27 replies to this topic

[Humperdink]

What am I going to need to upgrade to make it work? I have a 50' Whirlpool IC and a 55K BTU burner and a 70qt igloo. I'm concerned over the time to drop the temps below 140 given the increased size but like the ability to whirlpool and leave trub behind better than a counterflow. I'm also a little tentative about the heating power of my current burner. I've had some pretty serious thoughts of going electric, but that's looking like over a grand and I'd have to run new electrical to the garage which would further increase the costs. Current 220 runs to an adjacent room however.

 

Any advice, issues other that you all can help me look at to figure out if this is worthwhile?

Edited by Hingle McCringleberry, 22 October 2014 - 08:52 AM.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I bought my 26 gallon pot for 10 gallon batches. It wasn't much more than a 20 gallon pot. I have used it for up to a 20 gallon batches. My burner is an 80k natural gas range. I boils just fine with less than full power.

[HVB]

I use a CFC and whirlpool and I am able to leave a nice cone behind in the kettle, even with an element in there.  I would not put a CFC or plate out of your mind because of that.  A good whirlpool and proper kettle pick up will let you leave most of the trub behind.

[Humperdink]

I use a CFC and whirlpool and I am able to leave a nice cone behind in the kettle, even with an element in there.  I would not put a CFC or plate out of your mind because of that.  A good whirlpool and proper kettle pick up will let you leave most of the trub behind.

So are you running through the CFC and pumping back into the kettle via a copper arm? 

[positiveContact]

question: why do you want to make 20 gallon batches?  if I wasn't so pressed for time I'd often make 5 gallon batches with the occasional 10 gallon batch.  as it is I make mostly 10 gallon batches b/c of the aforementioned time crunch.  but even these are plenty big - it takes me quite a while to drink 10 gallons of beer.

Edited by Evil_Morty, 22 October 2014 - 09:48 AM.

[HVB]

So are you running through the CFC and pumping back into the kettle via a copper arm? 

I am.  I will whirlpool for 15-20 minutes and then let it sit and settle for about the same. In the end I have a nice cone.

 

httpss://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GX3lA9o2QWY/VEffo41iAwI/AAAAAAAAFe0/g3fgITAXH6U/w640-h480-no/whirlpool.jpg

[Humperdink]

question: why do you want to make 20 gallon batches?  if I wasn't so pressed for time I'd often make 5 gallon batches with the occasional 10 gallon batch.  as it is I make mostly 10 gallon batches b/c of the aforementioned time crunch.  but even these are plenty big - it takes me quite a while to drink 10 gallons of beer.

I share a lot of beer and am finding less time to brew. And I drink more than I should. And the lady likes beer, her brother comes over every day and likes beer. And I like yeast experiments. And I like having plenty of our staple brews on tap.

[3rd party JKor]

You do have sweet cones, drez. 

[Humperdink]

I am.  I will whirlpool for 15-20 minutes and then let it sit and settle for about the same. In the end I have a nice cone.

 

httpss://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GX3lA9o2QWY/VEffo41iAwI/AAAAAAAAFe0/g3fgITAXH6U/w640-h480-no/whirlpool.jpg

How long are you seeing to chill to pitching temps? Seems like it'd be about as efficient as an IC but I could be terribly wrong.

[BlKtRe]

I make 20+ gallon batches all the time. For events or for filling barrels. I have the 25g kettles, don't be fooled that they are 26 cuz they are not. I know this because I brew buddy bought a 26 and its the same exact dimensions as my 25. I wouldn't go less than a BG14 burner. I use a 21 tip cast iron jet burner. Those prefer a 100# tank if using two at a time. I also wouldn't do 5g batches in one because your boil off rate is very very high. No issues here whirlpool through plates or CFC. 

[SchwanzBrewer]

Are you going to ferment in split 10 gal containers or are you going to get a bigger fermenter? I had a problem getting two slightly different beers when I split my batches. I don't know why. I just don't do it any more.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Edit: I think it had to do with the amount of trub in the fermenter. The one of them would have clearer wort than the other. My buddy found that this happened with his latest batch and he made note of it. The split batch with more trub finished lower than the one that was clear. We figure it was because the yeast nutrient got into the trub and not into the clearer fermenter.

 

Anecdotal Moral: if you can ferment the beer in one big fermenter I think you'll have less problems with consistency than if you split fermenters.

[BlKtRe]

Edit: I think it had to do with the amount of trub in the fermenter. The one of them would have clearer wort than the other. My buddy found that this happened with his latest batch and he made note of it. The split batch with more trub finished lower than the one that was clear. We figure it was because the yeast nutrient got into the trub and not into the clearer fermenter.

 

Anecdotal Moral: if you can ferment the beer in one big fermenter I think you'll have less problems with consistency than if you split fermenters.

 

10-4! 

[3rd party JKor]

Edit: I think it had to do with the amount of trub in the fermenter. The one of them would have clearer wort than the other. My buddy found that this happened with his latest batch and he made note of it. The split batch with more trub finished lower than the one that was clear. We figure it was because the yeast nutrient got into the trub and not into the clearer fermenter.

 

Anecdotal Moral: if you can ferment the beer in one big fermenter I think you'll have less problems with consistency than if you split fermenters.

 

 

Post ferment blending FTW.

[positiveContact]

I share a lot of beer and am finding less time to brew. And I drink more than I should. And the lady likes beer, her brother comes over every day and likes beer. And I like yeast experiments. And I like having plenty of our staple brews on tap.

 

by yeast experiments do you mean splitting your big batch up?

[SchwanzBrewer]

Post ferment blending FTW.

 

Only if you have large kegs or can use your kettle as a bottling bucket.

[positiveContact]

Only if you have large kegs or can use your kettle as a bottling bucket.

 

it would actually be easy for me to blend 2 5 gallon buckets into 2 5 gallons corny kegs.  I'd just transfer half of each bucket to each corny.  with my setup that would be very easy.

[Humperdink]

by yeast experiments do you mean splitting your big batch up?

Yeah, it's something I've been doing pretty much every batch for years. I like having a side by side with all other variables the same (pitch rate, temp, wort comp etc). At least to the point of being close enough for me. It'd allow me the ability to have a four way comparison as opposed to a two way. Leaving the low hanging blewbie joke fruit alone there.

 

This would be especially valuable to me with lagers as I haven't experimented with them as much as with ales. Not to mention dry hop experiments etc. I like that aspect of brewing, changing one thing and seeing how dissimilar the beers can be.

[positiveContact]

Yeah, it's something I've been doing pretty much every batch for years. I like having a side by side with all other variables the same (pitch rate, temp, wort comp etc). At least to the point of being close enough for me. It'd allow me the ability to have a four way comparison as opposed to a two way. Leaving the low hanging blewbie joke fruit alone there.

 

This would be especially valuable to me with lagers as I haven't experimented with them as much as with ales. Not to mention dry hop experiments etc. I like that aspect of brewing, changing one thing and seeing how dissimilar the beers can be.

 

I recently did that with US-05 and S-04.  I plan on doing it with US-05 and BRY-97 soon.  I wouldn't want to compare more than one liquid yeast since I only have the equipment to make one starter at a time but if I did that could be cool.

[BlKtRe]

I had a call from a fellow homebrewer last night. He had a rash of o5 beers that has diacytle in them. He hydrates every time. He did not however do a rest. He reach FG in 7 days, racked, and crashed. So there you go I'm not the only one.