I'm so lost. HELLLP! Just upgraded from white buckets to 10+ gallon stainless system...

[bike2brew]

Pick 1 and substitute a lager yeast suitable for the lower temperatures and see what happens. I am just about sure the result will enjoyable. Here is the heat wrap I use when my temps get too cold. Seemed to work well w/out further insulation keeping my beer @ ~68 while ambient temps were in low 50's a couple years back. My basement stays warmer now that it is occupied by my F-in law so cool is less of a problem.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/fermotemp-electric-fermentation-heater
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/northern-brewer-dual-stage-temp-controller

 

[ba-brewer]

If you can get one of the burner running, the 15gal kettle and one of these,
BIAB Mesh Grain Bag 27.5 x 32.5 in. – F.H. Steinbart Company, would work well for making 5gal batches.

Don't have to deal with the pump and the all of the fancy stuff, just heat to 150s and dunk your grain for a while.

 

[sibelman]

You've got an amazing stack of new gear. You might consider learning it one stage at a time. For example, make wort as before and learn about the fermenter. Or, learn to use your new mashtun but boil with your old kettle.

All that said, you might consider the wisdom according to @Bobby_M, skip the mashtun and HLT altogether and go with BIAB as others have suggested.

Enjoy learning your new brewery, @bmac8 !

 

[Brewer Mike]

Today I am tackling temp control for the fermenter. Oregon winter temps and my garage range mostly in high 40s, low 50s. I'm checking out heating ideas and working on insulation jacket (using furniture pads.) I think I could get away with a long heat wrap designed for outdoor plumbing freeze-protect... wrapped multiple loops around just above the cone. The other way to go is to build a little wooden box around the fermenter and keep a small space heater in that box. I will decide today. Pics to follow...

I don't think it would work for your fermenter, but as a tip for others...
I have a big 120 qt (I think) cooler. I set it on it's end, and it'll fit my Fermonster, or a bucket, carboy, etc. I use one of those seed starter type heating mats with an Inkbird temp controller. I can pull the drain plug out and run a blow-off tube in when necessary.

 

[bmac8]

Great that you are getting there! One thing did stick out which says a lot more than it seems: 'a turn-key "nano brewery, ready to go.' You bought a borderline semi-pro brewery, not simple homebrew, gear before fully learning how to brew. Not the end of the world but makes things a lot more complex. Also, 10gal batches are a lot unless you give a lot away or like drinking the same thing all the time, that's 5 cases of beer. I do 5-6 gal batches on the stove with a heatstick and a cooler mash tun. Some batches I wish I had more of, but some are kinda 'meh'. Not bad enough to dump but takes forever to finish the keg. Just some personal thoughts as every so often I'm tempted to get a bigger setup.

Thank you. Yeah. Turn-key nano brewery is a lot to understand...but also going to enjoy the journey. I am really enjoying the discussion here and learning.

In the past, brewing 5 gallons seemed to work out to about 50 12-oz bottles of beer or two cases (call it 48 beers after -2 breakage/sample.) So if I make....14 gallons (it's a 14.5 gallon fermenter,) then that should be something between 5-6 cases of bottles. I could say about 22-23 six packs which will be fun to give away.

I really do like to give most of the beer away. I enjoy naming the brew and getting creative with funny labels.

Could also brew on your new system but ferment in your old buckets until the weather is more favorable, that would remove a project that is keeping you from brewing.

Putting something flammable against the heat wrap does not seem like a good idea. I am sure the heat density of the wrap is low but they meant to be used in free air.

 

[bmac8]

Thank you. Yeah. Turn-key nano brewery is a lot to understand...but also going to enjoy the journey. I am really enjoying the discussion here and learning.

In the past, brewing 5 gallons seemed to work out to about 50 12-oz bottles of beer or two cases (call it 48 beers after -2 breakage/sample.) So if I make....14 gallons (it's a 14.5 gallon fermenter,) then that should be something between 5-6 cases of bottles. I could say about 22-23 six packs which will be fun to give away.

I really do like to give most of the beer away. I enjoy naming the brew and getting creative with funny labels.

Thank you and I understand your concern about heat wrap under insulation or blankets. I will be very careful. Taking my time to design the best option. Leaning toward plywood box-in with insulation. I have a small space heater with temp setting that would keep the box nice and warm, and it has safeties built in. I think building out that square box will also give me someplace to stack bottles and materials on top. Measuring... stay tuned!

