Best Size Pot For All Grain Biab

[Danielscott26]

Hey guys as the title suggests I'm looking to get myself a large enough brew pot to do all grain biab. I was thinking a 50 litre pot would be more than enough to handle this is this correct?

Thanks Dan

 

[QldKev]

For a single (aka about 23L) batch, I like a 50L pot. But the shape does come into it, I did prefer brewing in my 40L pot over my old 50L keggle as the 40L was wider. Many brewers are very happy with the 40L urns. Depends on how much beer you get through even consider a Craftbrewer 70L pot. Small enough for a single, but you could squeeze a double sized batch into it. Have a search on here, there is a few good discussions on it.


QldKev

 

[robbo5253]

Hey Dan,
I use a 50l converted keggle which is fine for full volume single batches, if you want to do double batches then maybe look at a 70-80l pot.
Are you going Gas or Electric with your setup? Some of the sponsors sell pots. Craftbrewer has a 70l one for $149 then you just need a tap, bulkhead & pickup tube (if you dont want to siphon).
Cheers
Robbo

Edit: Beaten by Kev!

 

[Danielscott26]

I use a 3 ring gas burner. I wasn't going to bother with a tap I will just pour or siphon the wort into a cube after the boil and either crash chill with an ice bath or leave outside for 24 hours. I guess siphoning is the way to go that way i can leave any bits in the bottom of the boil pot.
Im not really keen on brewing double batches at the moment i enjoy the brewing process almost as much as the drinking process so the more brews i can do the better.
I appreciate all the tips from you guys feel free to give suggestions and tips to help me with my first all grain batch.

Thanks Dan

 

[stevem01]

50 is perfect, leaves a bit of headroom so no boil overs, I think its best to find one with "square" dimensions (diameter and height equal). Pretty cheap from an asian supermarket

one of these and 1.5 meters of silicon hose for the siphon

 

[robbo5253]

Definitely go the Siphon if your not going to put a tap in as pouring 40l of hot wort into a small cube opening is not only fricken dangerous but also introduces Hot Side Aeration which is not a good thing.
Cheers
Robbo

 

[Danielscott26]

Does an auto siphon have a max temp rating? Or is it just better to chill the wort in the pot and then siphon it off?

 

[kelbygreen]

depends if the hose is silicon or some other material. would look into the temp rating of the hose

 

[Steve@PMF82]

Does an auto siphon have a max temp rating? Or is it just better to chill the wort in the pot and then siphon it off?

Are you going to no chill into cube?
If so grab yourself a SS jiggle siphon tip and 2m of silicone hose, have a look at gryphon brewing i am pretty sure they have both.

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I've got a 50 ltr Keggle and get 32 ltrs of 1060 @ 71 % into the fermentor (using BS), I can then dilute to 38 ltrs @ 1050.

The keggle is cheap but go the 70 ltr CB pot if you can afford it, my 2c.

 

[Danielscott26]

Thanks for the replys guys. Definitely looks like I've got a few decisions to make. Ive already got an auto siphon with silicon hose so i suppose that parts covered i just need to decide how much i want to spend on the pot. The craft brewer ones look great but once i add on the ball valve it will be over $200. Definitely something to think about. will definitely have to hide the receipt from the wife haha.

Thanks Dan

 

[robbo5253]

If you already have the Siphon, get the CB pot and see how you go with the siphon, then if its not working, get the Ball Valve etc in a few months time. Means you are brewing sooner and easier to break the cost to the wife!

 

[b_thomas]

I personally use a 10Gal (38L) Aluminium pot with a tap/screen and a neoprene jacket. I only brew to fill a 10L keg, mainly because I just can't get through 20L in a reasonable amount of time without impacting my health

I know there's a real appeal to using SS pots but for the price ($200+) you can build yourself an all-in-one aluminium rig (pot, bag, weldless tap, hop screen and neoprene jacket) - which for a homebrewer will last just as long as an SS pot. If you start getting serious and want to step beyond BIAB then I'd recommend the investment in SS but if you're just starting out I wouldn't invest too much up front. You can always repurpose the Aluminium pot at a later stage.