My 5G "system"

[Kealia]

I don't often do 5G batches because it requires a little more set up and tear down. I brew large batches on the back deck with a turkey fryer, basket and a ladder with a dowel to hold the basket for my makeshift sparge. I know I don't have to sparge, but I like to and it has always been part of my BIAB process.

Once the mash is done, I hang the basket above my pot and pour water through until I get to my pre-boil volume.



It isn't the prettiest system but it works for me allowing the runnings to drip into the beer while I heat it up.



Once that is done, I simply remove the hanging basket, dowel and ladder and proceed to boil. Voila.

I guess what I am saying here is:
1) I'm just hanging out on the back deck brewing and posting for no good reason
2) For anybody looking to go bigger ot do things different, don't worry about buying an expensive system if you don't want to/can't afford to.

With all due respect to Bella and Toby......there is more than one way to skin a cat [emoji1]

[FedoraDave]

For my fivers, I have a homemade mash tun. Cost about thirty bucks, all told. I do BIAB for 2.5 gallon batches, and I also like to sparge, which I do in a separate kettle. If you understand the process, you can tailor your technique to whatever works best for you. Most important, if you're getting good beer out of it, it's a good way to do it.

[Beer-lord]

I didn't know you did BIAB.
I still do great with using large collanders to pull much of the malt out into 2 buckets (bags in the buckets) and then it makes the main bag easier to pull out. Takes about 10 minutes and I swear it helps with efficiency.
Do whatever works for you.

[Inkleg]

roflbot.jpg (71.86 KiB) Viewed 215 times

Dude, that way works and well too. That's how I did my RIS.
As long as beer is the end result, the journey there is your own.

[Kealia]

Today turned into an interesting brew day. No need to start a new thread, but here's what happened today:

1) It was really windy and a bit colder than it should be this time of year so I didn't boil off as much as I normally do.
2) As a result I expected my OG to be lower than expected and was already working on how much DME I'd need to come back up to the target gravity
3) I ended up over-shooting my target OG by 3 points - AND was over on volume so I had crazy efficiency on this batch
4) I forgot this recipe was a 90-minute boil so I got to read a few extra pages of my current book
5) During the chill I got sprayed by my immersion chiller and avoided a bad burn
- It was positioned so that the input and output of the coils happened to be facing me
- 10 seconds into running the water through the IC and starting to stir the wort, the "out" tube popped off and the water running through the coils sprayed on me
- Fortunately, my shirt absorbed most of the heat so I didn't get burned but I easily could have taken this on the face, the arm, etc.

I was lucky enough to be able to shut the water off, re-clamp the hose down and re-start my chill. Whatever water fell into my wort was taken care of by the 200+ temps of it so I'm not worried about that at all. Just happy to have escaped a burn.

I guess over time the hot water and subsequent cooling made the hoses slide off. From this point forward I will be checking these connections every time.
Just something to think about if you've never checked yours.

[Kealia]

I didn't know you did BIAB.

Yep, every batch except my Dead Guy clone and my IPL are BIAB.
The only thing keeping me from buying a permanent system is lack of space for a dedicated brew area.
Some day.

[Kealia]

It's a good thing I rigged a blow off on this one. At about 18 houts post-pitch this is going nuts. As it stands I've had to pull the stopper a few times to help vent things a bit.
Me thinks I need a bigger blow off tube but I don't know how I'd rig that up with the thermowell in there.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this one over the next 24 hours. I'm guessing that it is going to be done in anout 3-4 days.