What Size Batch Can I Do In My 25 Litre Urn?

[GrumpyPaul]

Hi
What size batch can I brew in my 25 litre birko?

I have searched a much so can and can't find an answer. Any ideas on how I calculate this.

Cheers

 

[QldKev]

R U talking 3V or BIAB ?

How much effort can you be stuffed rooting around sparging?

 

[seamad]

If doing biab probably @ 14 litres without faffing about.

If doing biab search for the biab spreadsheet ( xl) cant remember where i found it, will give you standard numbers to start with. Also nickjd $20 thread.

Brewmate also useful, and its free.

Cheers
sean

 

[Nick JD]

Put ~16-17L of water in it and bring it up to your strike temp. Add your bag and ~5kg of grain.

Insulate the urn and have a beer.

60 minutes later, lift the bag of grain and slide a rack from the oven onto the top of the urn. On top of this put an old fermenter (or similar HDPE container) with a few holes in the bottom on the rack. Put the grain bag in the container.

Turn the urn on to boil. Walk away and have another beer.

I reckon you'll get away with boiling 18L in a 25L urn. So top up your wort with as much hot tap water as you need to get to 18L once you squeezed the last drops from the bag.

At the end of your boil measure the SG and calculate how much you need to dilute it.

 

[kelbygreen]

how are you meant to work out your IBU nick?? unless once diluted you draw 6lts off and boil again for another hour?. Your better off knowing what your brewing not just brewing something and hope that the SG and IBU are going to work out.

 

[QldKev]

I thought the system was brew heaps of randoms, and when you finally get a good one enter it into a comp?

 

[kelbygreen]

There is ways to work out MAXI BIAB. I used to do it but that was a while ago. Not a system I would recommend but it just didnt suit me say with full volume BIAB but thats not hear nor there

I think I used to do the mash and sparge (but used to use a esky with voile in) but you can sparge in a bucket then add the sparge to the pot so its full not fully full as heat will expand the liquid and the boil will thrash it about abit. Then take a gravity reading. So what I done is worked out the recipe in beersmith to say 21lts. then when I took the gravity before the boil I would take the gravity down in beer smith and then hit review brew sheet. Now on there there will be a part that tells you estimated SG pre boil you want to match this to your reading.

Once you match the preboil gravity you can then work out the hop additions. Although one problem I thought about was that if reducing the volume amount then will it reduce the IBU once diluted. I guess it does but if your close to your boil volume it will be only slightly but if your a fair bit off then it may be a problem.

Not sure if there is a calculator to use to work out the IBU in the final volume using MAXI BIAB

Edit: Actually I think there was a part in beersmith you can put the boil volume and then the volume of the brew but you have to put in a water addition in there with the grains and hops. As I say been ages since I done it and I am on linux ATM so cant go into beersmith

 

[dr K]

Hi
What size batch can I brew in my 25 litre birko?

I have searched a much so can and can't find an answer. Any ideas on how I calculate this.

Cheers

For a boil you prob do not want start with more than 70% of the boiler volume, and even thene you need to be vigilant. So thats 17.5l , you will lose (should lose) say 10% from evaporation so thats 16 ish, the then is trub etc etc loss so say 14 litres max.
If you BIAB the figure (I guess) is roughly the same.

K

 

[Nick JD]

how are you meant to work out your IBU nick?? unless once diluted you draw 6lts off and boil again for another hour?. Your better off knowing what your brewing not just brewing something and hope that the SG and IBU are going to work out.

Measure the SG at the beginning of the boil and the volume.

If you have 18L of 1.055, and want a beer that's 1.043...

...you need 55/43rds of 18L. Or 1.27 x 18L. Or 22.86L.

So add your hops (IBU calculation) according to a boil volume of 22.86L, but at a 1.055 gravity. Minus trub - say 1L.

And dilute to your required SG in the fermenter (final boil volume is irrelavant - you're just making bittered extract).

If this is too complicated, either get a bigger urn, make small batches, or go down to a local primary school and ask for help with the maths.

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah I used to do it but couldnt remember how. Just thought since it may be his first time on AG or high gravity boil then it might make it easier if he understood the concept of adding the additions to a heavy wort and diluting it later.

