Heating advice

[mosto]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice for getting my wort to a boil. I've moved from kits and bits to extract brewing, with an eye to moving to BIAB in the near future. I have a 44L pot and currently do 10L boils on my gas stove for my extract brews. It takes maybe 20 min or so to get to a boil and will maintain a rolling boil with the lid on.

When I move to BIAB, I doubt that the gas stove on it's own will have enough grunt to boil 20 odd litres of 1040+ gravity wort. My options, as far I can see, are an electric over the side element to supplement the gas stove, which I can get for around $130, or move the brewing operations to the shed (SWMBO preferred option ), and get a Mongolian 32 jet LPG burner for around $230.

I'm a bit undecided as obviously the electric element is the cheaper option, but moving my brewing to the shed would be better for all involved TBH.

I do have a standard tripod style BBQ that I could use in the shed. Combined with the electric element, would this have enough heating power?

Any suggestions on the best way to go, or ideas that I may not have considered are most welcome.

 

[wbosher]

I use a standard 3 ring gas burner like this

Takes about 20 minutes to get to mashing temp from cold, and about 10 minutes to get to mashout, and then about another 10 minutes to get to the boil.

That's with a 50L pot and about 35L of wort.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

Could go with this?

4 ring burner

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-RING-CAST-IRON-WOK-BURNER-LPG-GAS-COOKER-OUTDOOR-STOVE-52MJ-BBQ/141006228550?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D261%26meid%3D8777652986134129360%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D141006228539%26


And add a frame, seller might even give a combined postage rate if you ask

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FRAME-FOR-4-RING-CAST-IRON-LPG-WOK-BURNER-GAS-COOKER-STOVE-BBQ-OUTDOOR/130929070879?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D261%26meid%3D8777681503946655561%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D141006228550%26


Also you mentioned that your current set up maintains a rolling boil with the lid. If you boil with the lid on please don't you need the lid off otherwise you will end up with DMS or cooked corn like flavours in your beer.

Anyway hope this helps ps gotta love (hate) ebay


Just noticed your post wbosher, guess we were both thinking along the same lines.

 

[mosto]

Thanks for the replies. Four ring burner maybe the way to go. Much appreciated.

 

[leahy268]

No need to get a 32 jet mongolian. I use the 10 jet one for those size batches. No problem at all getting to the boil.
They are only around $42 now (were $35 when I bought mine).
I would think that a 32 would need to be turned right down. Mongolians tend to get really sooty when you turn them down that far.

Waz

 

[pist]

I use same setup as wbosher, except my "pot" is a 50L keg.
Get to mash temp in about 30 mins from cold this is using a standard bbq reg, and similar figures to wbosher for getting to mash out and boil.

Works quite well...though I can also see the benefits for going electric (urn)
Add a temp controller and you can mash at an accurately stable temp plus have the benefit of filling the kettle the night before, and wake up to water ready to mash in as well.

 

[donburke]

No need to get a 32 jet mongolian. I use the 10 jet one for those size batches. No problem at all getting to the boil.
They are only around $42 now (were $35 when I bought mine).
I would think that a 32 would need to be turned right down. Mongolians tend to get really sooty when you turn them down that far.

Waz

I second this advice, the 32 jet is overkill, and by comparison, a 23 jet is sufficient to boil 95 litres

 

[mosto]

Have found a BCF stock the three ring burners for $55, so will be picking one up on the weekend. Get my BIAB bag and I should be knocking out my first all grain batch in the next couple of weeks :beerbang:

 

[sp0rk]

Don't just sit the burner on a tile or a brick, you'll most likely crack/explode them
Do a bit of searching around and you'll find the stands that myself and others have made out of old steel car wheels and some angle iron
or a link here... http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/67823-where-to-buy-a-nasa-burner/?p=977940
Also make sure to get a adjustable/high pressure regulator, the ones from BCF just don't cut it

 

[mosto]

Don't just sit the burner on a tile or a brick, you'll most likely crack/explode them
Do a bit of searching around and you'll find the stands that myself and others have made out of old steel car wheels and some angle iron
or a link here... http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/67823-where-to-buy-a-nasa-burner/?p=977940
Also make sure to get a adjustable/high pressure regulator, the ones from BCF just don't cut it

Thanks sp0rk, that's something I hadn't thought of. The pot I'll be using is one of the 40 odd litre crab cookers from BCF I got on special a while ago. By the time a but a burner, high pressure reg, stand (I'm not overly handy), would I be better off forking out the cash on this, as I think this is the burner the cooker is designed for anyway. I'm assuming it would have enough grunt to boil 20 odd litres or wort.

