Will my equipment be sufficient?

[arnobg]

Sorry for all of the posts and questions lately but I like to be thorough and not waste time and money when not sure.

I am looking to transition to BIAB from extract and I have a 9 gallon (36 quart) brew kettle. Is this large enough to do BIAB with 12lb. grain recipes? I want to try NB bourbon barrel porter for Christmas but I am worried about it not fitting. I assume I wouldn't be able to fit all of the grain with 6.5 gallons of water so I would need to batch sparge with my 4 gallon pot.

Also, will I need to put something on the bottom of my kettle to keep the propane burner from melting the grain bag, such as a stainless strainer or something to keep it elevated? Just in case I need to fire it up to raise the temp a degree or two, or would this not be an issue?

Thoughts and advice?

 

[1977Brewer]

I have an 8 gallon kettle and I brew 12-14 lbs regularly. You're spot on about having to sparge, but you can just cold sparge. I direct fire mine all the time with no protection, I just stir frequently, which I would do anyway to prevent stratification.

 

[arnobg]

I have an 8 gallon kettle and I brew 12-14 lbs regularly. You're spot on about having to sparge, but you can just cold sparge. I direct fire mine all the time with no protection, I just stir frequently, which I would do anyway to prevent stratification.

About how much do you have to sparge with to get the volume for a full boil?

Any recommendations for grain bags?

Will a 5 gallon glass carboy be too much headspace for primary fermentation with a 3 gallon batch?

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I recommend wilserbrewer for your brew bags. Nope, headspace isn't really an issue unless you're doing secondary (which I generally dont recommend for new brewers, or it's a wine/cider)

For volume calculations, check out my calculator

http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/TestingA

Depending on your area, I much prefer a pin lock keg over a carboy. Similarly priced for my area, but one won't potential break and risk cutting you.

 

[NathPowe]

About how much do you have to sparge with to get the volume for a full boil?

Any recommendations for grain bags?

Will a 5 gallon glass carboy be too much headspace for primary fermentation with a 3 gallon batch?

If you're only doing a 3-Gallon batch you won't need to sparge at all. I put in some quick calculations and with 12lbs of grain and 4.25gal pre-boil volume you only need 7gal of volume. So you'd be good with your 9gal pot if your numbers are similar.

5gal carboy is will be great for fermenting a 3gal batch.

Cheers and enjoy the brew.

 

[arnobg]

I recommend wilserbrewer for your brew bags. Nope, headspace isn't really an issue unless you're doing secondary (which I generally dont recommend for new brewers, or it's a wine/cider)

For volume calculations, check out my calculator

http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/TestingA

Depending on your area, I much prefer a pin lock keg over a carboy. Similarly priced for my area, but one won't potential break and risk cutting you.

Great calculator thanks!

If you're only doing a 3-Gallon batch you won't need to sparge at all. I put in some quick calculations and with 12lbs of grain and 4.25gal pre-boil volume you only need 7gal of volume. So you'd be good with your 9gal pot if your numbers are similar.

5gal carboy is will be great for fermenting a 3gal batch.

Cheers and enjoy the brew.

Awesome thanks for reassurance. I mentioned 3 gallon because there is a kit I would like to do, but I was mostly inquiring about 5 gallon at beginning of post. I'd like to do both.

 

[joshesmusica]

You seem pretty committed to this hobby already. Which to me means you're willing to spend a few extra bucks to make good, and eventually great, beer. There are always really good free calculators out there, but I always highly recommend beersmith. It does take some configuration depending on your equipment and processes, but once you get all of that down, I find it to be an incredibly accurate tool. Especially for the question that you currently have. All you need to know is how big your mash tun/boil kettle is, and how much grain you'll be using, and it will tell you how much space you'll need. This is one example of the precise measurements that it can do for you. I do BIAB and never have any doubt if I have enough space with the amount of grain I have, and I do the no-sparge method.

 

[pretzelb]

You seem pretty committed to this hobby already. Which to me means you're willing to spend a few extra bucks to make good, and eventually great, beer. There are always really good free calculators out there, but I always highly recommend beersmith. It does take some configuration depending on your equipment and processes, but once you get all of that down, I find it to be an incredibly accurate tool. Especially for the question that you currently have. All you need to know is how big your mash tun/boil kettle is, and how much grain you'll be using, and it will tell you how much space you'll need. This is one example of the precise measurements that it can do for you. I do BIAB and never have any doubt if I have enough space with the amount of grain I have, and I do the no-sparge method.

I agree with this. If you have the money it is a useful tool. I'm ashamed to say that I barely use most of the features it has available. If you really want to crunch some numbers then this is a great app to have.

 

[TexasWine]

On the topic of software, I prefer Brewer's Friend, for several reasons. The main reason when I first started brewing was that it was much easier to grasp than Beersmith.

 

[arnobg]

I've got my 3 gallon Irish Red Ale BIAB kit on order now, can't wait.

Is a hoist system going to be necessary for a small grain bill for a 3 gallon batch? I'm hoping to be able to pull the bag out by hand and sit it on a grate over the kettle. Is this a reasonable assumption?

I recommend wilserbrewer for your brew bags. Nope, headspace isn't really an issue unless you're doing secondary (which I generally dont recommend for new brewers, or it's a wine/cider)

For volume calculations, check out my calculator

http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/TestingA

Depending on your area, I much prefer a pin lock keg over a carboy. Similarly priced for my area, but one won't potential break and risk cutting you.

I just ordered one from Wilserbrewer and the service is fantastic! I had a special shipping time request and I had a reply within 30 minutes of order saying it would ship out today 1st class to meet my request. Highly recommend and the quality looks great, thanks for the tip!

You seem pretty committed to this hobby already. Which to me means you're willing to spend a few extra bucks to make good, and eventually great, beer. There are always really good free calculators out there, but I always highly recommend beersmith. It does take some configuration depending on your equipment and processes, but once you get all of that down, I find it to be an incredibly accurate tool. Especially for the question that you currently have. All you need to know is how big your mash tun/boil kettle is, and how much grain you'll be using, and it will tell you how much space you'll need. This is one example of the precise measurements that it can do for you. I do BIAB and never have any doubt if I have enough space with the amount of grain I have, and I do the no-sparge method.

I am actually using the trial version of BeerSmith now as I had been using Brewer's Friend before. They both have their pro's and con's that I am seeing but I haven't gotten it dialed in yet. BeerSmith seems more accurate once dialed in for volumes etc.

On the topic of software, I prefer Brewer's Friend, for several reasons. The main reason when I first started brewing was that it was much easier to grasp than Beersmith.

I agree with this. Very simple interface however, I am questioning some of it's calculations and I don't like the lack of flexibility with late additions for extract brewing.

 

[TexasWine]

I am actually using the trial version of BeerSmith now as I had been using Brewer's Friend before. They both have their pro's and con's that I am seeing but I haven't gotten it dialed in yet. BeerSmith seems more accurate once dialed in for volumes etc.

I agree with this. Very simple interface however, I am questioning some of it's calculations and I don't like the lack of flexibility with late additions for extract brewing.

The accuracy of both is entirely dependent on the accuracy of the input. GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). Both are equally accurate. The volume calculations are simple addition and subtraction. Total water needed = boil off + grain absorption + hop absorption + what you leave behind in the kettle.

I only did one extract brew and then went all grain, so I never used it for extracts.

 

[arnobg]

The accuracy of both is entirely dependent on the accuracy of the input. GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). Both are equally accurate. The volume calculations are simple addition and subtraction. Total water needed = boil off + grain absorption + hop absorption + what you leave behind in the kettle.

I only did one extract brew and then went all grain, so I never used it for extracts.

IBU calculations are FAR different for late extract additions with the same inputs. This is mostly due to Brewer's Friend not allowing to set a time for late extract addition and Beersmith allowing it into the calculation.

 

[DurtyChemist]

You could always go to a local brew shop and buy 12 lbs of 2 row, put it in a bag, place the bag in your brew kettle and add water until it gets as close to the tops as you want. Once you do that, and hopefully you kept the grains dry as much as possible, you will be able to determine how many gallons of water you have in there and you can see if it's enough to brew.

I'd say yes and you could always top up with water/ice like some people do with extract.

 

[Ungoliant]

Sorry for all of the posts and questions lately but I like to be thorough and not waste time and money when not sure.

I am looking to transition to BIAB from extract and I have a 9 gallon (36 quart) brew kettle. Is this large enough to do BIAB with 12lb. grain recipes? I want to try NB bourbon barrel porter for Christmas but I am worried about it not fitting. I assume I wouldn't be able to fit all of the grain with 6.5 gallons of water so I would need to batch sparge with my 4 gallon pot.

Also, will I need to put something on the bottom of my kettle to keep the propane burner from melting the grain bag, such as a stainless strainer or something to keep it elevated? Just in case I need to fire it up to raise the temp a degree or two, or would this not be an issue?

Thoughts and advice?

I made an insulator for my kettle, so I don't have to keep it on the flame and worry about my bag melting. You can use reflectix, which I think would be a better route. I made an insulator using a giant planter from Lowe's and a healthy amount of spray insulation foam. It maintains temps really well but it was an absolute pain to make.

I brewed the following clone recipe in a 10 gal kettle as my first BIAB, which has a 20 lb. grain bill:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=139078

The only issue I had was that I ended up a gallon short after the boil. Between properly draining the grains and dialing down my burner, I could have hit the target fermentor volume on the nose.

Also, this is the grain bag I use:
http://www.brewinabag.com/