My title is a bit misleading because I haven't actually purchased my kettle yet but I'm excited to get to work.
I used "The Calculator" to mock up a Sierra Nevada Porter clone that I've been looking at doing as my first BIAB batch which has a grain bill of around 11 lbs.
(recipe here: http://beerrecipes.org/showrecipe.php?recipeid=381)
When I plug in the (original un-scaled) numbers looking for a 19lts Batch (roughly 5 gals) it says I will need 35.55 lts of water. By the time I add the grain bag will this fairly modest brew (1.058 OG) fit in a 10 gal kettle? What does this mean for future brews? I like to do the occasional Double IPA or Imperial Stout. According to these calculations there's no way those will fit in a 10Gal kettle.
I'd prefer to buy one good kettle now and not have pot-envy in the future. Should I just buy the 15gal instead? It just sounds way too big in my head.
I guess as of tonight I'm leaning towards the 15 and just want some validation that I'm correct in thinking that the 10 will be limiting. Is there any real downside to the larger pot?
Thank you for your patience with the noob. I've read the "What are the pros & cons of varying kettle sizes?" and the various questions that have been asked but those don't seem to be quite answering this exact question.
Post #2 made 14 years ago
I use a 50L (ie 13 Gal), and that is great for doing single batches, even large ones.TopRowSeat wrote:My title is a bit misleading because I haven't actually purchased my kettle yet but I'm excited to get to work.
I used "The Calculator" to mock up a Sierra Nevada Porter clone that I've been looking at doing as my first BIAB batch which has a grain bill of around 11 lbs.
(recipe here: http://beerrecipes.org/showrecipe.php?recipeid=381" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
When I plug in the (original un-scaled) numbers looking for a 19lts Batch (roughly 5 gals) it says I will need 35.55 lts of water. By the time I add the grain bag will this fairly modest brew (1.058 OG) fit in a 10 gal kettle? What does this mean for future brews? I like to do the occasional Double IPA or Imperial Stout. According to these calculations there's no way those will fit in a 10Gal kettle.
I'd prefer to buy one good kettle now and not have pot-envy in the future. Should I just buy the 15gal instead? It just sounds way too big in my head.
I guess as of tonight I'm leaning towards the 15 and just want some validation that I'm correct in thinking that the 10 will be limiting. Is there any real downside to the larger pot?
Thank you for your patience with the noob. I've read the "What are the pros & cons of varying kettle sizes?" and the various questions that have been asked but those don't seem to be quite answering this exact question.
If you wanted to do double batches in the future I would consider 17-20 Gal kettle, but you can do a double batch in the 13/15 Gal kettle, you just need to use a few tricks to make the brew fit.
But the Single batch (5Gal in fermenter) should be more than comfortable in the 15Gal pot
A 40L pot, which is a 10.5 Gal should be okay for most single batches, perhaps one of the other 40L brewers around can help out there
But basically, you can hold back some water from the mash and add it back after you remove the grain bag. This is how you can BIAB a brew which says you need 50L of total mash volume when you only have a 40L pot.
The true limit is you can't have any more wort at end of boil than you can fit in your pot at end of boil
The other limit is the stiffer your mash is the lower your efficiency
Last edited by stux on 21 Jul 2011, 16:36, edited 5 times in total.
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
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 #3 made 14 years ago
Thank you for your answer. This goes along well with what I was thinking. Most of the guidance here is to the 13 Gal for the majority of brewers. Since the options I'm looking at come in 10/15/20 gallon sizes then it seems that the 15 is the most likely choice for me and should keep me happy for the vast majority of my brews and be perfectly usable (with some process mods) when I want to do a big beer.stux wrote:....but the Single batch (5Gal in fermenter) should be more than comfortable in the 15Gal pot
A 40L pot, which is a 10.5 Gal should be okay for most single batches, perhaps one of the other 40L brewers around can help out there
But basically, you can hold back some water from the mash and add it back after you remove the grain bag. This is how you can BIAB a brew which says you need 50L of total mash volume when you only have a 40L pot.
The true limit is you can't have any more wort at end of boil than you can fit in your pot at end of boil
The other limit is the stiffer your mash is the lower your efficiency
I would be curious to see what the 40L BIAB brewers think. Would you guys go with the 60L if you had the choice or is the 40 perfectly fine?
I have permission from the wife to spend money so I want to get it right the first time. I may not get another opportunity to buy a kettle again soon.
Last edited by TopRowSeat on 21 Jul 2011, 20:52, edited 5 times in total.
Post #4 made 14 years ago
If even remotely think you might out-grow the 10gal pot in the future, and you have permission 
to spend the money, they I would recommend buying the 15gal kettle now. I think prices between different kettle sizes are reasonably comparible so you might as well pay a little more now and not regret it later down the road and end up buying the bigger kettle in the end.
to spend the money, they I would recommend buying the 15gal kettle now. I think prices between different kettle sizes are reasonably comparible so you might as well pay a little more now and not regret it later down the road and end up buying the bigger kettle in the end.