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Well I was leaning toward a separate kettle with either gas or electric elements, but the simplicity of the urn is starting to make sense.

Soundawake, from what I have read, it looks like you can get a better boil from the exposed element, but it is a bit more of a bugger to clean. Although milob40 notes it is pretty easy to clean with a bleach / water mix...

Where do people mainly source their urns from? I have seen the ones at CB.
 
Well I was leaning toward a separate kettle with either gas or electric elements, but the simplicity of the urn is starting to make sense.

Soundawake, from what I have read, it looks like you can get a better boil from the exposed element, but it is a bit more of a bugger to clean. Although milob40 notes it is pretty easy to clean with a bleach / water mix...

Where do people mainly source their urns from? I have seen the ones at CB.


just sent you a pm...

cheers Ross
 
Where do people mainly source their urns from? I have seen the ones at CB.

I purchased used kegs and am making my own kettles. I have got stainless steel nipples welded into both of them (the price of a couple of beers). I have still yet to decide (having trouble with pros and cons) on whether to get an element in each of them or a gas burner.
 
IMHO I would pick a pot over an urn.

I prefer the more open shape of a pot over the narrower urn. Especially when using a bag for BIAB. I had a 40L pot and a 50L keggle, and every time would pick the 40L pot as it was easier to work with.
The craftbewer pot is 70L, an urn is 40L. 70L is a lot easier to work with in BIAB, volumes for all the water and grain plus also to prevent boilovers; and as a bonus a 70L pot would convert to a great piece of a 3V system later.
The 70L pot gives you a choice of gas or elec. If you go the elec route, you can add in a stc-1000 and set a strike water temp and walk away.
If you get careful you could push a double batch out of the 70L


Urn ~$260
or
Pot $140 + elec element $40 (say a <$10 uexcell element + mount) = total $180

Then to either
stc-1000 and setup $50

something to think about anyway

QldKev
 
gotta agree with the others, BIAB is not my preferred method either but it's how i'm partial mashing at the moment while saving for a braumiester and it works well. almost anything you buy for biab will be re-useable in another system.

good luck

-Phill


your just around the corner from me, I have my original BIAB 50 ltr "pot" that has a 32mm hole in it, that fits a keg king element, if you would like to borrow that, you'll need a keg king element and possibly an over the side as I couldn't get to a good boil with the element only, your more than welcome, I think I even could find the bag.
 
Thanks Kev.

By any chance do you have a linkey to the element you are referring to?

I assume this is where you have settled after reading your other posts on your previous elements?
 
Have a read of this topic for elements

The second post has a pic of my kettle with the 3 x 2kw elements. They are working perfectly (touch wood) and even if they do burn out in the future I only need to replace the element itself at <$10 and can re-use the same mounting dicast enclosure.

QldKev
 
To the OP: I've got an exposed element Crown urn from CraftBrewer, probably coming up to 3 years old now and perfect nick apart from some inaccessible black crud that got burnt on doing a protein rest <_<

Exposed: better boil but harder to keep clean
Concealed: boil not so good, easier to clean but apparently give a better boil if lagged off with a wee camping mat cut to fit. No need to go too fancy, couple of bungee cords do the trick.


At 40L you can do just about BIAB any "normal strength" brew you want without having to resort to a side sparge, and if you are a kegger it will handle beers up to 7-8% because you are only brewing for a cornie.

The advantage of an urn is that it only costs around 40c to do a regular brew as opposed to maybe a couple of dollars or more for gas, and it's a "turnkey" brewery out of the box, all you need is a couple of metres of swiss voile from Spotlight and you are away without having to buy ball valves, immersion heaters, mongolian burners, gas bottle from Bunnings... the cost of a pot is just the beginning.

Also buying from CB you can have total confidence.

If you could get to Bribie Island on a weekday for a 4 hour brew session and have a look at my BIAB trophy wall ;) anytime soon give me a hoy. We're right on a bus stop if you want to get rat arsed as well. B)

Edit: that BIAB tute is also right here on this forum as well, I basically just edited it for "international usage" and put it up on the BIABrewer site.
 
If you could get to Bribie Island on a weekday for a 4 hour brew session and have a look at my BIAB trophy wall ;) anytime soon give me a hoy.

Talk about modesty.. :D

Cheers

Paul
 
I don't do it for me, I do it for the great cause of BIAB


:p
 
But when will BribieG stop buying more trophies?













only joking :lol:
 
I'm getting so good at this forging business I'm going into fake degrees next. Anyone for a first class honours from Oxford? ;)
 
I'm getting so good at this forging business I'm going into fake degrees next. Anyone for a first class honours from Oxford? ;)


I'll grab a brain surgeon one please.

Q. Do I need to sanatise my drill after using it on my mill before drilling into someones head?
 
I'll grab a brain surgeon one please.

Q. Do I need to sanatise my drill after using it on my mill before drilling into someones head?

I reckon as long as you got most of the flour dust off it'd be alright wouldn't it????



then maybe "Spray it with Starsan!"

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the link Kev.

Also thanks for the offer Bribie. I will take you up over the next couple of months...
 
I just sat there and watched several of his videos shaking my head.

:icon_offtopic:

yeah, hows the one where he is doughing in and has ten orgasms when he's realised that he landed on his target temp?

classic.
 

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