Oh and would you add the hops at 20 mins or less at the same volumes as stated?? I used to do this. Maybe add 20 mins a little higher then normal but not heaps and 10 mins on was normal weights as there is not much bitterness added its more flavour and aroma?

 

[Nick JD]

yeah I used to do it but couldnt remember how. Just thought since it may be his first time on AG or high gravity boil then it might make it easier if he understood the concept of adding the additions to a heavy wort and diluting it later

Totally. If this is a first AG situation, then I'd suggest not going high-gravity and just brewing to the equipment's capacity.

Someone who has a 35L urn, get a recipe from them, and multiply everything in the recipe and procedure by 25/35ths (0.71). Good to go.

 

[donburke]

For a boil you prob do not want start with more than 70% of the boiler volume, and even thene you need to be vigilant. So thats 17.5l , you will lose (should lose) say 10% from evaporation so thats 16 ish, the then is trub etc etc loss so say 14 litres max.
If you BIAB the figure (I guess) is roughly the same.

K

i always start the boil with 92 litres in a 98 litre kettle and am yet to have a boilover, so the 70% can certainly be increased as long as you are prepared to stir a little and have good control over your heat source

 

[Sam England]

Pushing my BIAB in a 32 L pot I managed 25L of OG 1.056 Oatmeal Stout with a 2L starter. Started with 23L of water for mashing and then 2 x 5L tea bags/rinse of the grain in 78deg water. Pre-boil 30L and watch it like a hawk at the start until you get a bit of head space. Post 60min boil chilled to 20deg gave 24.2L minus 1.2L lost to trub hence 23L into fermenter with the 2L starter.


I know some will say you should have a more vigorous boil ie higher evaporation rates, but Ive had no issues to date other than cleaning burnt wort of the stovetop every now and then when I step away to see if the tap on the fridge is still working!!

Hope this helps.

 

[RdeVjun]

OP, if you're BIABing I'd strongly advise to initially stick with stock/ full- volume BIAB as described above, so yielding anywhere from say 14 to 18L of wort into the fermenter. Once you're comfortable with that very simple process AND want to perhaps wring more beer out of a brewday given the limited kettle volume, then look at adapting 20L Stovetop BIAB/ MaxiBIAB to increase that fermenter volume to perhaps 30L or so.

Kelby, its really no biggie with bitterness compensation as, in the vast majority of circumstances, adjustment isn't necessary or worthwhile. However a simple rule of thumb (nb. not using brewing software) is with 'average' boil SG*, for every 1.010 over 1.050, increase the hops additions by 10%, but seldom do I ever bother changing a thing, my palate is probably not that good to be able to distinguish the difference.
* And just how easy is that to determine? See why I'm reluctant to bother?!

 

[kelbygreen]

lol Yeah I never bothered to much Rdevjun. But if you got down to the nitty gritty then it may. As I say if your boiling 20lts instead of 25lts prob not a big deal but if you boiling 20lts instead of 30lt then it maybe. I found the effort in doing MAXI BIAB and even BIAB not worth my while. Yes the brew day is shorter and yes you can make good beer but you are very limited what you can do (or what I could do on my set up) I thought if I am going to spend the money to make BIAB beer I am going to spend the money to make 3V beer with minimal lifting and the such.

So it took me 4 hrs to do a BIAB 4 hrs 15 mins to do a 3v single batch (batch sparge) and close to 5hrs for a double but with fly sparging. I get clearer wort and better efficiency. BIAB was always a step for me and I always had that in mind so I guess it was something that I knew I wasnt going to do down the line.

People always ask the best way to go! it is a common thing and the answer is no one on this forum can tell you the best way to go!. its up to you it can be as simple or complex as you like. One thing may work for me but not for you. you may do it different then any one else. But the way you find it easier and more efficient is up to you and we can only advise you how to do it.

 

[stux]

I agree, do standard BIAB, then when you're comfortable with that you can knock out 25-30L batches with Maxi-BIAB

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I agree, do standard BIAB, then when you're comfortable with that you can knock out 25-30L batches with Maxi-BIAB

Or add a bucket in bucket lauter and knock out 25L.

The extra $12 in brand new food grade buckets and a tap was well worth it, and makes sparging soooooo much easier.

Goomba

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Thank you all for the responses.

Yes. I am doing BIAB (well learning anyway.)

Ask this will help getting more out of my next batch.

Thanks guys