Electric BIAB

1. "Ultimate BIAB Vessel"

   16 Replies 22173 Views

   First post by nik, 14 years ago

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   This is my attempt to make the Ultimate BIAB vessel . I took the idea form an english forum www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk . At this point I want to thank Aleman for providing vital info for thiw vessel .Some people in the forum stated above they use this vessel for mashing and some of them converted it using an electric element . So I decided to give it a go at this point my friend Michalis decided to involved to BIAB and we bought 2 vessels to convert them in these pictures is my vessel more simpler...

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   Well done nik,
   
   The insulated vessels look fantastic for BIAB! It looks like it might have been tricky drilling through both layers of SS to install the ball valve and element. Any troubles with leaks?
   
   I'm guessing the legs and wiring box are just fixed with screws through the 1st layer of SS and into the insulation area?
   
   Freight costs would probably make importing one of these to Australia a deal breaker. I'm now curious about all the other ways you could insulate a stainless BIAB vessel. I...
   16 Replies
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   Last post by nik
   13 years ago
2. A BIAB Brew Day with lots of pictures

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   First post by tknice, 13 years ago

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   Hey Guys,
   
   I'm new to the forum but have been very happy with BIAB since I first tried it a year ago. All grain has never been easier or taken less time and equipment! I look forward to spending time on here and seeing how everyone else does it.
   
   Here are some pictures (linked below) of my 10 gallon BIAB process if anyone would like to check it out.
   
   -TK

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   Very nice. I like the BBQ rack in the tub thingy you built. Seems like it would work well if you needed to do a sparge for any reason.
   
   Did you make your own bag or buy it?
   I bought it online from Jeff over at .
   
   He's great and his bags are very well made.
   
   I'll also vouch for the quality of bags that Jeff makes. Love mine. Stiched together like a tank. He'll tailor the bag to fit the specific dimensions of your pot too.
   Yeah, they are $35 which is expensive compared to making your own, but...
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   Last post by tknice
   13 years ago
3. Stainless drink cooler for eKettle

   2 Replies 5641 Views

   First post by Cameron, 13 years ago

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   Inspired by arzaman's creation in the electric BIAB area, I started wondering about insulated vessels for constructing my own braumeister clone (long way off, I'm sure). I had heard about these 60L stainless drink coolers on wheels used as mash tuns.
   
   Beefeater brand ( link )
   
   I wonder if this sort of vessel would work with weldless elements and skin fittings for a pump installed. I assume there's some styrofoam as insulation between thin layers of stainless. It'd need longer legs as well. I...

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   Maybe this thread is usefull to you
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   Last post by nik
   13 years ago
4. Yet another BIAB brewday with lots of pictures.

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   First post by scoundrel, 13 years ago

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   For those interested understanding the BIAB approach to all-grain, I posted my brewday. It is similar to TKNice's process but has some differences.

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   Great right up..like the brew log..if only I had the discipline to keep one up to date. :idiot:
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   Last post by Yeasty
   13 years ago
5. 3500W induction plate?

   8 Replies 13146 Views

   First post by Ziggybrew, 13 years ago

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   I'm a propane burner guy and mentally challenged with electric. Most of y'all use hot-water type elements I assume. I was in my restaurant supply today to pick up a scale for my grain mill. The salesman turned me on to a 3500 watt induction burner plate. He claims it brings 110 quarts/104l to boil. I have an 80 quart/75l Blichmann. Would this be a good way to come over to the dark side (I mean electric, sorry)? It magnetizes the kettle tight to the burner a heats efficiently (according to...

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   Theres a Cooktek induction top that I was looking at and drooling over the possibilities.
   
   Especially made for oversize stockpots, they would boil wort fast and efficiently. Boils 1 gallon in 3 minutes. I reckon they'd be expensive as hell but if I come into a large sum of money its gonna be eBIAB for me!
   
   sucky 22 sec video for reference:
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   Last post by Squared
   13 years ago
6. Best urn options

   3 Replies 7097 Views

   First post by hashie, 13 years ago

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   I am an outdoor gas brewer, but I have a mate who wants to get into BIAB. He wants to brew in an apartment with an urn.
   As I have no idea on eBIAB, I can't give him any ideas on what's best for him to purchase and get started.
   
   What is the best advice? ie.
   
   concealed element v's open element?
   40 litre, 60 litre, more or less?
   Are any brands better than others?
   Do they need an added temp controller?
   
   These are just the questions that come to mind as I have no idea where to start, any help will...

