What's your maximum capacity BIAB brews?

[Gusso]

I guess I'm actually a MIAB guy. But I regularly do 16# in my 10g Igloo cooler for 5 .5 gallon batches. I like high gravity beer. I suppose I could do a couple pounds more with my no sparge but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I do a modified BIAB on my stove top with a 9 gal "tallboy" BK with a turkey basket holding my bag. After mash and mash out, I hoist the basket/bag and pour sparge water through the raised grains into the BK. With this setup I can do up to 16.5 lbs of grain and reach about 1.085 for a 5 gal batch with no sugar in the boil. I've gone as high as 1.118 for a 4 gal Belgian with some sugar in the boil.

 

[beernutz]

I use a 15.5 G keggle for 10 gallon batches using a wilser BIAB and a hoist. My last batch probably had as much grain, 32 lbs, as the most I've ever used as mash water was spilling out of the top of the keggle. I had actually planned to use 2 more lbs of grain but there was no way they were going into the keggle without a corresponding amount of overspill.

The mash consistency was very thick but I mashed for 2 hours, sparged between 1 and 2 gallons with room temp water after the mash, and ended up with 76% mash efficiency.

 

[cubalz]

I have 15 gallon Spike Kettles and I do full volume/no sparge BIAB exclusively. My largest grain bill I typically make is around 14.5 lbs but I could go more with ease. Plenty 'o room.

 

[BrewZer]

I will generally run 8 gallons of water with anywhere from 10 to 14 pounds of grain in a 44 liter pot. Mashing goes great, and haven't had a boil-over yet.

 

[jwill911]

I setup my little giant ladder over the pot and attach the pulley to it.

+1
I like that! I brew in the garage, but the open garage door makes a suspended pulley impossible. But I do have a Little giant ladder Thanks

 

[greywolf]

I do 10 gallon batches in a 20 gal pot. Biab(asket). Holds any grain bill I want and boilovers are only a problem if I leave the hellfire wide open. Don't do that. I would suggest that the 20 is a good choice for 10 gal batches and the 15 is fine for any 5 gal batch you can think up.

 

[jwill911]

I brew 5.4 gallon batches.
Here's about the biggest I can go - 17 pound grain bill in my 10 gallon kettle...

View attachment 739210

Please tell me about the insulation material. Do you put it on after reaching strike temp? Otherwise it would melt wouldn't it?
Thanks,
jw

 

[RM-MN]

I don't know what my maximum capacity is but I have done several batches where the wort is only half an inch from the top of the pot when I finish sparging. It takes some whisk action to keep it from boiling over.

 

[BrewZer]

+1
I like that! I brew in the garage, but the open garage door makes a suspended pulley impossible. But I do have a Little giant ladder Thanks

That's how we do it...

 

[AZ Maverick]

Please tell me about the insulation material. Do you put it on after reaching strike temp? Otherwise it would melt wouldn't it?
Thanks,
jw

Yes, I use Reflectix insulation which is plastic. It goes on after mash temp is reached and the fire is turned off.
And yes, it will melt if you don't kill the fire....

 

[RM-MN]

I have quit using any insulation and have shortened the mash period after doing some experimenting and finding that conversion does not take nearly as long as most presume it does. Once conversion is complete, the temperature does not need to be kept constant as one is then extracting the sugars and flavors which can happen at a much lower temperature.

 

[hottpeper13]

I've found that I get a maltier beer with a 45 min mash at ~152-154,and it finishes a tad higher. Great for bitters and milds. I do loose 4-6 gravity points but just up the base malt a lb.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Once conversion is complete, the temperature does not need to be kept constant as one is then extracting the sugars and flavors which can happen at a much lower temperature.

This makes sense. While I don't have any hard data, depending on the batch size and my insulation process my mash might drop 1F over 60 minutes or might drop 5F. I have not seen any obvious impact on stats like efficiency or attenuation between the two.

 

[soccerdad]

My largest kettle is 15 gallons. I can do 10 gallon full volume mashes with beers 1.060 or lower. With bigger beers I include a dunk sparge in a smaller kettle.