- Joined
- Nov 26, 2013
- Messages
- 7,942
- Reaction score
- 15,584
Put a camera tripod over the pot.
Or better yet, not put tape in your mouth.
Fingers crossed but that just looks like a mess. Any liquid coming out of the bag above the edge of the pot looks like it'll be running down the outside of the pot, not in.
Foil to line the inside walls of the colander.
https://www.angelhomebrew.co.uk/brewdevil-accessories/400-ratchet-pulley-38-rope-113-kg-rating.htmlThis holds the weight of the bag no problemI use a cable drum on its side as a brew table , with castor wheels mounted underneath to make it easy to move around. I mounted a length of unistrut to the cable drum , using right angle brackets . I also made a right angled bend in the unistrut by cutting through the sides of the unistrut with a hacksaw, bending the unistrut in a vice and supporting the bend with another unistrut angle fitting . I then mounted a small block and tackle to a carabiner mounted through the unistrut .
I enjoy a bit of collective brain storming as much as anyone but I cant help but circle back. Mrs Stout could probably live with a hook in the ceiling like this..
View attachment 748955
Especially if you also buy a hanging planter filled with flowers that will occupy said hook for 99% of the time.
"Honey, I swear I don't know how the cabinet door fell off."...I have an 8 gallon kettle and brew 4 gallon batches on my kitchen stove with assist from a Hotrod heat stick. Usually I mash with 4 gallons of water, raise the bag and let it drain, put it in a bucket and add another 1.5 to 2 gallons of warm water to sparge, and dump those second-runnings back in the kettle. Last week I tried a no-sparge brew, starting with 6 gallons of water. (it works just as well, efficiency was good, I just had to acidify more water)
In either case, when the mash is done I lift the bag out by hand and let it drip until it's light enough to handle. Then I tie it off on the handle of the kitchen cabinet above the stove and let it continue draining. It works like a hook in the ceiling, except it's already there When it's almost finished draining on its own, I squeeze it dry and put it in a bucket -- for sparging or just dealing with later.
Maybe you already have a sky-hook and just haven't noticed it
Yep! I can't believe I haven't shared this yet. We've got a bunch of big rectangular cake pans from my wife's old baking business. I took one that would cover the kettle completely and hang over by quite a bit and filled a bunch of holes right in the center that would drain liquid into the kettle. The next iteration is going to use an even bigger pan with a large area of holes roughly as big as the kettle opening. Four stainless bolts stuck down through a few of the outermost holes will ensure that the perforated area stays centered over the opening. I always forget about wanting to build this until brew day when it's too late. If I get one done soon, I'll share a picture.Fingers crossed but that just looks like a mess. Any liquid coming out of the bag above the edge of the pot looks like it'll be running down the outside of the pot, not in.
Something I use to catch the last bit of wort from my Anvil "malt pipe" is to set it in a cake pan. I'll link an example. I can let gravity do its thing, I can squeeze a bag, whatever - and it all just collects. Then of course when I ready I just pitch the cake pan into the unit and boil away. I mention it in case the colander is messy. Maybe it could sit in a cake pan and not be as messy. If that ends up being how things go.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VLIHS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Hooks in the ceiling--not an option.
Going to try the big-ass colander next brew. If that doesn't work, I'm only out $20, and will consider some kind of tripod thingy with a pot underneath to collect the wort. I no longer do a pour-over sparge, just collect the wort and pour it in the BK with the rest and add any water that didn't fit during the mash. Then boil.
I’ve been using the over sink mesh strainer since I started brewing about 2 years ago. About 40 batches in. It has worked ok but I’ve never been really happy with sparging it or how often I’ll get a mess due to the bag flopping out.
Because of this thread I’ve went and got an 8 quart stainless colander and used it this weekend for the first time. Much better overall solution. No messes, was much better sparging experience. I purchased the Winco Cod for 21 cdn.
Does the colander sit on top of your kettle, or does it fit inside? If it sits on top, how did you keep wort from running out the holes on the side?
it Sits inside. I am using a 10G kettle. About 13 inches ID if I remember correctly. Fits perfectly on my kettle so that there is an opening between the colander and edge of kettle so that anything that runs over the edge ends up in kettle not on the stove.
for a long boil the bottom of colander will end up in wort but similar issue for the mesh for me.
I think on ordinary HDPE bucket with little holes in the bottom, that fits partially into the kettle, should to the job perfectly.
After reading this with some real interest I think I’ll go with Cyclman’s idea and buy a stainless bowl.Do this: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/vollrath-47938-8-qt-stainless-steel-mixing-bowl/92247938.html
Drill holes in bottom. Works great.
I picked one of these up at a sale today for three dollars. When I saw it I thought of your post. I didn't really need it, but you can never have too much gear can you ?Here's a photo of it in situ
I think on ordinary HDPE bucket with little holes in the bottom, that fits partially into the kettle, should to the job perfectly.
Haha@"baghag"I got to thinking about your idea. A 5 gal. food-grade bucket with the top couple inches cut off, some 1/2" holes drilled in the bottom, 3 ss bolts and voila! It ain't pretty, but should work. I'm calling it the Bag Hag.
Might try this first, before using the colander.
View attachment 749182
I’m impressed with your even distribution of holes in the bottom of the bucket. I’m going to make one.I got to thinking about your idea. A 5 gal. food-grade bucket with the top couple inches cut off, some 1/2" holes drilled in the bottom, 3 ss bolts and voila! It ain't pretty, but should work. I'm calling it the Bag Hag.
Might try this first, before using the colander.
View attachment 749182
That's what I thought Is going to happen, when I just read your initial post. Maybe you can replace the bolts with wedges on the outside? Bigger surface touching the bucket should do it! You might be able to reuse this bucket for it. You just need to cut some pieces of wood into the right shape. I'd connect the wedges with two screws probably. Looks like a biab rocket then. Fly me to the beer!I'm going to have to rework the bucket thing.
I tested it--propped it up by the bolts, with the bolts supported at their ends. I set 15 lbs. of weights inside (approx. the weight of a typical bag of wet grain). The bolts defected quite a bit, due to the thin plastic wall of the bucket. With a bag of hot grain inside the plastic would likely flex even more, perhaps even fail. I don't want this thing collapsing into the kettle.
First, cutting off the top part of the bucket was a mistake--I made it less rigid. I'll probably need to use another bucket--intact, so that it has the reinforced rim. I'll also need to reinforce it around where the bolts attach, with some sheet metal plates on the outside.
So, drilling lots more holes in another bucket. Yay.
View attachment 749217
View attachment 749218
The bolts defected quite a bit
Enter your email address to join: