Im moving into All Grain and I need some advice. Im planning on getting 2 new kettles to act as my Mash-Tun and Boil Kettle. so my question is will 10 gallons be enough to handle these tasks for 5 gallon batches? Secondly I do have a few high gravity beers I plan on making so would it be able to handle these also?
Any particular reason you are deciding to go with a kettle instead of a cooler for a mashtun? I have to imagine with that kettle and false bottom you are going to have a bit of trouble with higher gravity beers. You can convert a 70 quart cooler for $50-$80 (including the price of the cooler) to a mashtun that should allow you to brew any gravity 5 gallon and most 10 gallon recipes.
I BIAB and use a 10 gallon pot to mash in and a 7.5 gal pot to sparge. I have no problem with most 5 gallon batches, but it can get a little hairy with really big beers. I’m planning a barley wine and need to scale the recipe back to 4 gallons do to the 18+lbs of grain. I’d recommend a 15 gallon if it’s in your price range because a larger pot is always better. With that size pot, you shouldn’t have any issue with any 5 gallon batches. You could even brew 10 gallon batches of an average strength beer. I wish I had this option.
I agree with mattnaik on the cooler setup too. The only reason I haven’t switched to mashing in a cooler is space constraints in my condo. I just don’t have the room to store the cooler, so I stick with BIAB.
I BIAB using one 9 gal kettle. I boil 5 gallons of water and save in a cooler for sparging, then I heat my strike water and dough in. When the mash is done I pull the bag and pour sparge water over it until I get my preboil volume.
On bigger beers I have to mash pretty thick but it works. One of my most recent was 17 lb grain bill, 1.083 OG. Turned out great.
I get very high efficiency numbers with this process. If I’m honest…I squeeze the crap outta the bag at the end of the sparge… 
I have a cheap n’ easy cooler mash tun but I seldom use it because this process just works for me. :cheers:
[quote=“dannyboy58”]I BIAB using one 9 gal kettle. I boil 5 gallons of water and save in a cooler for sparging, then I heat my strike water and dough in. When the mash is done I pull the bag and pour sparge water over it until I get my preboil volume.
On bigger beers I have to mash pretty thick but it works. One of my most recent was 17 lb grain bill, 1.083 OG. Turned out great.
I get very high efficiency numbers with this process. If I’m honest…I squeeze the crap outta the bag at the end of the sparge…
I have a cheap n’ easy cooler mash tun but I seldom use it because this process just works for me. :cheers: [/quote]
I squeeze my sack too Never had a tannin issues that people talk about. I firmly believe that thinking is an old wives tale.
It’s my understanding that tannin extraction is from pH of the water, not squeezing your sack 
That is correct.
That is correct.[/quote]
I stand by this and quote you on it quite regularly, Denny. I actually just quoted you on this topic just this past weekend while hanging out with a few brew club members during a brew day.
:cheers:
That is correct.[/quote]
I stand by this and quote you on it quite regularly, Denny. I actually just quoted you on this topic just this past weekend while hanging out with a few brew club members during a brew day.
:cheers: [/quote]
I thought I felt my ears burning!
:cheers:
Around 3pm on Saturday… yeah that was me :lol:
:cheers:
That is correct.[/quote]
There you have it gentlemen, carry on and continue to squeeze your sack without fear of undesirable results.
:cheers:
If you guys are squeezing your sacks while brewing, I hope at least you’re washing your hands after!
No but I wear gloves.
It’s when you combine brewing sans-pants with the sack squeezing that the trouble starts.
I tried using a kettle mash tun with false bottom and went back to a cooler after 2 batches. I was not doing BIAB.
No but I wear gloves. [/quote]
I just Star San the sack. :shock:
