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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> BIAB Kettle Capacity

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pdmonto
Fresno, ca
4 Posts


hopefully this weekend will be my first BIAB adventure. My problem: all the calculators I use say to mash with 7.5 gal using 8.75#'s of grain, my kettle is 8gal. Do I top of pre boil and just guess how much water to use for the mash? Sparge to my desired preboil volume? Just cut my losses and make a 2.5 gal batch?Thanks for the help.



Posted 34 days ago.

Oginme
New Ipswich, NH
18 Posts


Do you have a second pot (2- or 3-gal size)?  If so, you can mash in with the majority of the water and heat up the remaining water in the second pot.  After mashing in your first pot you have the options of (1) draining the grains and then putting the bag into the second pot to extract more of the sugars or (2) put the bag into a colander over the first pot and then rinse the sugar out by slowly pour the heated water from the smaller pot through the grains into the mash pot.

If you don't have a second pot, you can still do (2) above using cold water.  You will still extract more of the sugar than just topping off to your boil volume with plain water.




Posted 34 days ago.

pdmonto
Fresno, ca
4 Posts


I do have a three gallon pot. In the first scenario, do I out the drained grains in the smaller pot with hotter water or just squeeze what i can out of the grains?



Posted 34 days ago.

Oginme
New Ipswich, NH
18 Posts


When I do the batch sparge in the second pot, I pull the grain bag out of the mash pot and drain.  Then I put the bag into the second (sparge) pot and stir to get as much of the grains broken back up into the hot water as possible.  I have found the best results from stirring like crazy and allowing it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring again and then lifting the bag to do a final drain.  This provides a good contact of the grains with the sparging water.  I also start the first pot heating towards boil during this process, so there is not a lot of wasted time.



Posted 34 days ago.

pdmonto
Fresno, ca
4 Posts


Dude, your advice worked like a charm. Somehow I nailed the gravity and its bubbling away in my new fermenter. I hope it turns out well. Thanks again!



Posted 34 days ago.

Oginme
New Ipswich, NH
18 Posts


You are very welcome.  Glad to have helped!





Posted 34 days ago.

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