Hi There,
A couple of friends and I have been brewing 3-5 gallon batches pretty regularly, and we've gotten enough demand from friends and family that we're looking to step up to 15 gallons soon. Right now, we have a fairly typical homebrew set-up (stovetop boil, mashing in our boil kettle [we do protein rests and multiple steps, so have found this to be easier than mashing in a cooler] and lautering in an igloo cooler with a stainless steel braided hose).
I realize that scaling up to 15-gallon batches is a big change, which will require new equipment pretty much across the board. Hoping to get some feedback based off of what I've found so far, as I have a couple of specific questions, and I'm sure I've overlooked some items that we'll need.
Anyway, here goes;
I'm aware that we'll need at least a 100-qt kettle for mashing and another for boiling. I'm thinking something like this would work (aluminum, which we'll oxidize ahead of time to keep costs down):
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/100...m-stockpot/407APT100HD.html?utm_source=Amazon
I have a friend who works with metal as part of his profession, so he can help us drill the port in both pots and install the drainage valve. I'm not totally certain what we'll need for the valve, but this one seemed like it might work:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/weld-b-gone-basic-kettle-conversion-brass-with-no-barb.html
I'd be happy to get a valve that requires welding, but couldn't find one that is aluminum (which I was told would be preferable to SS based off the material in the kettle).
I'm also aware that we'll need a false bottom, but I couldn't find one that had the same diameter as a couple of the pots I was looking at (pots are roughly 21" diameter, and I'm assuming the false bottom should be as close to that as possible). Anyway, this is the best I could track down:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/20-g...505a8cf2da77c28ebbadf373c&aw_sitename=Skimbit
Since this is a good 1.5" shorter than the kettle, will this pose a problem, or will we likely just lose a little bit of volume and efficiency?
Also, I'm not sure if we need another fitting to connect to the exit valve of the mash/lauter tun. Is there a reason to add something else to the port I mentioned above (assuming that's even the right port)?
We'll be looking to keep this as inexpensive as possible, so will probably just use gravity, rather than pumps. My aforementioned friend will be able to help us build a gravity stand, and I'll spec out the costs in more detail with him, but any estimates as to what this might cost just for materials?
I also know we're going to need a larger wort cooler and bayou burners (which we already have). Any advice about whether an immersion chiller is still sufficient for batches of this size, or whether we should be looking into counterflow?
That's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more questions as we start piecing everything together. Thanks very much in advance for the advice!
B
A couple of friends and I have been brewing 3-5 gallon batches pretty regularly, and we've gotten enough demand from friends and family that we're looking to step up to 15 gallons soon. Right now, we have a fairly typical homebrew set-up (stovetop boil, mashing in our boil kettle [we do protein rests and multiple steps, so have found this to be easier than mashing in a cooler] and lautering in an igloo cooler with a stainless steel braided hose).
I realize that scaling up to 15-gallon batches is a big change, which will require new equipment pretty much across the board. Hoping to get some feedback based off of what I've found so far, as I have a couple of specific questions, and I'm sure I've overlooked some items that we'll need.
Anyway, here goes;
I'm aware that we'll need at least a 100-qt kettle for mashing and another for boiling. I'm thinking something like this would work (aluminum, which we'll oxidize ahead of time to keep costs down):
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/100...m-stockpot/407APT100HD.html?utm_source=Amazon
I have a friend who works with metal as part of his profession, so he can help us drill the port in both pots and install the drainage valve. I'm not totally certain what we'll need for the valve, but this one seemed like it might work:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/weld-b-gone-basic-kettle-conversion-brass-with-no-barb.html
I'd be happy to get a valve that requires welding, but couldn't find one that is aluminum (which I was told would be preferable to SS based off the material in the kettle).
I'm also aware that we'll need a false bottom, but I couldn't find one that had the same diameter as a couple of the pots I was looking at (pots are roughly 21" diameter, and I'm assuming the false bottom should be as close to that as possible). Anyway, this is the best I could track down:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/20-g...505a8cf2da77c28ebbadf373c&aw_sitename=Skimbit
Since this is a good 1.5" shorter than the kettle, will this pose a problem, or will we likely just lose a little bit of volume and efficiency?
Also, I'm not sure if we need another fitting to connect to the exit valve of the mash/lauter tun. Is there a reason to add something else to the port I mentioned above (assuming that's even the right port)?
We'll be looking to keep this as inexpensive as possible, so will probably just use gravity, rather than pumps. My aforementioned friend will be able to help us build a gravity stand, and I'll spec out the costs in more detail with him, but any estimates as to what this might cost just for materials?
I also know we're going to need a larger wort cooler and bayou burners (which we already have). Any advice about whether an immersion chiller is still sufficient for batches of this size, or whether we should be looking into counterflow?
That's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more questions as we start piecing everything together. Thanks very much in advance for the advice!
B
