Big Biab

[QldKev]

Last week I got my new 140L pot. Talking to ekul, we decided it's time to do a 100L BIAB.

Brew sheet was a fairly simple mid IPA known as 'MIDIPA'
12kg Pale
6kg Munich II
0.5kg Crystal Pale

125g POR @ 40min
125g Cascade @ 10
125g Cascade @ 0
125g Cascade @ Dry

People talk of reduced efficiency in large batches, so we put 75% into Beersmith. Not that I was chasing big efficiency; Im more worried about a good beer.

First up we had to measure out the pot, in 10L increments.



The new pot with little bro next to it.



To reduce stress on the bag, we use two next to each other.



Lifting out the first bag



Mongolian burner running pretty hard to get it up to the boil, notice a few jets glowing red.



more to come...

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Hi, QldKev,

Where did you buy the pot and for how much? Is it SS or Aluminium?

Ta

Chris

 

[QldKev]

Another pic of the burner, notice the white flame centres


First hops addition measured.



One of the late hop additions



Flame out hops added


Not long after


Pic does not do this justice, 375g of hops from the brew pot.





Overall we found,
The dual bag system worked a treat.
We only used a cold water sparge / aka hose sparge, which worked a treat.
Next time for sparging we are going to dump the bags into my 82L pot and sparge into it.
Expected gravity was 1.043, we hit 1.046 so pretty close.
The 20jet Mongolian even with a 0-207kPa LPG reg, was the minimum to do the job. (I have 2 Nasa burners on order)
Overall the brew day was easier than expected. With ekul thinking he is going to try the same size by himself; using the seperate pot for sparging.

4 x 25L cubes dumped into the pool for cooling



QldKev

 

[QldKev]

Hi, QldKev,

Where did you buy the pot and for how much? Is it SS or Aluminium?

Ta

Chris

The pot is a Ali, but a decent commercial quality.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...em=220720958660
$158 + $53 postage.

I didn't want one of those cheap S/S jobs that rust and dent easily, but didn't also want to spend the $ a decent S/S costs. For a pot I will use once a month Ali rocks; it is also a better heat conductor and a lot lighter to carry.

QldKev

 

[mkstalen]

4 x 25L cubes dumped into the pool for cooling

That's the first time I've heard of that cooling method and it's a brilliant idea. I wonder how many people are doing this..

 

[QldKev]

That's the first time I've heard of that cooling method and it's a brilliant idea. I wonder how many people are doing this..

Not sure of many people doing it, I call it slow-chill. II used to drop the cubes into a couple of large pots, but the pool is easier as the pots would warm up and need water changes. It helps get the temperature under that critical 80c as quick as we can.

I've even though of having cooling pipes in through the cube lids. So cube up hot and then circulate water through the cooling pipes. Even as they are in the pool, have a small pump I throw in the pool with them and pump the water through, I could daisy chain them together. Only reason I have not tried this is I'm worried its more bits to harbour infections.

QldKev

 

[Nick JD]

I pump mine through an old Land Rover radiator with a fan blowing on it.

 

[Malted]

I pump mine through an old Land Rover radiator with a fan blowing on it.

Are you for real or am I the spinner? ('Come in spinner').
It actually sounds feasible but would be a bugger to plumb, clean and sterilise?

 

[Fents]

exactly how we started cooling our beer at kooinda when the brewery was in the Rosanna backyard (minus the cubes obv). Hose into pool ---> pump --> heat exchanger ---> hot water back into pool.

people would freak out when they saw it, just one big water tank though innit.

and nice work on the batch size kev!

 

[QldKev]

exactly how we started cooling our beer at kooinda when the brewery was in the Rosanna backyard (minus the cubes obv). Hose into pool ---> pump --> heat exchanger ---> hot water back into pool.
Same setup as Bundy sugar uses at the mills except they have large ponds; the water does not come into contact with the product so no problems. Except the ponds warm up and grow some smelly stuff!


people would freak out when they saw it, just one big water tank though innit.

and nice work on the batch size kev!

Thanks, I was out of supply in cubes, and now I don\'t need to brew for at least another month, too easy. I may even look at knocking out a single here and there for experiment brews.

QldKev

 

[~MikE]

I pump mine through an old Land Rover radiator with a fan blowing on it.

Are you for real or am I the spinner? ('Come in spinner').
It actually sounds feasible but would be a bugger to plumb, clean and sterilise?

nah, nothing serious... what do you know about lead?

actually it could be feasible, anyone stupid enough to use one would probably be unaffected by lead poisining.

 

[Maheel]

I pump mine through an old Land Rover radiator with a fan blowing on it.

i often look at old air con cooling / condensor units and think the same thing...

cleaning out the re-frig stuff would be the issue and some are now ally not copper as well.

any thoughts on the idea ?

 

[Nick JD]

Nah - I was just joking (needed to use more smiles face things) about the radiator.

Water is much better at robbing heat from something than air - although an all-aluminium radiator with a fan on it might work. But it'd cost the same as a proper heat exchanger probably and take five times as long.

 

[gregs]

Hey Kev how did Luke take it when you nuded up for the brewing? Did it scare him or is the big pot too high to sweat into?

 

[ekul]

Kev told me that the sweat is calculated as part of the salt addition. 20 drops a batch

 

[_HOME_BREW_WALLACE_]

The 20jet Mongolian even with a 0-207kPa LPG reg, was the minimum to do the job. (I have 2 Nasa burners on order)

How long did it take to get on to the boil with the mongolian??? and..... when the nasas arrive, how quick do you expect the time to get to boil to be?

 

[QldKev]

How long did it take to get on to the boil with the mongolian??? and..... when the nasas arrive, how quick do you expect the time to get to boil to be?

I don't have an exact time, but 30-40mins to get there. Then it was still working hard to hold it on a decent boil. With the 2 nasas under it I am hoping to halve the time. Even been thinking there could be enough space to fit the mongolian and both nasas under the pot. Now that would be some serious heat :lol:

QldKev

 

[manticle]

1 Nasa underneath and one immersion element over the side might be an option.

 

[QldKev]

1 Nasa underneath and one immersion element over the side might be an option.

Where's the fun in that; how about 2 nasa + mongolian + immersion element

100L to the boil in 5mins B)

QldKev

 

[gregs]

Kev told me that the sweat is calculated as part of the salt addition. 20 drops a batch

Kev sweats pure beer thats why his efficiencies are always up that little bit.