using 2 kettles

Methods, ingredients, advice and equipment specific to all-grain (mash), partial mash (mini mash) and "brew in a bag" (BIAB) brewing.
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Cadbury
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using 2 kettles

Post by Cadbury »

G'day men,
I want to do 60 litre batches. I don't want to buy a 100L pot, so I thought I could use the two 50L kettles I already have. Can I drain the mash tun using a T-junction? Will the wort end up being exactly the same in both kettles? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Cadbury
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Trough Lolly
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Trough Lolly »

If you can get equal flow rates into both kettles, then yes, in theory they should be pretty close to the same preboil gravity. The problem then is that you have two kettles to chill - do you have two immersion chillers? You could buy a March pump and move the hot wort through a counterflow chiller - or, not buy a March pump and get the 100L kettle!

Cheers,
TL
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Cadbury
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Cadbury »

yes. I was thinking about that. I was planning on cooling one then the other. I will ferment in three 30L buckets.
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Trough Lolly
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Trough Lolly »

Despite the supposedly innovative non-cooling brewing techniques championed on other brewing forums, I always recommend that you try to bring the boiled wort down to yeast pitching temps as soon as possible. There are many reasons why and they are not core to this thread, but if you want to get the best results, you should try to cool all of your wort as soon as you can...Cooling one vessel quickly whilst the other hovers at temps above 70C is kinda like having half a shower.

Cheers,
TL
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Cadbury
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Cadbury »

I see what you mean. I've decided to weld two 50L purchased kegs together.
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Clean Brewer
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Clean Brewer »

60 litres is alot of beer to get through if it ends up shite or infected, not worth the risk IMO..... :wink:

CB
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drsmurto
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by drsmurto »

Cadbury wrote:I see what you mean. I've decided to weld two 50L purchased kegs together.
Cadbury
Picked up my 2nd 50L keg recently ($20) and plan on getting the 2 welded together. Got a few mates with TIG welders who work for beer.

I picked up my brew bench this week as well as a march pump. Will be grabbing a 50L HLT in the next week or 2. Then it will be big batches :lol: :twisted: 8)
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Trough Lolly
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Trough Lolly »

drsmurto wrote:...I picked up my brew bench this week as well as a march pump. Will be grabbing a 50L HLT in the next week or 2. Then it will be big batches :lol: :twisted: 8)
Welcome to the club; we've got jackets!! :D
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drsmurto
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by drsmurto »

I'll take a pic of the brewbench and equipment soon TL. The bench isnt all that different to yours, minus the shelf you have.

Now i just need to figure out how to use a march pump.....
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Trough Lolly
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Re: using 2 kettles

Post by Trough Lolly »

drsmurto wrote:I'll take a pic of the brewbench and equipment soon TL. The bench isnt all that different to yours, minus the shelf you have.

Now i just need to figure out how to use a march pump.....
No probs - ping me if you need help re the pump - they're the ducks guts when you fire it all up. With a bit of inventive flair you can make a full blown HERMS with one pump if you wanna get hard core!

Cheers,
TL
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