 

[bmac8]

If you can get one of the burner running, the 15gal kettle and one of these,
BIAB Mesh Grain Bag 27.5 x 32.5 in. – F.H. Steinbart Company, would work well for making 5gal batches.

Don't have to deal with the pump and the all of the fancy stuff, just heat to 150s and dunk your grain for a while.

Well, I hate to post this, but FH Steinbart has a store here in Portland, and I was disrespected there. I will not give another penny to FHB unless I could be convinced there was just one bad apple behind the counter that day. But I have been reading reviews, and I do see similar experiences to my own. My original "HELLLLLLP" post followed that visit the same evening and it left me discouraged. Pretty rude place.

 

[bmac8]

Pick 1 and substitute a lager yeast suitable for the lower temperatures and see what happens. I am just about sure the result will enjoyable. Here is the heat wrap I use when my temps get too cold. Seemed to work well w/out further insulation keeping my beer @ ~68 while ambient temps were in low 50's a couple years back. My basement stays warmer now that it is occupied by my F-in law so cool is less of a problem.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/fermotemp-electric-fermentation-heater
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/northern-brewer-dual-stage-temp-controller

Great suggestions. Thank you.

 

[ba-brewer]

Well, I hate to post this, but FH Steinbart has a store here in Portland, and I was disrespected there. I will not give another penny to FHB unless I could be convinced there was just one bad apple behind the counter that day. But I have been reading reviews, and I do see similar experiences to my own. My original "HELLLLLLP" post followed that visit the same evening and it left me discouraged. Pretty rude place.

Sorry to hear that about the place, I picked that place as I knew it would be local to you. Maybe things have changed since the last owner passed away. There is an earlier post by @doug293cz for bags made by a fellow HBT incase you want to give BIAB a shot.

 

[sibelman]

FH Steinbart has a store here in Portland, and I was disrespected there.

Sorry to hear that. Steinbart has been my main LHBS for over 30 years, and I've never been treated poorly there. I've often observed staff patiently advising customers at all levels of expertise.

There are others not too far from there - a small shop called The Homebrew Exchange on NE Interstate, and a big one in Hillsboro called MainBrew. We're fortunate here in the Portland metro area.

 

[bmac8]

It will make 10-gallon batches. I bought the grain at the local home brew supply and I put it through the crusher there. The guy was not helpful to me otherwise... but I didn't want to leave empty handed. It seems I am headed toward a pale ale of sorts, but Smash sounds cool... um, what is a Smash?

Since posting this, I have learned that I have a 14.5-gallon fermenter, so I am trying to make 14 gallons. That should amount to something like 22 or 23 six-packs to give away... or about 135 bottles of beer. Need to have at least "100 bottles-of-beer-on-the-wall" so we can sing the song!

 

[ba-brewer]

It looks like you have a 15gal brew kettle which can brew a 10gal batch including the trub/break but needs to be watched.

Your fermentor needs some head room if you put 14gals in there you are going to lose some beer to blow-off. You will also have more sediment/trub with a all grain brew vs an extract brew.

 

[bmac8]

Thank you again. I want to avoid changing the methods--I need to learn how to operate the system I bought. I've learned a lot and I am enjoying the challenge. I found a very good resource less than a mile away--Bridgeview Brew Supply in Oregon City. That place and the owner have been very helpful and they are right around the corner.

 

[bmac8]

It looks like you have a 15gal brew kettle which can brew a 10gal batch including the trub/break but needs to be watched.

Your fermentor needs some head room if you put 14gals in there you are going to lose some beer to blow-off. You will also have more sediment/trub with a all grain brew vs an extract brew.

Oh. How much head room do you think I need to leave? Should I go 13 gallons?

 

[bmac8]

Oh. How much head room do you think I need to leave? Should I go 13 gallons?

The mash is 20 gallons.

 

[Whisky River]

In the past, brewing 5 gallons seemed to work out to about 50 12-oz bottles of beer or two cases (call it 48 beers after -2 breakage/sample.) So if I make....14 gallons (it's a 14.5 gallon fermenter,) then that should be something between 5-6 cases of bottles. I could say about 22-23 six packs which will be fun to give away.

