Best Way To Boil

[SamInNJ]

I've gotten through a few extract brews with a coue more planned. I'm starting to look into making the switch to all grain and am hitting a few snags on the equipment side.

I decided to do BIAB because it seems much simpler - 1 container and a bag. And I'm only really interested in doing 5 gallon batches.

Using brew smith to look at all grain recipes it looks like the starting water in the pot needs to be 7-8 gallons or so.

Up until now I've been cooking on my stove, but I'm not sure that's going to cut it anymore with a much larger volume of water to boil.

Here are some of the things I've been thinking about.

Getting a propane burner and brewing in garage instead of the kitchen (door open) there is a spigot for a hose nearby (for cooling), though I'm not sure if I turn on the water to it if I will freeze my pipes just trying to brew.

I could try and keep brewing in my kitchen and put the pot on two burners (two of my burners are a total of 17" across) and possibly add a heat stick if needed an continue brewing in the kitchen and using the sink for the wort chiller.

I could build a 120v (my house has no 240's, even for appliances) electric kettle. Though these seem like they will take a long time to boil f they ever can. Some need multiple outlets for dual coils.

Buy a 120v system like grainfather or one of blichmans. Though I don't see how their 120v systems would boil that much water any better than any other 120v system.

Leaning towards one of the first two options. Brewing indoors is preferred as it's currently freezing outside. Wanted to get the thoughts of the HBT community. You folks always ace great advice.

 

[agrazela]

I do 5gal batches biab on the gas stovetop. I supplemented the biggest burner with one of those $40 120v bucket heaters. Nearly doubled my boil off rate / halved my time to temperature. Been using the same heater for at least 20 batches now. Only downside is that the dishwasher is on the same circuit and I can't run both at the same time.

 

[Bramstoker17]

Put me firmly in the move to the garage camp with a propane burner. It'll be a bit more money right off the bat for the burner and larger pot, but it was worth it in my eyes. The time saved heating things to the proper temp and bringing it to a boil was so much nicer. Plus it's nice not having to worry about ruining your stove with a boil over. Its also nice having the hose nearby to just be able to hose off equipment as you go.

I get the cold weather concern about pipes and water lines freezing. If I get the itch to brew in the dead of winter I still to a 3 or 3.5 gallon batch on the stove here and there just to keep the pipeline full. While that is a downside to brewing outside, the fun of being outdoors brewing on a nice spring or summer day offsets that to me. My brew days are a blast. Friends come over and hang out around the brew pot in the garage, drink beer, and eat food. Its always a ton of fun

 

[wilserbrewer]

E kettle in the basement FTW

 

[AnOldUR]

E kettle in the basement FTW

Agree! You can't beat indoor brewing. Heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer.

Always the option to sit outside in a lawn chair with a beer during the mash/boil if the weather is nice.



edit:

... my house has no 240's, even for appliances ...

You could uses two elements on two different 120V circuits to get the wattage up, but installing a 240V breaker and and outlet next to the panel is not that difficult or expensive.

 

[brewcat]

I have a frost free outdoor faucet. I suppose you could hook a hose up to a indoor faucet and do your cooling inside.

I would definitely move off the stovetop.

Not really sure BIAB is any simpler than three vessel. I went three vessel because a big bag of grain was unappealing (hated messing with the bag of grain in my partial mashes).

 

[tsl346]

Garage brewer all the way.

 

[Shawnylocks]

never done BIAB.i do three vessel in the "garage". spring summer and fall I brew in my garage. water is close enough. in the dead of winter here in new England I put my burner and pot right outside my back door on my deck and I do all my heating/boiling outside. it does require me to lug around some hot liquid to do my mash and such inside my kitchen but I usually have some help as a few friends or my son are usually around. I basically only have to go outside for hop additions and to start the chill (and that is usually quick in the cold months)

 

[hottpeper13]

Before I built my basement brewery with induction burners, I brewed outside. When the hoses are off I just let it cool overnite outside (no chill) if left in the kettle what could happen? In fact I didn't have a wort chiller for the first 2 years.

 

[balrog]

Brew in garage and use pond pump recirculation system with wort chiller in dead of Mass. winters using 5g buckets of water/ice set outside overnight. I am sorely tempted by no-chill overnight, but I like getting everything all wrapped up and finished and put away.

 

[augiedoggy]

E kettle in the basement FTW

I agree too... Also a 240v outlet is not very much work to install or have installed...
2 1500w 120v elements on 2 different 120v 15a circuits will work fine though... The controller is not even needed with this minimal amount for a steady boil.

 

[SamInNJ]

Thanks for all the input everybody!

I think I'm going to start with two burner with a heat stick (seems the fastest for now) to try out doing all grain. Will probably transition to a 240v electric kettle at some point.