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   I am using a 30L urn and I get by with it but I think that 40L would be better as the minimum volume to recommend. I bought a cheapie of ebay that is still going after 40 batches or so. I do use a power regulator which acts to protect the element to some degree (it is a phase fired controller). It is not absolutely necessary but helps a lot. My urn has a concealed element and I use a scraper several times during the boil so I don't get material building up on the bottom of the urn.
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   Last post by dick
   13 years ago
7. First eBIAB breakdown

   1 Replies 4818 Views

   First post by Cowgo, 13 years ago

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   I think I had way too many firsts last Sunday. First brew in the new brewspace, first use of a new eBIAB keggle, first batch brewed on an electrical system period, first use of a new grain mill (Millars mill…ehhh) first time BIAB brewing, first wheat beer, first no chill. It was a very odd brew day.
   
   Recipe: Simple Wheat
   6 pounds Rahr 2 row
   5 pounds Wheat
   .75 oz Hallertau 45 minutes
   .25 oz Hallertau 10 minutes
   1 whirlfloc tablet 15 minutes
   Munich dry yeast rehydrated
   
   Mash at 153 - 60 minutes...

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   Sounds like a successful day to me Cowgo.
   
   I don't brew with electricity, so can't help you on the flakes, but if they are coming off then it shouldn't be a problem.
   
   I don't like or brew wheat beers, so can't answer your question on wort smell either. Not really being much help am I?
   
   Nice to have mates with bigger tools :) than yours and mates that will build a brew room for you. Top stuff.
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   Last post by hashie
   13 years ago
8. Buffalo Boiler Breakdown

   5 Replies 8353 Views

   First post by Scottfisher74, 13 years ago

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   Well after a big disaster on my first BIAB, my Buffalo water boiler is not even turning on. Anyone give me any help in how to open it up so I can try to fix and why it might have cut out completely (I burnt my mash bag on the bottom of the boiler - even though it has a concealed element!)?
   
   Many thanks if you can help
   Scott

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   I'm a gas guy but I spotted this.
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   Last post by Lylo
   13 years ago
9. UK Biab 60 ltr Barrel

   6 Replies 9069 Views

   First post by moctez, 13 years ago

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   Hi folks,
   
   Not sure of the rules on this forum about posting links to retailers but if you look you can find 60 ltr barrel for about £6 + postage just add an immersion element and tap and you've got a cheap and big biab boiler.
   
   Cheers

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   HDPE plastic is considered food safe and is used for milk jugs. Sorry to step in again on this but it is important that people realise that a food-safe rating is highly dependant on temperature. A milk jug is not exposed to the same temperatures as wort is exposed to. A plasic might be food-grade at 20C (ambient) but not be food-grade at mash temperatures. There are other plastics that are food-grade at mash temperatures but are not food-safe once they have been exposed to boiling point.
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   Last post by Nuff
   13 years ago
10. Boil Off Rate For 40L Buffalo Boiler

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    First post by rukkus, 13 years ago

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    I've been trying to make my beersmith equipment profile more accurate but I always seem to either come up a bit short or over regarding volume after the boil. It tends to be out by a few liters either side. Does anyone know a good value that works well for the boil off rate for these or already has an equipment profile for the Buffalo boilers working well?
    
    Thanks

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    or.......estimate on the high side and end up with a few more pints than you planned on. :idiot:
    
    At a lower gravity ;)
    
    So you can drink more :drink:
    
    I'm lazy though. My keg holds 19L, so I brew 20L, any extra in the fermenter will feed the lawn!
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    Last post by stux
    13 years ago
11. Water boiler for BIAB

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    First post by Scottfisher74, 13 years ago

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    New to forum so here is first newbie question!
    
    How well would one of these work for biab:
    
    Would I be able to make up 23l batches by doing after-boil topup in fv?
    
    Thanks for any help..

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    Okay, so I have been having a play with the Beer Calculator. Think I've got my head round it. Is it okay to post my file here for someone to have a look at to see if I got it right?
    
    Post away Scott. You may want to start a new thread in this section Here .
    43 Replies
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    Last post by Yeasty
    13 years ago
12. Another Ebay urn (35L "handyimports" on ebay.com.au)

    2 Replies 5643 Views

    First post by cbet, 13 years ago

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    I'm just wondering if anyone has used one of these urns:
    
    It seems like a great price and I'm very tempted to get one but the company has a bad repuration on assiehomebrewer due to some low quality pots.

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    First, if the company has a bad rep from disgruntled brewers, Think long and hard before you hand over some cash.
    
    Yeah, fair enough. This is really the only reason I haven't bought one already.
    
    I'm happy with around 20L batches so I think 35L would be fine for me.
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    Last post by cbet
    13 years ago
13. Temp control for an urn

    7 Replies 9980 Views

    First post by housecat, 13 years ago

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    Hi all,
    
    I have just recently got a 10L Birko urn for doing small batches of beer.
    This is good and I gave it a run last night for a laugh and a test run of how it will go.
    
    I learnt some things:
    1: My refractometer only goes up to 18 not the 20.9 I needed it to. Looks like my hydrometer can stay out of mothballs for a bit longer!
    2: 3kg of grain in my 10L urn is too much,
    3: The element in the urn is 2400w and the boil is insane. So much so that it almost jumped out of the urn!!
    
    I can or...

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    Surely what you want is the controller that is used in an electric stove?
    
    And from what Ive seen that's some sortof wave modulator like dick describes
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    Last post by stux
    13 years ago
14. My BIAB Equipment

    3 Replies 6824 Views

    First post by Shifter, 13 years ago

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    Pics here of my brewing gear.
    
    Shifter.

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    Great pics shifter. Thanks!
    
    Those paint stirrers are the best mash paddles I have come across for any sort of all-grain brewer. Little effort required to jiggle it up and down whilst still giving excellent movement and mixing :thumbs:.
    3 Replies
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    13 years ago
15. BIAB Electric boil kettle/ primary fermenter all in one?

    13 Replies 14528 Views

    First post by odi3, 13 years ago

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    Hi Everyone,
    
    To maximize laziness, what do you think of a 2 in 1 boil kettle/primary fermenter?
    
    I was thinking using a 20 gallon mega pot, installing a 240v 5500w element(or using that is removable, like a heatstick design) then using a seal from blichmann or similiar that they use to seal their conical fermenters.
    
    When boil was finished, seal the top with blichmann seal and install a airlock or blow off tube.
    just do the whole primary fermentation in the kettle, afterward, rack to...

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    Miss your wife's birthday and all rooms are cold!
    
    Learn that the hard way, did we? :whistle:
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    Last post by thughes
    13 years ago
16. Simpler Weldless Heating Element Installation

    1 Replies 5828 Views

    First post by kzimmer0817, 13 years ago

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    I am anticipating converting to electric BIAB. I confess that I have not done a BIAB yet, so will probably use propane for a couple of brews first.
    
    I am fascinated with the build by thughes as well as a few others on this and the HBT forum. Most are patterned after Kal's from The Electric Brewery.
    
    I'm having a little difficulty understanding all the details regarding the way Kal attaches the element to the kettle. I'm not asking for a detailed explanation about that right now. I really liked...

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    The short answer: There is no problem using those 2 pieces and doing it the way you describe.
    
    ;)
    
    The long answer:
    
    I am using that same weldless install kit. Kal uses the o-ring and a washer between the box and the kettle with the 1 lock nut on the inside of the kettle, I simply used the above kit and eliminated the o-ring and washer between the box and kettle. Works fine!
    
    As to the second part of your question, that heating element kit is simply the element with a ground strap and some...
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    Last post by thughes
    13 years ago
17. Continuous boil in urn

    6 Replies 8066 Views

    First post by lambert, 13 years ago

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    Hi All
    I've recently got hold of the 20L (5.2 US gallons?) office urn and I've used it for my last 2 brews. I've previously used a 15L stock pot (on the gas stove top) that I've used to make Mini-Maxi :scratch: BIAB's. My normal into fermenter volume is between 9L and 15L. The urn is not a huge step up but it does give me a bit more room to work with and seeing that I got it for free....
    
    I've modified the urn (bypass the temperature cut-off and dry boil) and I'm able to get a continuous boil...

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    Good on you Lambert, if you intend to do doubles, at any time in the future, then 70l is the way to go.
    
    By the way, I use a 4 ring burner. It raises the temp by ~1°C per minute and maintains a rolling boil with the 2nd and 3rd burners on a standard batch (37 litre starting volume).
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    Last post by hashie
    13 years ago
18. Electric BIAB n00b from Norway

    3 Replies 6353 Views

    First post by MegaTrond, 13 years ago

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    Hi everybody
    I’m a BIAB n00b from Norway and have a couple of questions before I do my first BIAB. I have a 50L converted keg with a 4,5KW electric element for heating, a platechiller and 2 x 30L plastic fermentors. I was thinking of making an American Pale Ale using this recipe.
    
    Ingredients
    Amt Name Type # %/IBU
    25,00 g Amarillo Gold - Boil 60,0 min Hop 4 23,1 IBUs
    30,00 g Amarillo Gold - Boil 15,0 min Hop 5 13,7 IBUs
    30,00 g Amarillo Gold - Boil 5,0 min Hop 6 5,5 IBUs
    2,0 pkg California Ale...

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    I've done a few maxi-biabs in a 50L pot
    
    40L batches with some post boil in fermenter top up works well
    
    But the thing is the thicker your mash the lower your efficiency.
    
    If you use the kettle top up value in the water section beersmith will recalculate the mash volume. Keep that under your max mash volume and you'll be good
    
    With 12KG of grain you'll get about 70% mash efficiency, with 10KG 75-78% and 5KG 82%
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    Last post by stux
    13 years ago
19. Help with choice of boiler

    14 Replies 15310 Views

    First post by Lars, 13 years ago

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    Guys,
    I've done one BIAB(my first AG) brew and I'm definitely sticking with this method. I used my 33litre plastic boiler with an extra kettle element installed. Its a bit small to do full volume 23litre brew so I want to get something more suitable. From the calculator it looks to me like a 45 or 50litre vessel would be ideal. My boil off was much less than the calculator suggested. More like 2.5litres per hour(kinda damp here in Ireland). I see EoinMag has had similar experience. Anyway, 45...

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    Thanks PP, I was considering transferring the crappy plastic one over from my plastic boiler when I invest in the SS setup. You've given me something to think about . Ill be using plastic for a few more brews so I can mull over it in the meantime.
    
    Thanks
    
    L
    14 Replies
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    Last post by Lars
    13 years ago
20. UK Urn Recommendations

    11 Replies 16370 Views

    First post by eeyore, 14 years ago

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    Hi all, im looking in to buying an urn for doing a BIAB beer brew.
    Idealy I'm looking for a ready to go urn with a buget of around £100-150. Size wise i'm not 100% sure. Big is better but i'd rather have a unit that would last rather then one whice will blow up after 2 weeks :roll:
    
    Does anyone have any recomndations for places to buy or what model to look for?
    Cheers guys

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    I'm glad I could help. :smoke:
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    Last post by Beer O'Clock
    14 years ago
21. Thoughts on this for a boiler

    23 Replies 27224 Views

    First post by Telford QPR, 14 years ago

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    Hi
    
    Was wondering if anyone had used or have thoughts on the following as a boiler?
    
    Any feedback appreciated
    
    Kenny

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    Nice report Telford. Good on you :party:
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    14 years ago
22. Ebay urn....

    3 Replies 6202 Views

    First post by Irwazza, 14 years ago

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    Hey Guys.
    
    Is anyone using the following:
    
    Looks rather cheap and nasty, but you never know, MIGHT be ok.
    
    Regards
    Brenton

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    These pop up on AHB all the time. Run away.
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    Last post by stux
    14 years ago
23. Maintaining Mash Temp in an Electric Urn

    14 Replies 21114 Views

    First post by blair, 15 years ago

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    Hi All. Quick question, I have a Birko urn with a temperature dial and was wondering if I was able to set it at my strike temperature and leave it on through the mash? Or do I have to hit my strike temp then turn the urn off and cover up for the mash time? Correct me if Im wrong, but I don't see it being a problem to set and forget about the temperature.
    
    Cheers

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    Just the liquid.
    
    I imagine a bag sitting on top of something (cake rack/cooling rack) with the spigot underneath the bag pulling the wort form there and returning the wort to the top of the kettle. Kind of a HERMS without the Heat exchanger.
    
    Cheers,
    Jeff
    
    I hate to revitalize an old thread, but I had teh same exact idea. I already have a Chugger pump and was thinking of reciruclating from the very bottom (under the cake rack) into the center of the mash. All the while I would keep a very...
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    Last post by johnodon
    14 years ago
24. Concealed element or not?

    8 Replies 12657 Views

    First post by OnePotScreamer, 14 years ago

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    I'm preparing my shopping list for entry into the world of BIAB brewing.
    
    Looking at a 40 litre Crown... but unsure if I should go for the concealed element or not :scratch:
    
    These guys say concealed is best
    
    Is that because there's less damage to the element from viscous wort perhaps?
    
    My concern however is if the efficiency of the boil is reduced by the false base?
    
    Anyone tried both and got an opinion?
    
    Thanks.

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    Excellent. I'd already downloaded the K&E version.
    And to be honest your spreadsheets are so useful (especially to relative novices like me) i'll be sure to get the concealed element to keep things simple!
    
    Cheers
    
    OnePot
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    Last post by OnePotScreamer
    14 years ago
25. 30l Urn, first AG brew

    39 Replies 42614 Views

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    First post by Stefan, 14 years ago

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    Hi all,
    
    New to the forum, new to brewing, new to AG and new to BIAB! But hoping to make a success of it all :)
    
    I have been looking around for adequate kettles etc.. and it seems that my best option is a 2nd hand 30l urn that I have found in the classifieds. Will hopefully go pick it up in the next day or 2. I was going to wait a little longer to go AG but the urn at this price just seems too good to pass up!
    
    Anyways, been trying to read as much as possible but I still have a few questions...

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    The melanoidin doesn't need mashing either, just steeping in water. Just boil the water after removing the grain.
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    Last post by dick
    14 years ago