Glad to see you’re rising to the challenge ahead of you. I don’t recall which fermenter you have but usually when a fermenter lists it’s capacity as 14.5 gallons that is taking into account the extra room or headspace that is needed for fermentation so that would probably indicate a maximum batch size of 10 or maybe 12 gallons. Just something to keep in mind as you start figuring out your batch size.

 

[ba-brewer]

If you want to do a full volume boil the brew kettle is your determining factor for midrange beers. The 20gal mash tun would allow for a larger volume if you want to top off the wort after the boil. You need a couple gallons of head space in your brew kettle to keep from boiling over. I can do a 10gal batch in my 15gal kettle. I start with about 13gal of wort and end with about 11gals after it cools. I watch the pot for boil start or I have a mess.

I would say 12 to 12.5 would be safe but the head space is somewhat dependent on the yeast. I brew 5gals batches in a 7gal fermentor and most of the time dont have a mess but some ale yeasts still require a blow off tube.

 

[bmac8]

Glad to see you’re rising to the challenge ahead of you. I don’t recall which fermenter you have but usually when a fermenter lists it’s capacity as 14.5 gallons that is taking into account the extra room or headspace that is needed for fermentation so that would probably indicate a maximum batch size of 10 or maybe 12 gallons. Just something to keep in mind as you start figuring out your batch size.

I have poured 13 gallons of water into the fermenter and there is still about 4 inches of room at the top of the vessel. It's a Stout fermenter.

 

[Whisky River]

I have poured 13 gallons of water into the fermenter and there is still about 4 inches of room at the top of the vessel. It's a Stout fermenter.

I just posted these recently in another thread but these are from a 5 gallon batch.

 

[whoaru99]

Personally, I probably wouldn't put more than 10-11 gal in a 14gal fermenter.

I brew 5 gal and put in 6.5 (or is it 7?) gal fermenter and have gotten blow off.

See how it goes from there.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Personally, I probably wouldn't put more than 10-11 gal in a 14gal fermenter.

I brew 5 gal and put in 6.5 (or is it 7?) gal fermenter and have gotten blow off.

See how it goes from there.

I use 7 gallon fermenters for 5 gallon batches. I just picked up a 14 gallon fermenter for 10 gallon batches.
There’s probably a little wiggle room, but I have seen somewhere that you can batch about 75% of your fermenter capacity.
Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you; be sure to keep us posted.
Cheers!

 

[bike2brew]

Ditto here, 5 gallon in a 7.5 brew bucket.

 

[bmac8]

If you want to do a full volume boil the brew kettle is your determining factor for midrange beers. The 20gal mash tun would allow for a larger volume if you want to top off the wort after the boil. You need a couple gallons of head space in your brew kettle to keep from boiling over. I can do a 10gal batch in my 15gal kettle. I start with about 13gal of wort and end with about 11gals after it cools. I watch the pot for boil start or I have a mess.

I would say 12 to 12.5 would be safe but the head space is somewhat dependent on the yeast. I brew 5gals batches in a 7gal fermentor and most of the time dont have a mess but some ale yeasts still require a blow off tube.

 

[bmac8]

That makes a lot of sense. I can recall stovetop batch boiling over in my wife's kitchen back in the day...I have never been forgiven!

I am working with a 20+ gallon kettle (actually looks like 21.5 by the side markings.) Considering the consensus here, how do you like my chances if I boil 16 gallons in the wort, and then hope for about 13 gallons following the boil off. I do not want to top off the wort afterward. I would be concerned about adding tap water there unless it was boiled or purified--I'm skipping that step.

Does my plan sound okay? Boil 16 gallons... adding American Cascade hops... watching I don't boil over... and then after the steam settles, I've got 13+ gallons to ferment?

Today I am going to attempt a full set up and pump-through just using water.

CHECKING--How annoying is this long thread of dumb questions? Someone commented on another post that it is better to continue one thread than to micro post each question as a new topic. I am unsure...but the replies and support right here are great. I am slowly getting there.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

That makes a lot of sense. I can recall stovetop batch boiling over in my wife's kitchen back in the day...I have never been forgiven!

I am working with a 20+ gallon kettle (actually looks like 21.5 by the side markings.) Considering the consensus here, how do you like my chances if I boil 16 gallons in the wort, and then hope for about 13 gallons following the boil off. I do not want to top off the wort afterward. I would be concerned about adding tap water there unless it was boiled or purified--I'm skipping that step.

Does my plan sound okay? Boil 16 gallons... adding American Cascade hops... watching I don't boil over... and then after the steam settles, I've got 13+ gallons to ferment?

Today I am going to attempt a full set up and pump-through just using water.

CHECKING--How annoying is this long thread of dumb questions? Someone commented on another post that it is better to continue one thread than to micro post each question as a new topic. I am unsure...but the replies and support right here are great. I am slowly getting there.

Don't worry about your postings, you're just trying to gather information for your brew. A lot folks don't admit it but we all started out just like you, lots of questions and then trying to sift through all the different answers. If you posted just one question you probably would get dozens of different answers.

 

[bmac8]

I have DME for priming. I was also thinking to add some to the wort. Any thoughts?

I'm using free version of Brewer's Friend to shape this recipe. I think I am back to 12.5 gallon batch, but depends on what the software tells me, I guess.

I'm going with the calculations given by that database.

 

[ba-brewer]

I am working with a 20+ gallon kettle (actually looks like 21.5 by the side markings.) Considering the consensus here, how do you like my chances if I boil 16 gallons in the wort, and then hope for about 13 gallons following the boil off. I do not want to top off the wort afterward. I would be concerned about adding tap water there unless it was boiled or purified--I'm skipping that step.

How many kettles do your have?
it is possible I missed something but from the pictures of the equipment I see two Kettles, a 20gal SSbrewtech insulated mashtun(cant be put on fire) and a smaller Blichmann which I am assuming is 15gal. The Blichmann is your boil kettle.

 

[bmac8]

How many kettles do your have?
it is possible I missed something but from the pictures of the equipment I see two Kettles, a 20gal SSbrewtech insulated mashtun(cant be put on fire) and a smaller Blichmann which I am assuming is 15gal. The Blichmann is your boil kettle.

****. You are absolutely correct. I am confusing my vessels. Okay. I have the huge 20gal+ SS Brewtech mashtun and the Blichmann Boliermaker (15gal sounds right too.) Fermenter is a Stout 14.5 gallon capacity. So I have some math to do! And I gotta learn the terms!

Was gaining confidence...now I am back to feeling like a dunce. Ha! I might be calling this: "Confident Dunce Ale."

 

[ba-brewer]

Does my plan sound okay? Boil 16 gallons... adding American Cascade hops... watching I don't boil over... and then after the steam settles, I've got 13+ gallons to ferment?

Going from 16 to 13gal into the fermentor seems reasonable, but all system are a little different. I assume losing 1gal to trub/break and a little over 1gal for a boil off on a 10gal batch.

One thing you should do before finalizing your recipe is run a boil test on your brew kettle, fill the kettle with the amount of water you plan to brew with and boil for an hour see what you got left. It will give you a good idea on your boil off rate and also an idea on how long it takes to heat to boil on your system. Also sometime the volume marking on a kettle could be a little off so you get a change to verify those too.

 

[bmac8]

Going from 16 to 13gal into the fermentor seems reasonable, but all system are a little different. I assume losing 1gal to trub/break and a little over 1gal for a boil off on a 10gal batch.

One thing you should do before finalizing your recipe is run a boil test on your brew kettle, fill the kettle with the amount of water you plan to brew with and boil for an hour see what you got left. It will give you a good idea on your boil off rate and also an idea on how long it takes to heat to boil on your system. Also sometime the volume marking on a kettle could be a little off so you get a change to verify those too.

I've since downscaled... thankfully, I have been corrected on the vessel sizes above. The recipe I am working up now involves 12.8 gallons to start, and should yield about 11 gallons of beer.

I'm looking to use DME for the priming... I have some time on this, but trying to understand how much I need, because carbonation numbers make no sense to me. Can anyone advise as to CO2 level/vols? I am hoping to make a beer with a nice pop when the cap is lifted, like many American beers. I enjoy Newcastle and dark, flatter beers, but here, I am just trying to make a beer with a little fizz and pop. Can anyone tell me how much extract I should add in before bottling? I'm making 11 gallons of beer.