Pot size for BIAB

[Patrick]

Hi everyone, I have been lurking for a while on this site so I though I'd better create an account and get posting!

I returned fairly recently from 4 years living in the UK, doing a lot of travelling around the UK and Europe and drinking lots of different beers and I am now trying to get set up for home brewing. Money is tight so I am gradually getting the equipment together for BIAB. I have a 41L aluminuim pot and I am wondering if I will be able to do 23L batches without over-filling the pot. How do I work out how much water to use at the start, and is there a formula for how much water the grain displaces?

Also, I am looking for copper pipe on Trademe and I have seen some 15m rolls of 12.7mmOD pipe, is this a good size for an immersion chiller?

For the thermometer, should I go for a digital one or just one of those long metal ones that are used in the food industry?

Finally, what is the cheapest way to get a fermenter? Can I just get a 30L food-safe bucket with a lid and add my own airlock etc? Or will it not work out much cheaper than buying one that already has all the accesories?

I already have 3 dozen swappa crate bottles so I will be looking for a capper soon as well.

Sorry for all the questions - hopefully I will eventually learn enough to srart helping other learners like me!

Cheers
Patrick

[JackoNZ]

Welcom dude! 41L should be fine, I use a 37L one and knock out 20L batches. It will be pretty full but that helps maintain the mash temp anyway so all good.

Do you have any brew software? Beersmith and similar can work out the water required, or post a recipe and most people here will put it in to there software and let you know.

I started with glass thermometer but now have a little digital one, it's more accurate and looks cooler!

Don't see a problem with making your own fermenter out of a bucket. The fermenters these days are exactly that anyway. Think you're looking at around $50 for a fermenter with tap, airlock etc..

Good luck with the brewing. Where bouts are you in nz?

[Patrick]

Thanks.

I am in Auckland.

Do I need to add a tap to my pot? Or can I just tip or siphon the wort into the fermenter?

Also, if anyone has a good recipe for something summery-tasting, quaffable, and forgiving for the amateur brewer, I would appreciate it!

[JackoNZ]

Some people put a tap in and I can see the advantage. I haven't done that and just siphon the wort into the fermenter. I'm sure you'll find some great recipes on the site. "What are you brewing" is a good post for recipes and also under the groups tab, the "case swap" group has many recipes.

[Reviled]

Welcome Patrick :o)

I constantly pump out 23 litre batches with my 30 litre pot, allthough I do have to add a sparge step to help get the volumes up... You could probably even at a push do double batches with a 41L.

As a general rule, for standard BIAB practice ie, no sparge, you want about 4 litres per kilo of grain, so if youre using 5kg you want at least 20litres of water in the pot, with a high Liquor to grist ratio you should be fine to mash in at about 2 degrees above your mash temp, and it should settle perfectly...

Also the grain will absorb around 0.5 to 0.75 L of water per kilo, so this needs to be taken into account for your final volume calcs...

If youre going to be chilling, you dont need a tap on your kettle, but it will make things easier for you... I dont have one on mine, and just wait till the worts chilled, then dump all the contents into the kettle, allthough its damn heavy and sometimes I struggle by myself...

Id suggest getting both a digital and glass (alcohol) thermometer so that you can calibrate your digital one, and its allways going to be there if/when the digital one gives up on you...

And with the fermenter theres nothing wrong with a bucket or jerry can, I actually use a jerry can as a fermenter for my lagers and I havnt even put an airlock on it, just vent the cap, they are $20 from payless plastic and come with a tap..

Hope this is helpfull! Where abouts in Auckland are ya?

[Matthew]

Nice. I've been wondering about the volume you lose due to the grain soaking up the liquid. That's going to help heaps as I always came up short.

[Nick T]

Hey Patrick, the 15m length of 12.7mm copper tubing you see on TM is the one to get. It is soft copper and is easier to bend that normal copper pipe. Retail is about $140ish, but there is a fellow selling them regularly for about half that, see this post. There are a number of youtube clips on how to make them if you hunt around. Having said that, some people here have found it almost as cheap (and a lot less hassle!) to get a ready made one.

[Nick T]

Yep, he's the one, if you look on the post that I linked above you will find his email address so you can contact him directly.

[RopenutS]

Whats up people. I wanna start doin BIAB pretty soon. Ive been wondering what would be better for it. I can either go for one of those 47 litre pots of trademe for like 80 bucks and then get a 3 ring burner for another 80 or so.. or just go hardout and order in one of those 40 litre urns off craftbrewer. Is there advantages, disadvantages to each? obviously the urn costs quite a bit more but im not too concerned. I'll just borrow some money of the missus haha

[Reviled]

If it were me id go for the 47 litre pot and the ability to do double batches, the urns are nice, but youre forever restricted to the size of it...

[RopenutS]

Cheers dude. I know those pots are probly pretty shit but the price is right. Those urns look choice tho. So do you ask for swiss voil or whatever its called? Is that the stuff?

[Reviled]

Who cares if its a shitty thin pot, mine is pretty thin and ive done close to 60 brews in it, so its all good in my books!

And yep, swiss voile at spotlight, its a curtain material...

[Patrick]

Cool, I think I will use a jerry can, sounds like a good cheap option. You can make an airlock by just running a length of hose down into a container of pre-boiled water can't you? Like a 600ml coke bottle or something? Leaving a gap for the air to escape the bottle. Do you bottle from the tap on the jerry can?

As for a burner, are those 3 ring cast iron ones at bunnings OK? I think they are about $70 but might get a discount thru the in-laws trade account.