question about malt extract

Brewer #410940 said:
I am located near Toronto Canada , so metric or imperial are fine .
Average temperature in my working area is 20c.
Most HB stores in my area closed , nearest brick and mortar one is 1.5 hour away . rest are online.
I like hoppy bitter beers , wife and son like sweeter beers , sweet ipa , and cider.
When you say "95 or so % Pale Malt " 95% of what ? is it 95% of 15lb grain ?
Although the kits call for 23 litter , I usually ferment in a corney keg which is 5G(19L), what size of kettle would i need in for that size of BIAB batch ?
Click to expand...
95% give or take a few points of the total grain bill per your recipe calculator. Your gravity will determine how much grain you use. More alcohol, more grain. 15 or 16 gallon kettle IF not using extract. With BIAB it is full volume. I start with 8 gallons of water for 5 gallons beer, but at the hot break, it will foam up like a bitch and could overflow on a smaller kettle. On one of the "I brewed today" threads, I have pics of the hot break. 8 gallons of water. The bag will suck up a gallon. The boil will lose a gallon, and you will lose at least 1/2 gallon transferring to the fermenter.
Ferment in a plasic fermonster with an airlock for a bit so you can see what good fermention is supposed to look like. Then transfer to the keg. Again, read the Palmer book. He explains the process in detail.
Also, make sure you get the plumbing and the ball valve for the kettle.
20C for fermenting is ideal.
 
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Brewer #410940 said:
When you say "95 or so % Pale Malt " 95% of what ? is it 95% of 15lb grain ?
Click to expand...
Most recipe calculators calculate percentage when you enter in fermentables or hops.
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Regarding kettle size, I you choose to the Brew In A Bag method your kettle needs to be able to hold all the water and grain you will be adding. So, like @Sandy Feet mentions you'll need a 15 gallon kettle for 5 gallon batches. However, I do a batch sparge mash in a 13 gallon picnic cooler and transfer the wort to my brew kettle. So can easily boil a 5 gallon batch in my 10 gallon brew kettle. Actually I do 7 gallon batches and my pre-boil volume is almost 9 gallons! As the boil approaches I watch it like a hawk and have one hand on the propane valve to reduce or kill the heat instantly.

Lastly, don't let us talk you into the all-grain route if that's not the direction you want to go. If you like brewing with all extract kits and like how your beer tastes then you should stick with it. If you want to go all grain, or any of the levels between all-extract brewing and all-grain brewing, then go for that. As Denny Conn (@Experimental Brewing) says, if you aren't enjoying brewing beer, you are doing it wrong!
 
This is great info , thank you all !!
Ill keep my eye open for a good deal on a large kettle .
I didnt know about the batch sparge method (doesnt the hot water melt the plastic picnic cooler ?)
yeah so far i have been playing with extracts , but i love DIY everything so , all-grain or some grain seems very appealing, especially if the flavor is so much better :)
 
Brewer #410940 said:
I am located near Toronto Canada , so metric or imperial are fine .
Average temperature in my working area is 20c.
Most HB stores in my area closed , nearest brick and mortar one is 1.5 hour away . rest are online.
I like hoppy bitter beers , wife and son like sweeter beers , sweet ipa , and cider.
When you say "95 or so % Pale Malt " 95% of what ? is it 95% of 15lb grain ?
Although the kits call for 23 litter , I usually ferment in a corney keg which is 5G(19L), what size of kettle would i need in for that size of BIAB batch ?
Click to expand...
Reach out to @Craigerrr for local or shipping suggestions.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
This is great info , thank you all !!
Ill keep my eye open for a good deal on a large kettle .
I didnt know about the batch sparge method (doesnt the hot water melt the plastic picnic cooler ?)
yeah so far i have been playing with extracts , but i love DIY everything so , all-grain or some grain seems very appealing, especially if the flavor is so much better :)
Click to expand...
I batch sparge at 170F. It is not necessary - indeed, it could be harmful - to go hotter. That said, you can sparge with room temperature water if you like. The enzymes did their work already in the mash, so think of it as just a rinse.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
This is great info , thank you all !!
Ill keep my eye open for a good deal on a large kettle .
I didnt know about the batch sparge method (doesnt the hot water melt the plastic picnic cooler ?)
yeah so far i have been playing with extracts , but i love DIY everything so , all-grain or some grain seems very appealing, especially if the flavor is so much better :)
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that giant kettle isn't going to fit on a normal stovetop, so you will need some sort of burner, either electric or gas.
 
If you are thinking of all grain, it may be worth buying a 10 litre all grain kit for a trial run.
You probably have a big enough pot. You have a fermenter already, so all you need is a biab bag and that little batch of crushed grain, hops and yeast and follow instructions.
And stove top is strong enough
 
that is great info.
yes i am going to order an all grain kit and do one run before ordering my own grain.

i have one more question , i hope its not too stupid .
I checked the prices of large kettles and they are starting out at around 200 and go up from there with any bells and whistles.
But i also noticed brewing systems like brewzilla and and vevor that include heating, chilling, and temperature control. for a price that is only a bit higher then a simple kettle or the same as an expensive kettle (around 460) .
Would you recommend these all in one brewing systems ? They seem very reasonably priced, especially on Black Friday ?


example brewzilla price
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/BrewZilla-Systems_c_1367.html
vevor
https://www.vevor.ca/beer-brewing-s...ystem-w-circulating-pump-8-gal-p_010556912690
 
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Brewer #410940 said:
that is great info.
yes i am going to order an all grain kit and do one run before ordering my own grain.

i have one more question , i hope its not too stupid .
I checked the prices of large kettles and they are starting out at around 200 and go up from there with any bells and whistles.
But i also noticed brewing systems like brewzilla and and vevor that include heating, chilling, and temperature control. for a price that is only a bit higher then a simple kettle or the same as an expensive kettle (around 460) .
Would you recommend these all in one brewing systems ? They seem very reasonably priced, especially on Black Friday ?


example brewzilla price
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/BrewZilla-Systems_c_1367.html
vevor
https://www.vevor.ca/beer-brewing-s...ystem-w-circulating-pump-8-gal-p_010556912690
Click to expand...
Good quality large kettles can be expensive. Lower quality is available, and likely to last a lifetime regardless.

