200L build (call me MrGreedy!)

Post #1 made 3 years ago
I’m planning a new brewery after starting with a Grainfather, which I’ve outgrown.
I have a lot of thirsty friends and like the idea of BIAB since it’s sounds like it would be a lot less hastle and time than a 3 vessel system or larger all in one system.
So I’m thinking of a 100L BIAB build using induction hobs!

I'll be brewing undercover outside. In an area I'm having wired by an electrition next week.

The build itself will be a 200L kettle with analogue temp gauge and tap, probably from BrewBuilder.co.uk which I plan on insulating.

Heat will be provided by 2x 3000kw Buffalo Induction hobs. I like the idea of induction for efficiency, easy temp control for mashing and easy cleaning of the kettle afterwards.

I have a an electric hoist for the grainbasket (also from BB).

I plan on doing full volume mashing with no sparge, so I predict I'll be boiling 100L of liquid in the 200L pot.

I’ll be going the no chill route.

Fermenting will be done in fridges. I have purchased a 60L Allrounder and plan on getting another one soon.

I may get a pump later to make filling the fermenters easier.

Is this a white elephant? Should I just buy a 65L Brewzilla?

Im concerned that the 6kw will not boil the water fast enough, but I could get a 3rd hob if it was too slow.

I guess my biggest concern is that there is something about the BIAB process that I haven’t considered or something that will cause me problems at this size?

Thanks, Dunc
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Re: 200L build (call me MrGreedy!)

Post #2 made 3 years ago
@kush1960 That's over 220 lbs/99.8Kg based on the weight of 100L of water. My first concern would be whether your hob could support the weight of the kettle when it's full, spreading across 2 would help but the larger 240v models I've come across are about 41cm wide. Not sure how large your 2BBL system is but the Speidel is 90cm and I'm guessing yours would be roughly the same. That would give you a few cm to build a wood frame surround to help support everything.

I'm very interested to see this setup. I know there has to be someone who's sewn a bag big enough to fit something like this out there. If you're brave enough this thread https://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=2052 has the details on making your own, though I don't know what kind of stitching you'd need to hold that kind of weight. If you'd rather pickup your own I've ordered from this site: https://biabbags.webs.com. The owner is a member of another homebrewing forum called Homebrewtalk and has tested his bags up to 285lbs/129 kilos. You can see the picture here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/14 ... 965/page-2, in post #45. He said this customer was using a 3BBL system so 2BBL should be no problem.
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Re: 200L build (call me MrGreedy!)

Post #3 made 3 years ago
@Am33106 Yes it going to be heavy! These are the hobs I'm planning on using: 2x https://www.nisbets.co.uk/buffalo-induction-hob/ce208
And this is the pot https://www.brewbuilder.co.uk/mk2-high- ... w-pot.html

I think it's 60cm diameter. The hobs are 33cm wide, so they should fit side by side with a slight overhang. I may need to build a frame behind the hobs to support it across the other axis.

I'm having a custom grain basket made for the pot, hopefully that will enable me to maintain a consistent mash temp by keeping a hob on low. Although without the ability to recirculate I'm not sure if that's a good idea? The basket will have dead space below to prevent scorching.

The beauty of the basket is that I can also use it as a giant hop spider for the boil. This will allow me to remove the hops before sealing the unit for chilling overnight.

Thanks for the post links.... some of those systems look huge! Glad to know I'm not alone in making a huge BIAB system.

One thing that was keeping me up last night was thinking about packaging all this beer..... It's going to be expensive in cornies or need a lot of patience bottling. Maybe packaging will be my biggest headache. :?
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Re: 200L build (call me MrGreedy!)

Post #4 made 3 years ago
If you had the room you could look into some commercial half barrel kegs, not sure of availability outside the U.S. but we have an online retailer, MoreBeer, selling Torpedo brand ball lock versions in this size. Otherwise you'd need to grab some type D couplers.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America

Re: 200L build (call me MrGreedy!)

Post #7 made 3 years ago
Really interesting build!

I think you'd have to match the volume you're producing to the packaging size, 500mL bottles wouldn't be practical I think!
I'm also thinking about the effectiveness of the induction hobs versus an immersion element, agree your route has painful cleanup - does the kettle need to have a thick base or similar to ensure the induction works well?
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