New BIAB setup. Ss brewtech or Spike? Utah Diesel or Arbor Fab?

[craigmw]

I have been brewing on a propane fueled BIAB rig for over 7 years that is based on a 20 gallon (actually 18.5) tri-clad kettle and have been able to brew 5, 10 and the occasional 15 gallon (with sparge) batches with relative ease, including some rather high OG brews (1.120 barleywines, etc). I just recently made the switch to electric BIAB using a DIY panel (with parts sourced from Auber, e.g. EZ-Boil DSPR320), a 22 gallon BrewBuilt kettle (with two 1.5" TC ports), a BrewHardware SS 5500W TC element and a Concord steamer basket with bolts affixed to the bottom to stand above the element. So far, I've brewed 5 and 10 gallon batches, including an 11 gallon RIS that came in at 1.112 (and finished at 11.5%!).

What I like about my new electric system is that it has very precise temperature control, especially during the mash. The DSPR320 prevents the chance of boilovers, and the rate of heating is not bad (though really not as fast as my Blichmann propane burner). It makes for a pretty quick brew day and I don't have to make sure to get my propane tanks filled.

I'd definitely recommend at least a 15 gallon kettle. I was concerned about being able to brew 5 gallon batches on my new kettle, but I had the TC ports installed just off the bottom, so even with the basket sitting above the element, there is still plenty of space in the kettle for my grain bag, even for a 5 gallon batch. With this new setup, I can also brew large 10 gallon batches, with that RIS coming in at 46 pounds of grist (which is about my current grain limit with that steamer basket). A 20 gallon kettle might even be preferable if you plan to do lots of 10 gallon batches.

 

[sloppybones]

FWIW, Spike dropped some details on their BIAB setups yesterday. The batch sizes make zero sense, but I am very intrigued.

 

[sloppybones]

Off topic but isn't spotted cow a farmhouse ale?

Yes, or at least according to the can. It tastes more like a hybrid wheat/cream ale to me though. Maybe more cream ale.

 

[cubalz]

I have purchased two Spike kettles in the last few years and the quality on both was second to none.

I totally agree! I personally own 4 of their kettles in all versions and they are all top notch. I can also attest that their customer service is great. Super responsive and helpful.

 

[MikeCo]

FWIW, Spike dropped some details on their BIAB setups yesterday. The batch sizes make zero sense, but I am very intrigued.

I received this and was also confused as to why the 10-gallon size can only do 2.5 gallon batches.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

I received this and was also confused as to why the 10-gallon size can only do 2.5 gallon batches.

The 10g system will only have a 120v element so then batch size is smaller in comparison.

 

[Yesfan]

I have a spike 15 gallon kettle and the quality is top notch. To be honest, if I was in the market for another kettle, I wouldn’t even research what else was out there. Straight to spike.

The 15 gallon kettle is ideal for 5 gallon batches. There are a lot of 10 gallon batches I’ve thought of doing that will not fit in my 15 gallon kettle without some type of extra step. You can still do it, but would need to incorporate some type of sparge step. Use this link below to get a better idea on kettle size.

http://www.biabcalculator.com

Agree about top notch quality. I have two of their 15 gallon kettles. Straight to Spike with me as well if I ever upgrade.

As for not being able to do to a lot of 10G batches a 15G kettle..... I don't BIAB, but I've rarely used my second 15G kettle as a mash tun for a 10G batch. My 10G tun has had plenty of room for mashes up to 22lbs of grain. One scenario you could do is just steep the specialty grains like you would for an extract if you need room for an extra pound or three of fermentable grain.

 

[Beer_EnGAneer]

Yeah I think I have settled on spike because of the customization they have. You can get ports in any configuration you like which is nice. I'm going to go with a 20 gal kettle like I originally was thinking. The big concern was that with a kettle that size I wouldn't be able to do 5 gal batches in it but it sounds like with direct fire it shouldn't be an issue. What I'm thinking about now is the ability to switch between direct fire and electric depending on the situation. So now I'm figuring how many ports I'm going to need. Electric coil, whirlpool, two temps depending on electric or direct fire... Price tag keeps going up! Hahaha

Careful with having it all with a rigid basket. To do a 5 gal batch in a 20 gal kettle, the ideal basket would have very low clearance/dead space below it. This very well might limit space for an element. If you later wanted to convert to electric, it might not be compatible with the same basket. Just keep it in mind when designing as every inch of height is ~1 gallon in a 17" diameter pot. (Can Arbor Fab do adjustable legs?).

Also, thinking through the basket with hooks: I'm guessing you'd always need a second person to place the bars while you lift (I often brew solo). I like my hoist, also because I am not all that strong, and wet grain gets heavy quickly as I try to hold it out away from myself after 170 degree mashout.

Sounds like your going with the 20 gal. If I did it again, I would. My 10 gal batches max out in the 1.06x range in my 16 gal kettle, with a sparge.

That said I really like the Brew Bag bags. I just use a Brew Hardware false bottom to keep the bag above the element and it works out great.

Thank you!
I came to this thread to learn more about baskets. But this is way cheaper than the basket and is way more elegant than me building a modified cooling rack to support the bag above my element.
I'm now ordering a Brew Hardware false bottom this week!