Brewzologist
Active Member
My rig consists of a 15.5 gallon Bayou Classic stainless steel kettle with steaming basket, and a Bayou Classic KAB6 burner. In the first picture you can see I built a wood stand to hold the burner, which was done to elevate the kettle high enough to drain right into my carboy, so I never have to move a heavy kettle full of liquid. The mash, boil, cooling/whirpooling, and draining into the carboy are all done with the pot sitting on the burner. The stand also has adjustable feet so I can level the rig, which makes measuring volume during brewing easier and more accurate.
You can see I added a weld-less valve, and to prevent the non-metal gaskets from getting too hot, I made some heat shields that are bolted to the burner. After several brews I also had a pretty good idea of the average loss to trub after boiling, so I placed the valve right at a level where I wouldn't have to tip the kettle to get the last of the clear wort into my carboy.
Another refinement I made was to hoisting the bag after the mash was complete. For a long time I used a block-and-tackle with a rope to lift the bag so it could drain, but that was a pain, and required more setup and breakdown time. I’d already invested in the steaming basket for the kettle because I didn't ever want to take the chance of my BIAB bag ripping open. It’s probably overkill, but the strainer also allowed me to get rid of the hoist assembly entirely by purchasing a few stainless steel S-hooks from Home Depot. As you can see in the next picture I simply insert a few S-hooks into the holes in the strainer basket to hold it out of the wort so it can drain. This is easy to do by slowly lifting up on the strainer basket with one hand while inserting the hooks, and walking them around the basket to lift it higher and higher out of the kettle. Even with a large grain bill this is easy to do with little lifting effort.
As mentioned, I never move my BIAB kettle during the brewing process. After I heat to strike temp and turn the burner off, I add a thermal shield to my kettle. I made it using $25 of Reflectix insulation that I cut and glued together using silicone caulk. For my 15.5 gallon kettle, a 25' long x 24" wide roll of Reflectix was enough to make a jacket many layers thick. The jack rests on the kettle handles and a strap holds it tightly in place. I also made a jacket for the lid and some pie-shaped wedges for underneath the kettle. Reflectix has a melting point of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and so far I haven't had a problem wrapping the kettle while the burner is still hot. So how well does this work? Once I mash-in, I put my mash paddle and a remote thermometer through holes in the lid, and close everything up. I’ve done 90 minute mashes in my garage with an ambient temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and never lose more than 1-2 degrees after 90 minutes. And, I can stir the mash in-place and monitor the mash temp without ever lifting the lid.
I hope you’ll find these ideas useful for your BIAB rig.
SteveO
.
You can see I added a weld-less valve, and to prevent the non-metal gaskets from getting too hot, I made some heat shields that are bolted to the burner. After several brews I also had a pretty good idea of the average loss to trub after boiling, so I placed the valve right at a level where I wouldn't have to tip the kettle to get the last of the clear wort into my carboy.
Another refinement I made was to hoisting the bag after the mash was complete. For a long time I used a block-and-tackle with a rope to lift the bag so it could drain, but that was a pain, and required more setup and breakdown time. I’d already invested in the steaming basket for the kettle because I didn't ever want to take the chance of my BIAB bag ripping open. It’s probably overkill, but the strainer also allowed me to get rid of the hoist assembly entirely by purchasing a few stainless steel S-hooks from Home Depot. As you can see in the next picture I simply insert a few S-hooks into the holes in the strainer basket to hold it out of the wort so it can drain. This is easy to do by slowly lifting up on the strainer basket with one hand while inserting the hooks, and walking them around the basket to lift it higher and higher out of the kettle. Even with a large grain bill this is easy to do with little lifting effort.
As mentioned, I never move my BIAB kettle during the brewing process. After I heat to strike temp and turn the burner off, I add a thermal shield to my kettle. I made it using $25 of Reflectix insulation that I cut and glued together using silicone caulk. For my 15.5 gallon kettle, a 25' long x 24" wide roll of Reflectix was enough to make a jacket many layers thick. The jack rests on the kettle handles and a strap holds it tightly in place. I also made a jacket for the lid and some pie-shaped wedges for underneath the kettle. Reflectix has a melting point of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and so far I haven't had a problem wrapping the kettle while the burner is still hot. So how well does this work? Once I mash-in, I put my mash paddle and a remote thermometer through holes in the lid, and close everything up. I’ve done 90 minute mashes in my garage with an ambient temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and never lose more than 1-2 degrees after 90 minutes. And, I can stir the mash in-place and monitor the mash temp without ever lifting the lid.
I hope you’ll find these ideas useful for your BIAB rig.
SteveO
.
