3V System new HLT and Kettle size advice please

[Jaded and Bitter]

So I've been working on my new ultimate brewery this year.

Got a motorised grain mill with 10kg hopper and 36L Cosmoplast Mash tun done.

Currently using 2 x big W 19L Pots for combined HLT and Kettles, which sucks.

I do 30 Litre batches, but 50L Kegs are seeming like a better idea everyday, so 30-55L batches will be required.

I used to have 19L cornies which were too small (as soon as I tapped one the beer ferries would arrive, sometimes just stand around drinking it until dry, must be a common problem), so a mix of cornies and 50L seem a good idea.

I also used to have a 50 L keggle, good for 30L batches, maybe 35-40max.

I do infusion stepped mashing with batch sparging, 65L pre boil would be max.

What size vessels should I get? What are people using?

Thinking 80L Kettle and 50L HLT, or should I go bigger?

Cheers and Beers :beer:

 

[GalBrew]

As big as you can afford. I regret my 70/50/70 setup. If I did it again I would go 100/100/100. A big mash vessel is especially important if you batch sparge (and lazy).

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Cheers GalBrew,

Yeah I regretted the 36L mashtun the first time I used it, trying to do a multistep Flanders Red, still much better than the 26L willow I use to struggle with.

So 100L on Kettle, but why so big on HLT?

 

[MastersBrewery]

Why so big on the HLT? There is never too much hot water on hand on brew day.

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Yeah I've been struggling along juggling two 19L Big W pots for so long now I'm kinda having trouble thinking of anything better.

I'll be hooking the HLT up with a KegKing 2200W heater, so don't really want to wait around heating up water I wont use. though maybe I'll need two...

Maybe "un-package" for me what I'll end up using it for if I have it there to use - I do have normal hot water by tap also.

Cheers JB

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Yeah so had a think about it, I can see 100lts a good idea. I need about 40L of brew likker for a 30L batch so a 60L batch would need about 80L, plus dont want to fill to the brim or allow the element to be uncovered', so 100L it is.

 

[mofox1]

Haha. Both my HLT and kettle are 88L, thought it was (too) huge when I bought them... Now I reckon they're a bit too small!

 

[Eagleburger]

My 82l had head like a beer last night. 150l is in my sights.I too thought the current kettlewas too big.

 

[GalBrew]

Why so big on the HLT? There is never too much hot water on hand on brew day.

Totally, and there is nothing more annoying than waiting for HLT water to get to the right temp mid-brew.