Advice on all grain equipment needed

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Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m about to venture into all grain brewing after a few succesful extract and mini-mash brews. I’m having a hard time deciding which way to go on equipment. I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort, but the largest pot I can use is about 30 quarts due to vertical clearance. Is this large enough for mashing and boiling 5 gallon batches? I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel.

I brew indoors using a 30qt pot, 10 gallon cooler (mash/lauter tun) and a 5 gallon cooler (to hold the sparge water). I really like having the cooler for the sparge water because I never have to worry about the timing. I just heat the water while I’m mashing and never think about it. I used to mash in the pot and used a double bucket lauter tun. So, I guess I can offer a few thoughts for you. Using the pot makes it MUCH easier to do multiple step mashes. I now always do single temperature mashes and this has hurt my efficiency slightly because I no longer mash out before sparging. Not a big deal. The pot is MUCH less convenient because it doesn’t hold temperature like the cooler does. That’s the real reason I switched. By not having to keep checking/adjusting the temperature, I probably get more consistent results and the mashing time becomes pretty much free. I can leave the house, do some work, etc without worries. Your real preference is probably going to end up being a personal choice. Now, the real problem with doing it indoors with a 30qt pot is the space. I collect almost 7 gallons of wort which makes the first 15 minutes of the boil very tense. I never leave the pot during this time and try to keep a fairly close eye on it during the boil. If I had the option (had a convenient patio, could brew outside year round, etc), I would choose to brew outdoors. It’s nicer and you don’t have to worry so much about cleaning up after yourself. When it’s not an option, I think it’s quite reasonable to do all grain with a 30qt pot inside. I don’t think that there is any real compelling reason to use a cooler setup vs. mashing in the pot. Cheers, Chris.

Response:

The turkey fryers I’ve seen all have aluminum pots, not SS. But that’s no reason to not use it… just be relatively gentle with it when cleaning it (i.e. no harsh abrasives or caustic cleaners). — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – posted in rec.crafts.brewing: A 30 quart pot will work. I just bought the Oklahoma Joe turkey fryer from Sam’s Club this afternoon. It’s got a 30 quart SS pot (and a bunch of other stuff, including a 165,000 BTU propane burner) for about $65. I can finally boil 5 gallons at once. Great investment. — [Apparent Rennerian 567.7, 95.9] Al – rukbat at optonline dot net

Response:

posted in rec.crafts.brewing: The turkey fryers I’ve seen all have aluminum pots, not SS. But that’s no reason to not use it… just be relatively gentle with it when cleaning it (i.e. no harsh abrasives or caustic cleaners).

The Oklahoma Joe is definitely SS. (No thicker than a stock pot, but thick enough for brewing.) That’s why I think it’s such a good buy. — [Apparent Rennerian 567.7, 95.9] Al – rukbat at optonline dot net

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – To heat water and boil the wort I use a ss keg with a 10 inch opening cut into the top and a ss 3/4 inch threaded nipple welded to a hole about 1 1/2 inches from the bottom. A ball valve on the nipple makes it easy to draw off manageable quantities of hot water for sparging and hot wort to be carried to the wort chiller. This 15 gallon vessel was less than $50 including the cost of the cutting and welding and is adequate for 10 gallon batches. All grain brewing knocks a pretty good hole in a Saturday. 10 gallon batches make sense to me because they take no more time than 5 gallon batches. The liquids are heated with an outdoor propane cooker which also cost $50. I mash and sparge in a 48 qt Coleman ice chest with a false bottom. I sometimes split the batch after chilling into two five gallon carboys and may dry hop one or try a different yeast in each. I share the reservations of those who warned against stovetop boiling. The quantity of liquid that must be boiled with all grain brewing is too much to set on most kitchen stoves. I usually start the boil with 12 gallons of hot wort and rarely get through it without at least one boil over.

A disadvantage of my brewing system is that step mashing in an unheated mash tun is awkward. But I think that the benefits of step mashing are over rated and not worth the trouble for most home brewers. I know of one home brewer who won the pilsner category at a large regional competition with a single stage mash.( He used a top fermenting yeast and cold lagered the stuff for 10 weeks. The AHA certified judges were unaware that they were tasting a lagered ale.)

Response:

I’m about to venture into all grain brewing after a few succesful extract and mini-mash brews. I’m having a hard time deciding which way to go on equipment. I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort, but the largest pot I can use is about 30 quarts due to vertical clearance. Is this large enough for mashing and boiling 5 gallon batches? I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel. Does anyone have information or opinions that might help me make up my mind?

Response:

Mashing yes, boiling it is almost too small. You could split the batch and boil however. You would be boiling 6.5-7 gallons, and the chance of a boilover is greater when doing AG IMO. I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup.

A false bottom can also be a copper coil, or something like a Zymico bazooka screen. A sparging arm is not necessary either. You can make a manifold of pvc, copper, etc and just let it flow gently to the top of the grain. You also could put a pie plate on top of the grainbed and let the flow go onto it. For a thermometer, a digital one from walmart will do the trick. A digital bimetal instant read is about $12. For spigots, look at the Zymico stuff. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel. Does anyone have information or opinions that might help me make up my mind?

Whatever works better in your home is the best way to go. Personally, I like to brew outside the home in the garage. No yelling about smells, spills, or boilovers. Cheers, Mike

Response:

posted in rec.crafts.brewing: A 30 quart pot will work.

I just bought the Oklahoma Joe turkey fryer from Sam’s Club this afternoon. It’s got a 30 quart SS pot (and a bunch of other stuff, including a 165,000 BTU propane burner) for about $65. I can finally boil 5 gallons at once. Great investment. — [Apparent Rennerian 567.7, 95.9] Al – rukbat at optonline dot net

Response:

Thanks to all who replied! Having the benefit of your experience is an incredibly valuable aid! I think I’m going to start with the 7.5 gallon s.s. brewpot, using the reduced sparge/increased grist method. And I’ll save a few dollars on parts thanks to the advice offered. It’s great to know that it can work, and you’ve pointed out some of the details, pluses and minuses I hadn’t thought about. My wife is a hophead too, so she enjoys the aroma of a brew in process as much as I. We live in the Atlanta area, so opening the windows is seldom a problem, and in the winter time, the extra humidity in the house might actually be a positive aspect. Can’t depend on her help cleaning up after a boilover, though. Where she went to school, they taught "you made the mess, you clean it up". Some day I will probably graduate to the outdoor propane cooker method, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for the 30 quart pot when that happens. Right now it’s important for me to be able to do it indoors. We’re under long standing, apparently semi-permanent outdoor water use restrictions in North Georgia, and a $200 fine for running water from my wort chiller down the driveway would push the cost of my homebrew up pretty high. A week off from work recovering from a back strain caused by carrying the hot wort upstairs to chill would hurt a bit too. My fourth brew, a mini-mash Duvel clone ala "Clone Brews" by Tess and Mark Szamatulski, is cold-conditioning now. Of the first three batches, I have two bottles left. I’m just a beginner, but damn, this homebrew is good stuff! The people I’ve shared it with agree. One lady asked me if I brewed it in the bathtub. She had some previous experience with homebrew that had a Dial soap overtone and a Head And Shoulders finish. She was impressed. We’ve come a long way! Thanks! Don – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m about to venture into all grain brewing after a few succesful extract and mini-mash brews. I’m having a hard time deciding which way to go on equipment. I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort, but the largest pot I can use is about 30 quarts due to vertical clearance. Is this large enough for mashing and boiling 5 gallon batches? I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel. Does anyone have information or opinions that might help me make up my mind?

Response:

A 30 quart pot will work. As others have mentioned, there is some potential for boilover; there are a few things you can do to mitigate this, though: – If you’re willing to take a small hit on extraction efficiency, you can simply collect less runoff, and top up the kettle with plain water after the first few minutes of boiling. Since the risk of boilover is highest as the wort just starts boiling — and subsides significantly thereafter — this will greatly reduce your risk of boilover. – Run the last 1-2 gallons into your 5 gallon pot, and bring that to a boil separately. After both pots are boiling, you can combine the wort in the large pot. As an added plus, this will cut time off of your brew session, since you will get a head start on heating most of the wort, while the sparge is still in progress. – Line your stovetop with aluminum foil when you brew. Doesn’t actually reduce the risk of boilover, but makes cleanup a lot easier, if you have a minor one. (If you have a major boilover, nothing is gonna help, you’re screwed…) In any case, don’t leave the pot unattended when it is close to boiling. Once the boil has started, and the foam subsides, you can safely leave the room, returning periodically for the hop additions. To help with the moisture issue when brewing indoors, run the kitchen exhaust fan if you have one. If you don’t have an exhaust fan, crack a couple of windows open to get some cross-ventilation (winter), or turn off the A/C and open all the windows wide (summer). You only *really* need one 30 qt pot. If you build your lauter tun into a bucket, you can use the same pot for mashing and boiling — i.e., mash in the pot, transfer to the lauter tun, sparge back into the pot. — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m about to venture into all grain brewing after a few succesful extract and mini-mash brews. I’m having a hard time deciding which way to go on equipment. I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort, but the largest pot I can use is about 30 quarts due to vertical clearance. Is this large enough for mashing and boiling 5 gallon batches? I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel. Does anyone have information or opinions that might help me make up my mind?

