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Stove top brewing advice

Post #1 made 9 years ago
by Mertyn
Hi guys,

I'm looking to get in to BIAB and would like to brew on my stove top. I've been reading up a lot but i'm struggling to get an answer on what size pot is ideal.

I've seen this pot: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buckingham-Stai ... +litre+pot

I used the biabacus and it suggested I could get approx 8 litres of beer, this doesn't seem like a lot.

My questions are: Is 19 litres enough (if not what should I get?) is it possible for me to get approx 12litres out of a 19 litre pot? Can anyone advise a recipe that would be similar to Goose IPA?

Thanks!
Last edited by Mertyn on 19 Feb 2016, 05:30, edited 1 time in total.

Post #2 made 9 years ago
by flhb
Mertyn wrote:Hi guys,

I'm looking to get in to BIAB and would like to brew on my stove top. I've been reading up a lot but i'm struggling to get an answer on what size pot is ideal.

I've seen this pot: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buckingham-Stai ... +litre+pot

I used the biabacus and it suggested I could get approx 8 litres of beer, this doesn't seem like a lot.

My questions are: Is 19 litres enough (if not what should I get?) is it possible for me to get approx 12litres out of a 19 litre pot? Can anyone advise a recipe that would be similar to Goose IPA?

Thanks!
Yes and no. I use a 19 liter kettle to get 12 liters in the fermenter but it's a pretty tight fit and I often have to use a workaround. For example, if you brew a moderate to high OG beer you may not be able to do a full volume mash. You would need to hold some water back and add it after the mash - which isn't a terrible problem, but some people don't like to do that. Sometimes I will mash in a beverage cooler also - again, not a popular option but it works for me. The trick is making sure that your boil volume starts below about 17 liters and that's really your hard limit when using a 19 liter kettle. and 17 liters is pretty close to the top of the kettle and you need to watch it like a hawk to make sure it doesn't boil over. It's doable, just kinda annoying sometimes.
Last edited by flhb on 19 Feb 2016, 05:41, edited 1 time in total.
    • MVA Brewer From United States of America

Post #3 made 9 years ago
by Yeasty
Hi Mertyn

You have a few things to consider before deciding on a pot size. Taking into account cost which may be a limiting factor you want the biggest pot that will fit your circumstances, I use a 50L which I actually started on the stove with.I now brew with gas and outside.
The points to consider are your stove capacity, is it gas or electric. With a flat top ceramic ring electric hob its easier to straddle a couple of rings with a large pot. With gas its not so easy. Also steam :argh: and lots of it, assuming your stove can get you up to a good boil there will be lots and lots of steam so a good extract is a must.
Getting a good boil can be a problem if only using 1 burner/ring. There are things you can do like float a steel bowl on your wort to get it rolling.
The wife/girlfriend may also not be so keen, especially when they see the mess your going to make :roll: plus the aroma is not to every ones taste. It pays to have a partner who likes malty goodness and hops.

If your going to always brew indoors on the stove you might have to consider Maxi-Biab ( search for it) as a long term option. If you think you may move to outdoor/garage brewing on a gas burner then consider getting the biggest pot you can preferably around 50L which will give you an easy full 5g into fermenter.

:luck:

Yeasty
Why is everyone talking about "Cheese"
    • SVA Brewer With Over 50 Brews From Great Britain

Post #4 made 9 years ago
by Brew4me
Hi Mertyn,
Yeasty has some solid advice. I stove top brew and was a little quick with my first pot and ended up soon upgrading to another kettle. And you do need to take into account the steam - lots of steam depending on the size of the boil. I brew with a fan running and a window open, prior to that I successfully steamed up every window in the house. Didn't notice til the wife politely informed :blush:

Pete
    • SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America

Post #5 made 9 years ago
by Mertyn
Thanks for the feedback.

I'll try to answer as many of the points as possible.

Budget isn't tight, I think I'd be brewing on stovetop for the foreseeable. I've got a gas hob.

I've also got a wife so this needs to be considered :-D

I'm looking for something that isn't too strenuous and can be packed away hence focusing on reasonably sized pots for stove top brewing. Maxi-biab is basically adding water via a sparge?

Thanks
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