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BIAB Electric boil kettle/ primary fermenter all in one?

Post #1 made 14 years ago
by odi3
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 secondary or serving keg.

Megapots seem to have a nice lip that the blichmann type seal would work well on.

My thoughts are that the primary would definately be sterilized due to being boiled. There would be no transferring. Brew time would be minimized. and minimal equipment to clean.

You could even have the pot sitting on a refrigeration coils from a mini fridge and insulate for temperature controlling and reliatively fast cooling?


Any thoughts?
Check out my 15 Gallon eBIAB here:
http://www.londonbrewers.ca/blog

Post #2 made 14 years ago
by hashie
I think it's doable, but I wouldn't personally do it.

I think if you had a stainless conical fermenter, you could use it as a mash tun and fermenting vessel. Because you could then dump the crap from the bottom (break, trub and hop matter). Where as, a normal pot has a flat bottom and gives no opportunity to remove these materials before or during the ferment.

So doable but I wouldn't recommend it :)
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #3 made 14 years ago
by joshua
Good Day, I think after the boil, No-Chill in the Kettle. Cover with the air lock. Next day pitch the yaest. Cover with the air lock. A week later drain the kettle into a secondary, and Hope the trub and yeast settle. Truly a single vessel brewing system. Or leave it in the Kettle for a month or more, then bottle/keg. Don't know if it will taste good, But you won't know until you try a batch. Good Luck
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #4 made 14 years ago
by joshua
Hashie, Has anyone installed a 5500watt heater into a conical Fermenter??? You may have a great idea.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #5 made 14 years ago
by odi3
I tend to find removing trub before primary fermentation to be a pain in the ass and end up removing too much liquid anyway.

I like to brew once a week on Sundays, i figure i can just transfer to secondary before brewing every week. Maybe install a rotatable drain tube much like are in conical fermenters.

The problem with conicals is that you can only brew once a month or how ever long you leave the liquid in the fermenter for. Also they are a bitch to cool unless u have a large fridge to put the unit in or a cold storage room, or cool basement
Check out my 15 Gallon eBIAB here:
http://www.londonbrewers.ca/blog

Post #6 made 14 years ago
by hashie
Not that I'm aware of Joshua, but considering the OP, using an over the side electric element or heat stick should work fine.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #7 made 14 years ago
by odi3
What do you think of using the compressor and cooling plate from a mini fridge to make a custom box to temperature control the pot in while it is primary fermenting?

Im thinking since i am working with 10 gallons, the weight of the pot will prevent me from easily lifting the pot into and out of a fridge, Also, since i am boiling, the pot touching the radiator cooling plate when it is that hot might damage it.

maybe i can temperature control the pot using some sort of immersion wort chiller type apparatus?
Any ideas?
Check out my 15 Gallon eBIAB here:
http://www.londonbrewers.ca/blog

Post #8 made 14 years ago
by joshua
Good Day, I wonder about the Mini-Fridge, 10 gallons of beer does weigh around 86 pounds, and to change the temperatatue 1F needs 86 Btu. When beer goes to full Kruasen(maxi-fermentation) I have measured up to 2F per hour incease. So you may need almost 200Btu cooling to hold a good Temp. My mini-fridge could not cool 70F water at 200 btu. For folks not in America, 1 btu is needed to warm/cool 1 pound of water, 1F.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #10 made 14 years ago
by joshua
Good Day Odi3, If you make an ale, room temperatures work fine.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #11 made 14 years ago
by stux
Turn your apartment into a cool room with an air con ;)
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #14 made 14 years ago
by thughes
Lylo wrote:Miss your wife's birthday and all rooms are cold!
Learn that the hard way, did we? :whistle:
Last edited by thughes on 09 Dec 2011, 10:35, edited 4 times in total.
WWBBD?
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America
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