Planning my winter water storage, how much is needed for a 15G batch?

[kilohertz]

Hello Brewers

I am going to be jumping in with both feet and am in the process of building my little brewery in the corner of my shop, it will be electric HERMS all grain etc, still learning but I think those are the correct terms. I don't have water plumbed to the shop so I will be storing it in 55G malt barrels, and I would like to know approximately how much water is needed for the average 15 gallon batch, including rinsing, mashing etc. I know it's a tough question but thought I would ask.Need to know how many barrels I need to install.

Thanks

 

[Electricbrew]

It’s gonna have a lot to do with the amount of grain you use (your efficiency, abv, and so on will play into this) but I would say a jumping off point is probably around 22-25 gallons for the actual wort production... then you need to consider water to clean equipment, mix sanitizer, and, more significantly, to chill the wort (this volume is going to be dependent on the type of chiller you use). You might consider a separate empty barrel to collect the water used to chill, as I believe some people reuse it...

 

[hottpeper13]

My last 15 gal into the fermenter batch was a 13 gal main boil with a 8 gal parti gyle boil, then mixed evenly between 3- 5 gal primary's, took 28 gal (wort only) and netted a 1.090 wort.

 

[eric19312]

22-23 gallons for production of wort. I fly sparge with pre boil volume about 20 gallons. Lots more water for cleaning and chilling...never measured that.

 

[kilohertz]

OKay thanks for the help, I knew it would be a difficult guesstimate.

I may try to find time to excavate a trench to put the water line in, but it's a long way away and would need to access the existing waterline underground. I think for this year the barrel idea will be what I need to use. I have 5 or 6 of them and can move them around and into the shop with my Bobcat. As for cooling the wort, I was thinking of using the cold outdoors, will probably have snow on the ground by November so a counterflow chiller with the circulating water going out to a coil or radiator of sorts buried in the snow. I still need to think this through. It will need to be an antifreeze solution in the outer jacket. Another option would be to put the chiller radiator in a freezer compartment, thus keeping it all indoors. Again I will have to think this through.

Anyway, thank you again. Continuing keg polishing and gathering materials this weekend.

Cheers

 

[eric19312]

OKay thanks for the help, I knew it would be a difficult guesstimate.

I may try to find time to excavate a trench to put the water line in, but it's a long way away and would need to access the existing waterline underground. I think for this year the barrel idea will be what I need to use. I have 5 or 6 of them and can move them around and into the shop with my Bobcat. As for cooling the wort, I was thinking of using the cold outdoors, will probably have snow on the ground by November so a counterflow chiller with the circulating water going out to a coil or radiator of sorts buried in the snow. I still need to think this through. It will need to be an antifreeze solution in the outer jacket. Another option would be to put the chiller radiator in a freezer compartment, thus keeping it all indoors. Again I will have to think this through.

Anyway, thank you again. Continuing keg polishing and gathering materials this weekend.

Cheers

Buried in snow bank not ideal. Snow melts near the line and then insulates the line. But you have a bobcat...I’d just dig that trench. Water is just too nice to have on demand in brewing area for cleaning.

Thinking about that bobcat...Half of my brain won’t stop trying to suggest you build a geothermal closed loop chiller.