Looking to try BIAB, but I have some questions...

[JoeyChestnutFan]

Sooo, I am interested in starting down the AG path. However, due to housing constraints, I will only be able to use my indoor gas stove top. I was wondering what the largest amount of water people have been able to boil with a gas stove. I have a 14,000 BTU burner on mine. Also, do you guys recommend a 10 gallon pot? Aluminum vs. SS? Thanks.

 

[Weezy]

4 gallons is my max but I don't know what my gas stove BTUs are.

SS or aluminum both work. You just have to be careful with how you care for the aluminum.
Most brewing cleaners are too aggressive for aluminum.

 

[SteveHeff]

I did my first BIAB a few weeks ago. I used an aluminum 8 gallon pot. The electric stove I used had plenty of oomph to get the boil going in a hurry.

Depending on how much beer you want to brew will make your pot size decision making for you. I like between 3 and 5 gallon batches so the 8 works well. Anything more than that and I would use my SS 10 gallon.

 

[rlonardo]

I just did my first BIAB last weekend. I have a very small stove, so small that I was actually able to position my brew kettle over 2 burners. It's a 10 gal SS and I was able to boil 6.5 gallons no problem. In the past I have been able to do 5+ in my aluminum kettle over one burner. It just takes A LOT longer.


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[jCOSbrew]

I have seen some people use an 1800W induction burner + insulatated kettle to boil 5+ gallons. You wont be able to add insulation to the kettle if you are using a gas stove.

You could always do partial mash, partial boil, or use two kettles.

 

[C-Rider]

I do 2 gallon batches, bottle about 1.75 gal and get 3 six packs. Easy to do inside.

 

[Weezy]

You don't *have* to do full volume boils. It just helps you more easily keep track of your gravities/efficiency...and maybe give up some efficiency.

 

[Euphist]

I can actually do a full volume BIAB 5 gal batch on the "power-boil" burner (17k btu) on my gas range. (so about 6.5 gal being brought to a boil)

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[Homercidal]

On my old stove I could boil 5 gallon batches by straddling two burners. My new stove is big enough to boil a 5 gallon batch on the biggest single burner. It looks like the burner I use to brew on is 14,000 BTU, although my stove also has a 17,000 BTU center grill burner too.

As far as the kettle is concerned, you can use either aluminum or Stainless, but I recommend stainless if you can afford it. 10 gallons is a nice size for 5 gallon batches, but you could go as low as 7.5 gallons if you are careful. I usually use a 7.5 gallon aluminum turkey fryer kettle when I am brewing in the kitchen. Stainless is less likely to react with chemical used in cleaning and is much less likely to dent or scratch than Aluminum, but Aluminum works fine and is lighter. If you go with Aluminum the experts suggest boiling water in it first to create an oxide layer on the inside.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Aluminum has better heat transfer, and might be capable of larger boils given a limited stovetop burner.



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[Riot]

If you grab a cheap 4 gallon pot you could start your boil split and then combine after hot break. Way more space to avoid boilover, and it is much easier for the burners to get the smaller volumes to a boil.