I use a Brewzilla 35, and once I got the system calibrated and dialed in, it is great. A budfy has an Anvil all-in-ine and it works well, but uses an external pump. Overall, not having to mess with kitchens, stoves, propane or big pots makes the process easier. Just plug it into the wall and go.

Nice with the Brewzilla is the automated mash temperature feature, which makes step mashing very easy. I brew a lot of wheat beer and I don't have to watch the mash as closely when it's on automatic.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
i have one more question , i hope its not too stupid .
I checked the prices of large kettles and they are starting out at around 200 and go up from there with any bells and whistles.
Click to expand...
Never fear a question is too stupid. Honestly, even if it is, we'll still gladly answer it. My first 10 gallon brew kettle was a cheapie ($100) from China. Eventually I discovered hole forming in the surface so I went to a Spike kettle ($220). Spike brew kettles are awesome. However, if all you can afford is the cheap $100 kettle, go for it and don't worry. If you have the money for top line stuff then go for that and be happy. Make the hobby fit you not the other way around. In addition to cost, there is also physical effort (some of us are getting older) as well as space issues (small house or apartment) that will factor into equipment selection.
 
If that is what you think will work best for you, go for it.
I spoke to a number of people before going basic. The only thing I would be concerned about the all in ones is that 110V isn't going to heat that much water very quickly if you are going the cheapy 110 version. You can set them for a time to heat up early, but I am very paranoid about electric appliances with big heating elements. I have spoken to other people that love them. It is going to be up to you in the end.
If you have the plugs for a 220, it would probably heat water much quicker.
 
Ah, to clarify: My BZ is a 220 V version. What Sandy says above is very true.
 
Thank you!!
Yes, i can see how brewing can be done with a simple equipment as well , and i am now looking to see if i can find a used or cheap big kettle (although I prefer to use it with an induction heater that i already have, rather then spending more money on a burner) .

I believe that so far I have been also mixing up the terminology of BIAB and All-grain. The difference as I understand it is the mashing and sparging steps ?

Do you consider systems like brewzilla to be BIAB (because its all in a single container , although the bag is metal) , or All-Grain?

Is all-grain efficiency so much higher then BIAB even when you sparge the BIAB bag ? do they differ only in efficiency?
 
Sandy Feet said:
If that is what you think will work best for you, go for it.
I spoke to a number of people before going basic. The only thing I would be concerned about the all in ones is that 110V isn't going to heat that much water very quickly if you are going the cheapy 110 version. You can set them for a time to heat up early, but I am very paranoid about electric appliances with big heating elements. I have spoken to other people that love them. It is going to be up to you in the end.
If you have the plugs for a 220, it would probably heat water much quicker.
Click to expand...
yup, standard 110VAC outlet in the states is 15A, that will get you 1650W max. it will boil, but it takes a while. a 220vac 30A outlet is 6600 watts.
 
Brewer #410940 said:
Thank you!!
Yes, i can see how brewing can be done with a simple equipment as well , and i am now looking to see if i can find a used or cheap big kettle (although I prefer to use it with an induction heater that i already have, rather then spending more money on a burner) .

I believe that so far I have been also mixing up the terminology of BIAB and All-grain. The difference as I understand it is the mashing and sparging steps ?

Do you consider systems like brewzilla to be BIAB (because its all in a single container , although the bag is metal) , or All-Grain?

Is all-grain efficiency so much higher then BIAB even when you sparge the BIAB bag ? do they differ only in efficiency?
Click to expand...
all grain means just that, you arent using extract.

BIAB means that you are steeping grains (mashing) in a bag. ussually that bag is made of a filter fabric that lets liquid through but not the grains. I would consider those "all-in-one" systems to be in the same catagory as BIAB. just because the filter is metal, it still mashes in it and you pull it out leaving the wort behind when done.

as far as efficiency goes, that comes down more to mash temp and crush size. the smaller you can crush the grain without clogging up the system, the more you can extract from it..................technically if you crushed the grain to flour, you would get the highest, theoretical, efficiency. good luck getting the water to do anything but soak in and make bread though, lol.
 
Minbari said:
..................technically if you crushed the grain to flour, you would get the highest, theoretical, efficiency. good luck getting the water to do anything but soak in and make bread though, lol
Click to expand...
Off topic
I made a beer just with flour: hazy cheapskate (as was posted by Miraculix on the homebrew forum).
It actually became a very nice beer :)
I would only do this with a biab bag because any other method will clog up everything
 
Zambezi Special said:
Off topic
I made a beer just with flour: hazy cheapskate (as was posted by Miraculix on the homebrew forum).
It actually became a very nice beer :)
I would only do this with a biab bag because any other method will clog up everything
Click to expand...
I can imagine the absorption rate was higher too
 
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