I’m interested in getting into ALB and have a 7.5 gallon keg laying around. Wondering if the 1/4 barrel is large enough to be converted into a HLT or brew kettle for 5 gallon batches. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
What is ALB?
7.5 gallons is fine for a 5 gallon batch. It’s a little tight as you will start with 6.5-7 gallons depending on your boil off rate/length of boil. Just pay attention at the start of the boil and have a spray bottle with water handy. Some Fermcap-S is also helpful.
How about for a hot liquor tank. How much water capacity do you need for a 5 gallon all grain batch?
Again, what is ALB?
Sorry. Meant to abbreviate all grain brewing.
It is fine for a HLT also. IMO a HLT is a waste of money.
My process is: heat water in boil kettle. Add to rectangular cooler, add grain. Heat sparge water in boil kettle. Run wort off into bucket. Add sparge water to cooler. Dump wort from bucket to boil kettle. Drain cooler.
No need to spend extra money on a 2nd burner.
How much water you need depends on how much grain you use. Download JT’s MashWater 3.3 for a more specific answer.
http://gnipsel.com/beer/software/beer-software.html7.5gal is almost too small for a 5gal batch unless you are willing to make your wort more concentrated and then dilute before pitching (or after fermenting). To get 5gal of finished beer its good to start with 5.5gal of wort, and you’ll need at least a 1hr boil that loses on average 1gal so you start with 6.5gal. Thats very close to the top of the keggle and you risk a boilover unless you use fermcap S. I’ve lived with an 8gal kettle and its do-able but I’d recommend you buy a cheap 10gal kettle instead, its easier to deal with. Check on Amazon for inexpensive kettles.