 

[MastersBrewery]

Thanks sp0rk, that's something I hadn't thought of. The pot I'll be using is one of the 40 odd litre crab cookers from BCF I got on special a while ago. By the time a but a burner, high pressure reg, stand (I'm not overly handy), would I be better off forking out the cash on this, as I think this is the burner the cooker is designed for anyway. I'm assuming it would have enough grunt to boil 20 odd litres or wort.

Have one .... it will do 50l easily, I boiled my first double way too hard, plus side it doesn't soot up like the mongolian when turned down.

 

[kymba]

mosto, rays outdoor have that burner with a bonus 38L crab cooker for the same price

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/73259-rays-outdoors-burner-and-free-pot-offer/

 

[mosto]

mosto, rays outdoor have that burner with a bonus 38L crab cooker for the same price http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/73259-rays-outdoors-burner-and-free-pot-offer/

Hmmm, no Rays Outdoor where I live, but can get the combo through the online store for $209 delivered. I already have a 40L pot, but maybe, with this deal, I skip BIAB and go straight to a 2V setup.

Ok, stick with me here as I'm jumping ahead of myself a bit, and I had only looked at BIAB, not really at a 2V or 3V setup. Basically, could I use one pot to mash, maybe chopping the bottom off one of the basket inserts, cover it in mesh and turn upside down to make a false bottom. Then drain to second pot and boil. Sorry if this is completely wrong or unfeasable, but any advice on turning the two pots into a 2V build would be appreciated.

 

[kymba]

Sounds fine to me. You could also BIAB as planned, but use the other pot as an electric HLT. Just insulate it and chuck an element in it so you don't have to wait for the burner to heat up your strike water (i.e. use an stc on a timer to heat your water while you sleep).

You also get the added bonus that electricity is cheaper than gas (but for how much longer?)

You can also heat up some sparge water whilst mashing

 

[angus_grant]

A nice 2V system would be a STC-controlled electric element pot for doing your BIAB mash in, and then transfer to 2nd gas-powered pot for boil.

You could mash first batch, transfer to boil kettle, and then mash a second batch while first batch boils. Boil finished then transfer to no-chill cube or chill and transfer to fermenter (whatever your next step is), and when 2nd batch mash finished transfer to boil kettle.

You could knock out two batches in not much more time than 1 batch.

You could have the STC on a timer and fire it up at 5 in the morning so when you wake up at 6, you are ready to transfer to boil kettle, and then clean up mash tun and mash in 2nd batch.

 

[mosto]

A nice 2V system would be a STC-controlled electric element pot for doing your BIAB mash in, and then transfer to 2nd gas-powered pot for boil.

You could mash first batch, transfer to boil kettle, and then mash a second batch while first batch boils. Boil finished then transfer to no-chill cube or chill and transfer to fermenter (whatever your next step is), and when 2nd batch mash finished transfer to boil kettle.

You could knock out two batches in not much more time than 1 batch.

You could have the STC on a timer and fire it up at 5 in the morning so when you wake up at 6, you are ready to transfer to boil kettle, and then clean up mash tun and mash in 2nd batch.

After I calmed down a little, I'd decided that I'd just get the burner from BCF and go with single vessel BIAB. But this, sir, is a mighty fine suggestion indeed. With three kids under 7 and a yard that I'm trying to turn into gardens, I only brew when I can, so a system where I could brew continuous batches and put into cubes would be very advantageous. I've convinced the wife that I need the burner so I can "get that stinky beer shit" out of the kitchen. Maybe I can do single vessel BIAB until Father's Day, when an STC and electric element mysteriously arrive!

 

[angus_grant]

I've got a single BIAB setup (although currently working on brau-clone) at the moment and two vessels would certainly allow a quicker time to 2 batches. It takes me about 4 hours to knock out a batch (mashing, boiling, cubing, cleaning) so probably about 6&1/2 to do two batches. I only brew about once a month so I could do it and it wouldn't mean much. If I I can do complete brew in one morning, then no harm no foul when taking the family into account.

And if you were wanting to cut the brew time down even further you could grab a couple of the cheap Big W 19L pots and heat up the 2nd lot of mash water on your kitchen stove whilst mashing the first.

So you mash the first, heat up 17L (or 34L if you have 2 pots) on the stove, transfer first mash to boil kettle, clean mash tun (don't need to do much with BIAB) and then transfer pre-heated water to mash tun so your ramping time to strike temp for 2nd mash is reduced considerably.

Or you just go 3V!! h34r:

he he, see what I did there. Transformed you from simple BIAB to 3V in less than 1&1/2 hours. :lol:

The 2 pots plus Big W pots on stove is a cheap pathway for 3V brewing. I suppose technically it is 4V brewing so your penis would be way bigger than most guys on here.

 

[Blitzer]

Well I Infinity +1V brew.. so sorry but I win.