Rectangular BIAB kettle?

[Bsbrew]

I'm building a BIAB setup. Is there any disadvantages to a rectangular pot? I built this at work and it was completely free to me. I'm using two 2000 watt elements. Total volume of the pot is 12 gallons. Should work well for 5 gallon batches.

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[nobadays]

I'm new to BIAB brewing but not brewing others may have more for you...

Anything that holds water could be used for a kettle, but will it make a good kettle? You did a good job welding up the SS and all your fittings however they may be a few things to consider using a rectangular kettle.

Cleaning... are your welds REALLY smooth on the inside or are there holes/rough areas that will catch and hold wort-hops-grain? The corners will also present a huge challenge at cleaning time.
You might be thinking it's a boil kettle so cleaning isn't as critical but "junk" left in there will eventually lead to off flavors in your beer.

Whirlpooling... I can't imagine getting a good whirlpool going in anything but a round kettle. My hydrodynamics are a bit rusty but I can see trub build up in the corners as you whirlpool the wort. That said it might benefit you as the highest concentrations of trub will be away from your "line out."

Will it work? Sure and if that gets you started in this obsession, go for it! I do think in the not too distant future you will be looking to "go round!"

Don
Primary #1 - Joe IPA clone
Primary #2 - APA
Kegged - nothing :-(
Bottled - Oatmeal Stout, APA, Rye IPA

 

[Bsbrew]

Thanks for the response. How much trub will I have? If I keep the grains in a the bag then use a hop bag for hopping. I have a port in the bottom of the pot for after washing out I can drain it.

 

[jerbrew]

I say go for it. A good CIP and some scrubber will clean it no problem as long as your welds are clean. Whirlpool into in my opinion is over rated. Get a hop screen and attach it to your pick up tube to avoid the large chunks and use hop socks or s spider when using leaf. I transfer varying amounts of trub into the carboy every time I brew and see no ill effects.

If this doesn't work for a kettle though. As in you're not happy with it. It would be a great HLT if you decide to not go BIAB or a good start to a DIY herms.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Thanks for the response. How much trub will I have? If I keep the grains in a the bag then use a hop bag for hopping. I have a port in the bottom of the pot for after washing out I can drain it.

Theres always a good amount of cold break reguardless of using bags.You can suck up all of it into the fementer though with no ill effect on the beer.
Cleaning it would bee your only issue,getting in the corners and whatnot..Clean it out good after racking before it gets crusty and you should be fine.

 

[bionut]

+1 for go for it! Is the welds are clean you will be fine, anyway the boil will sanitize most of it. The bottom trub won't be a problem, it will clean right away. The dried ring of gunk on top of the wort will need some scrubing though. I wish i had a free vessel like yours. You can go even bigger than 5 gallons, maybe 8 gallons batch.

 

[nobadays]

As "JR" said, "There's always a good amount of cold break regardless of using bags." How much trub you allow to transfer to your fermenter may be an individual preference. I primarily use a Fastferment and the less trub I transfer the less opportunity there is for plugs in the conical above the trub collection ball - less emptying the ball. So a good whirpool and 20 minute settle allows me to transfer more wort and less trub.

If you plan to use a ferment bucket, as said, the trub will not harm your beer... Hop bag and a screen on your pick up tube (as "JerB" suggested) and you're golden! I second "JR" about cleaning sooner than later. Rack out then immediately fill it with water and I bet that will help eliminate "crud" taking up residence in there.

After looking at your pictures again... is that small fitting in the bottom left corner for the temp probe? If so I'm wondering how that will work being that close to the bottom... If you are doing a PID controled recirculating mash, a lot of us put the temp probe in the recirc line either right out of the pump or where it goes through the sidewall/lid. Seems to work quite well.

Go for it! Happy brewing!

Don
Primary #1 - Joe IPA clone
Primary #2 - APA
Kegged - nothing :-(
Bottled - Oatmeal Stout, APA, Rye IPA

 

[Bsbrew]

Thanks for the tips on cleaning. The small coupling on the bottom is for a site glass. I plan on putting the temp probe in a tee at the top of the kettle. I been doing some research for all this. This is my first electric build. Doing it as cheap as I can to get started. This is all kinda new to me. Jumping head first into the hobby. I only have a few brews under my belt and those were on the stove top. In a cheap aluminum pot.

 

[bdogg171]

A toothbrush should take care of those corners easily, looks great plus it was free! Brew On!!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Nobadays did a great job of listing possible cons. Pros it's free, you made it. Yes it will work. You can name a whole line of square an rectangle named brew befor you get tired of cleaning those corners. (Which really might not be that bad) :rockin:

 

[wilserbrewer]

People been using square and rectangular cooler mash tuns for a long time....no good solid reason why a kettle can't be square that I know of....'

Nice job ! Enjoy

 

[Bsbrew]

Brewed my first batch today. Worked out fantastic.

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[RM-MN]

Can't possibly work. You just can't use a rectangular vessel in brewing. https://www.google.com/search?q=open+ferment+picture

:fro: