Has anyone used a T500 Still? They seem to be Brewers Choice's.. choice for an electric urn / kettle. I've also seen that a lot of people use the Crown 40L. Both the T500 and Crown have enclosed elements but the T500 has no handles, no external water level gauge and holds only 27L.
I'm after any information people have on whether the T500 is a viable BIAB option and what would be better than it and why.
Post #2 made 11 years ago
I had never heard of one until I just Googled it 
Are you interested because you already have one, or are you looking to buy?
A potential problem would be if the fractionating column is attached to the lid.
During a mash you want to be able to wrap the whole thing up to stop heat loss. I just don't know what that would be like to work around.
27L is quite small as well, and you would only be able to do small volumes with that. i.e. you will soon grow out of it.
I have a 40L Buffalo boiler and still want a kettle at least twice that volume.
Are you interested because you already have one, or are you looking to buy?
A potential problem would be if the fractionating column is attached to the lid.
During a mash you want to be able to wrap the whole thing up to stop heat loss. I just don't know what that would be like to work around.
27L is quite small as well, and you would only be able to do small volumes with that. i.e. you will soon grow out of it.
I have a 40L Buffalo boiler and still want a kettle at least twice that volume.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
T500 (Turbo 500) Still for BIAB - Opinions & Comparisons
Post #3 made 11 years ago
I haven't bought anything yet and just some opinions before I buy. The T500 has a removable still top part. Size isn't as big a deal. I'm only ever wanting to do ~20L batches with around 18L bottled.
Post #4 made 11 years ago
If you download and play with the BIABacus you can see what effects pot sizes have on what is realistically achievable.
I have just created a 27L vessel, set the O.G. to 1.050 and the largest VIF (volume into fermenter) you can get with that is 15.5L, so not too far off what you want. You could get more with full volume variation techniques (Maxi-BIAB) etc. but just be aware you are right on the edge.
If you wanted to go higher gravity (say 1.080) then your VIF drops to around 13L.
I don't want to sound like I am trying to put you off that vessel, just making you aware of what the pros/cons are before you buy.
It would be a shame if within a year you started to think how restrictive it was, and if you had known beforehand..... etc. etc.
I have just created a 27L vessel, set the O.G. to 1.050 and the largest VIF (volume into fermenter) you can get with that is 15.5L, so not too far off what you want. You could get more with full volume variation techniques (Maxi-BIAB) etc. but just be aware you are right on the edge.
If you wanted to go higher gravity (say 1.080) then your VIF drops to around 13L.
I don't want to sound like I am trying to put you off that vessel, just making you aware of what the pros/cons are before you buy.
It would be a shame if within a year you started to think how restrictive it was, and if you had known beforehand..... etc. etc.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
T500 (Turbo 500) Still for BIAB - Opinions & Comparisons
Post #5 made 11 years ago
Thanks so much mally for your response. Much appreciated mate. I'll take all you've said on board when choosing my first kettle.
Do you have a link to the BIABacus? The only links I've found were for an old calculator.
If I do grab the 27L one I'll put up my experience with it.
Do you have a link to the BIABacus? The only links I've found were for an old calculator.
If I do grab the 27L one I'll put up my experience with it.
Post #6 made 11 years ago
No Problem brouwer.
The Biabacus can be a little tricky to find until the site is re-structured.
There are actually 2 available, one is a pre-release PR1.3K and can be found here.
The second is a "less" official version PR1.3T and can be found here.
You should be OK with either of them, but I think there were some calculation changes in the newer version. (citation required).
Just be careful where you post them as it is a good idea not to have them distributed throughout the site randomly.
If you are unsure where to post just check with one of the moderators.
The Biabacus can be a little tricky to find until the site is re-structured.
There are actually 2 available, one is a pre-release PR1.3K and can be found here.
The second is a "less" official version PR1.3T and can be found here.
You should be OK with either of them, but I think there were some calculation changes in the newer version.
(citation required).Just be careful where you post them as it is a good idea not to have them distributed throughout the site randomly.
If you are unsure where to post just check with one of the moderators.
Last edited by mally on 02 Aug 2014, 15:43, edited 1 time in total.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