Response:

I brew 5 gallon all-grain batches in a 10 gallon pot, and I still get the occasional boil-over. I start with about 6.5 gallons before the boil– I lose 1 gallon in the boil, and leave 1/2 gallon behind when transferring to the primary. I feel that a 10 gallon pot is preferred for doing a 5 gallon batch full boil. Buy a cheap ($70) Campchef propane cooker and boil your wort outside, or in the garage with the door open. I use it to boil up 10 gallons of tap water the nite before for the brew– it can take this to a boil in about 20 minutes. The wort can be brought to a boil even faster. It just isn’t worth the extra time and possible clean-up by doing it on the stove. I found I could do all-grain in less time than partial mash and extract brews, once I got the cooker. Clark

Response:

I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort,

You may be able to easily boil 5-6 gallons on the stove but my experience indicates that you won’t *want* to… for long: 1. When (not if) your first boil-over happens, cleaning up the stove and kitchen is going to be a major pain (even if you live alone . If it happens outside on your propane burner, it’s an easy garden hose cleanup. 2. You don’t say where you live but if you’re in a winter climate with your house sealed up, evaporating a gallon of water or so is going to be a problem. When I did it, every window and every wall of the house was covered with moisture. Been there, done that. I brew out-doors, thank you. Tony V. http://www.world.std.com/~verhulst/RIMS/rims.htm

Response:

One of the concerns with the 7.5 gallon pot is that to hit typical efficiencies with all-grain, you’ll end up with about 7 gallons of wort. You can decrease that by increasing your grain bill and stopping the sparge sooner. Thus stopping around 6 gallon which will be a lot easier to handle in a 7.5 gallon pot. Remember that there’s nothing special about 5 gallon batches with all grain. You can make 4 gallon or 4.375 or whatever! 5 gallon with extract is key as many come already put together for 5 gallons. Mike’s right about the boil-over potential being worse with all-grain. Go for it! Burp, -Dan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mashing yes, boiling it is almost too small. You could split the batch and boil however. You would be boiling 6.5-7 gallons, and the chance of a boilover is greater when doing AG IMO.

Response:

Let me second this…the impact of brewing on my kitchen and family was too great: 5-6 hours of work plus cleanup tried the patience of my kids and SWMBO. As Tony says, cleaning boilovers is a major PITA. Then you also have setup time and cleanup time like scrubbing counters and floors adding to the overall headache. I build a nano-brewery in a corner of my garage and thats where I brew now.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I can brew indoors, since I have a high-output burner on my stove that will easily boil 5-6 gallons of wort, You may be able to easily boil 5-6 gallons on the stove but my experience indicates that you won’t *want* to… for long: 1. When (not if) your first boil-over happens, cleaning up the stove and kitchen is going to be a major pain (even if you live alone . If it happens outside on your propane burner, it’s an easy garden hose cleanup. 2. You don’t say where you live but if you’re in a winter climate with your house sealed up, evaporating a gallon of water or so is going to be a problem. When I did it, every window and every wall of the house was covered with moisture. Been there, done that. I brew out-doors, thank you. Tony V. http://www.world.std.com/~verhulst/RIMS/rims.htm

Response:

Should be fine. I thought about using a dual 10-gallon RubberMaid water jug setup, one for mashing and the other for holding and distributing the sparge water. But if 30 quarts is big enough for the mash tun and boiling pot, I think I might be happier going the stainless steel route. I already have 5 and 2 gallon s.s. pots for heating sparge water, so I would just need to buy two 30 quart pots and some additional hardware like a false bottom, sparging arm, thermometers, spigots, tubing and fittings. I will need a wort chiller with either setup. I figure about US $50 more than the RubberMaid route will get me started with stainless steel.

It depends how you plan on mashing. If you’re planning on direct fired step mashes, then you will need a mash tun that can be heated on the stove. IMO, this is a major pain because you need to stir constantly during boosts and you can easily scortch things. I think you’d be better off with an insulated cooler of some sort, and do single or upward infusion mashes. You could use 2 Rubbermaid/Gott water jugs, but they are more expensive than a simple picnic cooler. At most, I would just use one for mashing and a standard picnic cooler as the HLT. Or, you could try batch sparging which futher reduces your equipment requirements and is simpler to perform. Another benefit of batch sparging is that the lauter tun design is of little importance, so you can use a rectangular cooler with just about any type of false bottom or manifold and get the same results.

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