Small Volume BIAB Electric Component Advice

[kzimmer0817]

I read, with interest, a thread or two the other day where some brewers were giving justifications for brewing small batches - anywhere from 1 gallon to 3 gallons per batch.

I was previously planning the usual e-BIAB setup capable of brewing 5 - 8 gallon batches using my keggle to include control panel, pump, and an element installed.

Not only am I new to brewing, I'm really new to beer, in general. I think I would like the ability to brew small batches - around 2 to 2.5 gallons - of various beers to try out. I'm already set up to brew larger batches using propane outside.

I guess my question is the best way to brew using electricity for small volume brews. Stove-top brewing in the kitchen is not an option for me, so please don't suggest that. 'Nuff said.

I have a 220V GFCI outlet readily available in the basement where I plan to brew.

My original kettle is a 7.5 gallon stainless steel economy kettle that I purchased from www.learntobrew.com. According to a BIAB calculator, I should be able to do a full volume mash for a pretty big beer for a 2.5 gallon batch with this kettle.

1. my understanding is that height of the element in the typical e-kettle can be problematic for small volume brews. I guess, I need to measure the diameter of my kettle and plug it into my volume/height calculator before I rule this out.

2. I read an interesting thread that discussed the use of an induction hot plate. This might be a simple and satisfactory option. I "think" the hot plate option would not require the typical control panel with PID as you do when you use a heating element.

Anyway, I would like to hear your suggestions on how I might accomplish this.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[itsme6582]

Why wouldn't you just make small batches with the equipment you already have?

You could use a hotplate and control your temp manually but you could also use a PID with the hot plate if you want precision. You would just wire in the hot plate in place of the element. You could also use a knob to manually control a heating element rather than a PID.

Your pot has to be made for induction ranges for it to work on an induction range. I tried really hard not to be redundant in that sentence. I guess I failed.

I saw an induction hotplate with a digital temperature setting on an infomercial this morning.

 

[kzimmer0817]

I'm putting my written-in-the-sand conclusion first, since my tendency to get too wordy might prevent folks from reading the whole post.

I'm thinking that my two main options are to either install an element into my 7.5 gallon SS kettle or use a standard hot plate of appropriate wattage.

I'm wondering if a 2000W or 3000W ULWD element would be appropriate. The kettle is only 12.75" in diameter.

Why wouldn't you just make small batches with the equipment you already have?

Thanks for your suggestion. I plan to use what equipment I already have. My inquiry was for which components I would need to purchase to do small volume e-BIAB. The 7.5 gallon SS kettle I have worked great for the 5 gallon extract kits I brewed using propane. I haven't done BIAB with it, opting to use the converted keg that I cut.

According to one of the online BIAB calculators, I could net a 3.75 gallon 1.062 O.G. beer with my current kettle using the traditional full-volume BIAB mash. I could net close to 5 gallons if I perform a partial volume mash, dunk sparge, and add the additional wort to the kettle as I boil.

You could use a hotplate and control your temp manually but you could also use a PID with the hot plate if you want precision. You would just wire in the hot plate in place of the element. You could also use a knob to manually control a heating element rather than a PID.

My thought about using the hot plate was the height of the element in the kettle might be too high for small volume boils. According to a volume-height calculator I made, 2.5 gallons would come to appr 4.5" in my 12.75" diameter kettle; 2 gallons would come to 3.62". I haven't seen measurements that give the maximum height of the element when mounted as low as possible in a kettle.

I'll have to look into the possibility of controlling a hot plate with a PID. For some reason, I'm thinking that that wouldn't work, but I'm guessing that there isn't much difference between a water heater element that is generally used in e-kettles and a traditional element coil for an electric stove/hot plate. Since there would be a kettle between the element and the liquid in the case of a hot plate, I wonder if it would work. I also don't know about using a PID with an induction plate.

Your pot has to be made for induction ranges for it to work on an induction range. I tried really hard not to be redundant in that sentence. I guess I failed.

I just took the magnetic bottle opener from the side of the refrigerator to test my pot. It doesn't stick. So, I don't guess my kettle would work on an induction plate.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[cupido76]

I'm wondering if a 2000W or 3000W ULWD element would be appropriate. The kettle is only 12.75" in diameter.

I've been considering the same thing, and I'd go 3000W or larger if you have a 240V outlet you can use. You can always turn it down if it's too much, but you can't turn it up if it's not enough. There's a 3500W cooker on Amazon for (a bit pricey) $179.

I'll have to look into the possibility of controlling a hot plate with a PID. For some reason, I'm thinking that that wouldn't work, but I'm guessing that there isn't much difference between a water heater element that is generally used in e-kettles and a traditional element coil for an electric stove/hot plate. Since there would be a kettle between the element and the liquid in the case of a hot plate, I wonder if it would work. I also don't know about using a PID with an induction plate.

I've been thinking about going induction, and I had this very same thought. The reason I don't think it would work is that the induction plate is controlling the power to the coil in the unit itself, and I'm pretty sure it supplies power in set increments (20%, 30%, etc). With PID's controlling things by pulsing power, who knows if the induction plate can keep up with that frequency of switching.

One more potential advantage to induction (for me anyway), is that if you're using an immersion chiller, you can get it further down in to the liquid (so faster chilling) if you don't have an element a few inches off the bottom of the pot.