I have a feeling the recipe's allowed for [...] and adjusted
That's the key for any process workaround.
I have a feeling the recipe's allowed for [...] and adjusted
You make it sound more complicated than it is. Pot is not full any more? Add some water till it's full again. Easy as that.Ah, post-mash and post-boil top offs. So many process workarounds.
What? You fill up your pot, you mix, you measure the gravity, job done. Water evaporates? Add water till the previous level of wort is reached again. Same gravity as before. Couldn't be simpler actually.I have thought about doing this, but wondered if it threw off the OG and preboil gravity? Hence, throwing off the final numbers and ABV? I did that with extract, but I have a feeling the recipe's allowed for the top off and adjusted the amount of LME or DME.
It seems like keeping the temp consistent for 60/90 minutes would be a challenge in a kettle. So I read to blanket your kettle off.
So if using a cooler for the mash- what would be the purpose of a 15 gallon kettle for 5 gallon medium to high gravity beers other than using the kettle for an all in one container?
I agree. I have been able to brew all-grain batches targeting 5.5 gals into the fermenter up to around 1.080 with my 10 gallon kettle using a full volume mash (no sparge). For Belgian or other styles with a pound or two of sugar in the boil, I can push higher. Above that I have added in a dunk sparge. As a benefit, the dunk sparge will often push my efficiency back close to 75%, even for a batch with 20+ lbs of grain. The downside is that it adds a bit more work. Adding extract to the boil or lowering the batch size a bit will also let you brew high gravity batches in a 10 gallon kettle.If the thought of storing, handling, cleaning, etc. a 15 gallon kettle fills you with dread, adding a simple dunk sparge in a second vessel makes a 10G kettle thoroughly adequate.
As I type, I am in the middle of mashing a batch targeting 3.5 gals of wort into a keg using my 5 gallon kettle. It is a 1.046 OG beer though, but I am sure I could make a 1.070 batch just by shifting more water to the sparge. I should have about 0.5 gal of headspace at the start of the boil
The foaming at the beginning of the boil is the thing, after that I turn the gas down as low as I can get away with to maintain a boil. My pre-boil volume is more than 5 gallons, and the kettle is short and wide rather than tall and narrow, so the headroom isn't as much as it sounds. It will boil over spectacularly if you turn your back on it. It would be nice to have a bigger kettle and not have to lift it off the burner to let the foam subside. For sure, I could have tweaked my process and got BIAB to work better for my kettle size, but I wanted a mash tun anyway.If you're boiling over with 3.75 gallons of headroom, one might suggest turning the flame down.
Your 8.75G kettle was too small for a full volume mash. It was not too small for BIAB.
NO. you are right sized with a 15. You will see the wisdom on your first RIS or Quad.I mostly make stouts and like the higher gravity beers. But damn- this kettle is really big and I'm wondering if I should return it for a 10.
OK. I still don't see the issue. A wider kettle, you can still center it up. Something I'm just not seeing here?Right now, the 44-quart pot just exactly fits the ring at the top of my burner. Kinda tall, but manageable. Any larger around, and it would sit slightly offset, and I don't like the idea of it not being centered on the burner.
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Same here.I'd hate to have to clean and handle a 3x kettle for the 90% of my beers which are 1.040 just because I wanted a full volume mash for the occasional 1.100.
Because I use a kettle size appropriate to my single sparge process, I can use a mini-siphon. All my equipment fits in my itty-bitty 1.25x kettle.
I agree. My propane burner looks a lot like @BrewZer's. I have always had a wide kettle that sat on the other rim of the burner. It has always worked fine for me.OK. I still don't see the issue. A wider kettle, you can still center it up. Something I'm just not seeing here?
I just don't want the kettle hanging over the side of the burner, for stability purposes.OK. I still don't see the issue. A wider kettle, you can still center it up. Something I'm just not seeing here?
I have a 15 ish gal "kettle" (olive oil barrel) that I mounted a SS water heater element inside. Has a drain valve. I use a $10 12volt fountain pump to recirc while mashing. works wonders.I'm so torn. I've got a 15G and a 20G and I'm trying to decide which to make into an electric, recirculating mash BIAB system. I do 6.5G into the fermenter to fill two 3G kegs (though it's possible I could do three kegs, so 9.75G at times?). Typically I'll do 7-9%abv, but as low as 6% and as high as 10%. I've made 13-15%, but wouldn't mind sparge or extra vessel if need called for it. I'm leaning 15G, but also want to add a steam condenser mounted on a 1.5" triclamp in the upper side wall. Also have a shorty Jaded chiller.
Yes, mine is SS element, recirc pump, the whole thing. Just can’t decide if 20G will be too big for most, or 15G will make me regret not using the 20?I have a 15 ish gal "kettle" (olive oil barrel) that I mounted a SS water heater element inside. Has a drain valve. I use a $10 12volt fountain pump to recirc while mashing. works wonders.
I do a RIS with about 25# of grain in my 15 gal kettle. It will be fine.Yes, mine is SS element, recirc pump, the whole thing. Just can’t decide if 20G will be too big for most, or 15G will make me regret not using the 20?
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