a hobby.... I could be spending money on worse stuff. Hey let us know how that basket works out for you. I think I like the half solid half mesh design best. I guess it doesn't matter, the bag crowd will be here any time now to tell us how screwed up we are for not just using a bag instead...lol.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hey,

I am new to All Grain brewing ...and plan on ordering a custom built Ferrari lol.

Bag crowd checking in early
Won’t try and tell you how screwed up you are...people are different. While I could afford the $2k system your looking at, I prefer simple BIAB w/ a pot, bag and a heat source...

My only comment would be that there was a thread similar to this a while back where the guy painstakingly designed his solid sided basket seeking better theoretical yield based on the wort flow path thru the grain bed blah blah blah...

In the end he regretted the choice and had wort flow issues. The full basket allows wort to flow thru the grain bed, but also an escape path thru the side of the basket when needed...

Wishing you many trouble free miles with your new Ferrari

Cheers
wilser

 

[GuitarZan]

Haha thanks Wilser. I have heard you sell good quality bags, who knows if the basket pisses me off I may go that route. I noticed the Unibrau system had solid sides and then just holes through the bottom but they looked much bigger than the 400 micron mesh I was going to use so maybe that is why they didn't have drain issues! Maybe I will just simplify it and and get the full mesh basket, will have to ask around before I order.

All the Best.

 

[jetfixr]

Yeah, I have heard the Wilser bags are the "go to" bags. It comes down to design preference I guess. I may have went that route if I wasn't planning on using a condensor setup to capture the steam. I don't think having the bag folded over the rim of the kettle with the lid on would allow a tight seal to keep the steam contained. Where I am brewing (laundry room), I have access to 240v and running water, although ventilation is lacking. There is a small fart-fan style vent in the ceiling, there is just no way it's going to be able to keep up with the steam generated from an hour of boiling wort. There is no doubt people are making great beer with the bag setup! And, to me, some crazy high efficiency number isn't what I am in search of. I would be more happy with a mediocre consistent number that I could hit every time. Using a few more grains and hitting my OG everytime would be just fine with me . When it's all said and done, at least in my situation, I could either spend some cash upgrading my ventilation, or spend some cash going with a steam condenser setup. The bag is a great cost effective option. Just don't think it will work with my situation

 

[GuitarZan]

As far as the bag and the condenser I think you would be fine. I am still getting my head wrapped around the process but you will take the bag of grains out after the mash is done and there will be no bag there when you boil the wort. You would have a hop spider or whatever you use to boil the hops but that is about it.

I plan on having a port put as high up the kettle as I can. During mash it will act as a recirculation port, after the mash I will setup my steamslayer on it, and then after the boil I will attach a whirlpool. So you get 3 uses out of 1 port.

 

[Bobby_M]

The bag is long gone by the time the boil and steam condensing starts

 

[k-os]

The bag is long gone by the time the boil and steam condensing starts

Are most people typically just throwing their hops into the boil kettle without a hop spider/bag when using the Steam Slayer? I was curious if I used a hop bag from Wilser if the lid would still seal well enough to make the Steam Slayer effective. I'd like to limit the amount of hop particulate that will be going through my plate chiller.

 

[nick sekerak]

you def want to look at getting some quick disconnects for your hoses since you will be doing all that switching and re-configuring on your top kettle port. I am pretty sure the steam slayer is a semi fixed unit. So if i were you i would install a whirlpool arm and re-circ port in addition to that. I have two upper ports for this. One is a locline sparge arm (from bobby m) and the other is a whirlpoool arm. I use camlocks to switch my pump discharge hose between the two ports. I think it would be a pain disconnect your sparge arm, hookup the steam slayer, then hookup the whirlpool arm.

 

[GuitarZan]

you def want to look at getting some quick disconnects for your hoses since you will be doing all that switching and re-configuring on your top kettle port. I am pretty sure the steam slayer is a semi fixed unit. So if i were you i would install a whirlpool arm and re-circ port in addition to that. I have two upper ports for this. One is a locline sparge arm (from bobby m) and the other is a whirlpoool arm. I use camlocks to switch my pump discharge hose between the two ports. I think it would be a pain disconnect your sparge arm, hookup the steam slayer, then hookup the whirlpool arm.

Hey,

Thanks for the info. With the basket it may be difficult to have the whirlpool arm hooked up all the time as there is little space between the basket and the kettle. I have talked to a few people that use 1 upper port for recirc, steam slayer, and whirlpool.

 

[Waunabeer]

Are most people typically just throwing their hops into the boil kettle without a hop spider/bag when using the Steam Slayer? I was curious if I used a hop bag from Wilser if the lid would still seal well enough to make the Steam Slayer effective. I'd like to limit the amount of hop particulate that will be going through my plate chiller.

I use a hop spider and also have a plate chiller. Has been easy to clean with little debris, because of the spider.

 

[k-os]

I use a hop spider and also have a plate chiller. Has been easy to clean with little debris, because of the spider.

Are you also using a Steam Slayer? The Steam Slayer requires the lid to be on (and sealed relatively well) so that the steam can be pulled into the steam slayer via vacuum. I was just going to try pinching a hop bag between the lid when using the steam slayer.

 

[Waunabeer]

Are you also using a Steam Slayer? The Steam Slayer requires the lid to be on (and sealed relatively well) so that the steam can be pulled into the steam slayer via vacuum. I was just going to try pinching a hop bag between the lid when using the steam slayer.

No. I don't see the benefit of it (no offense to anyone using it). I have a 10 ft. ceiling in my brew room and condensation has never been an issue for me.