Cedar Rapids Brewing Society

The humidity for a five hour brew day seems minimal at best. The brewery gets warmer but not that noticeable. I thought I might have to vent but didn't want to cut a hole in the side of my house. I also thought about just having a vent hood and an angled pipe to drip the condensation into the sink but honestly there isn't much moisture to deal with! I might add a small wall mount fan to move the air around but still doesn't seem necessary. I have been brewing on Tuesdays from about 8am to 1pm. I will be brewing a black kolsch (schwartzbeer with kolsch yeast) on Feb 10 if anyone wants to come by. After this tuesday I won't have any more Tuesdays off so will be back to brewing on Saturday or Sunday. The new kettle diameter does exceed the recommended 12 inch max but since we are all heating liquids and not sautéing anything, even heat distribution is not a problem. As long as the pot fits well the liquid will boil. The MegaPots have a 14 inch diameter and fit nicely on the metal frame of the burners. I know the Burton burners were more expensive but figured it might be easier to return to Amazon if I needed to. No chance of that, though, they work great! Also I tend to shy away from lowest price stuff, just seems like a risk I would rather avoid. There are some burners on the market that are $1500 so I figured $230 a piece for the Burton was still fairly low.

Bringing back old post but saw a nice quick write up about induction burners that is a nice quick read.

https://beerandbrewing.com/VoxaqyMAAJ3o ... a66de3e363

I've been using an induction cooktop for my 3 gal batches for the last few months and am really happy with it. Step-mashing a BIAB batch works about as well as my full-size HERMS system.

DrPaulsen wrote:I've been using an induction cooktop for my 3 gal batches for the last few months and am really happy with it. Step-mashing a BIAB batch works about as well as my full-size HERMS system.

Which model, and temperature control method, does it use?

http://www.oliso.com/smarthub/

I bought this induction cooktop back when it was a kickstarter, so it was a much better deal than it is now.

I never care about the exact temp, just the range, so the temp control is just a "turn on the burner, stir the mash, and eventually turn it off" sort of deal that I monitor periodically with a thermometer.

FYI - SS Brewtech offered this comparison (attached pdf) of their kettles to Spike Brewing, Northern Brewer, and Anvil Brewing.

There are pre-drilled holes to add a thermometer and a recirculation input.

SS is induction capable; and Spike and Anvil are induction capable/compatible; I can't say about Northern Brewers Megapot - but johnnyik induction setup shows a Megapot on his Burton induction unit.

SS brew makes some really nice pieces.

I think SS is a front-runner for me at this point.

I would like the thermometer in the 10 gal to be a bit lower for mash.

With an induction plate, I should be able to use the SS kettle for BIAB - but if I want to sparge, I will still need an HLT.

And with a false bottom and a pump, I should have everything I need for flexibility in my brewing options.

I settle in on this two pieces of equipment...it is on to HERMS/RIMS accessory.

The final cost will be close to the Grainfather setup, but mine will be modular - I will have built it and will know exactly what I have and, with practice, how to best use it.

The Ss 10-gal kettle has the thermometer set at the 4-gallon level.

When doing an all-grain mash, will the total of the grain and water exceed the 4-gallon mark so that the thermometer can be used to observe (and control) the mash temperature.

When would a batch be too small?

Lower gravity beers may not, but you could increase your water to grist ratio to make up for it. I do 1.5 qts/lbs. regularly.

I am leaning towards the Spike Brewing 10 or 15 gal kettle with two horizontal couplers. They are located at the 1.5 gal level...and a false bottom is available.

The lower port for the thermometer would allow the 10 gal kettle to be used for small batches (5 gallons and lower) and 6-7 gallons with care.

My concern with the 15-gal is it's width of 15.8 inches. If used on the burner I plan to get, the over hang would be about 2 3/4 inches...that might be a little too much. Whereas the 10-gal would overhang 1 3/4 inches.

It has a domed bottom, but they state their kettles are induction compatible.

$240 for 15-gal and $200 for 10-gal - this does not include a valve or a thermometer. False bottom with draw tube adds $90. And another $30 for a 3-piece ball valve.

Thoughts?

Those kettles are very nice. High quality welds. It is a flat, stepped bottom like Blichmann. I would not hesitate to go that route. Just redesigned their kettles. If you want a kettle and do not need the new features, you can find a deal on their closeouts.

Matt F wrote:Those kettles are very nice. High quality welds. It is a flat, stepped bottom like Blichmann. I would not hesitate to go that route. Just redesigned their kettles. If you want a kettle and do not need the new features, you can find a deal on their closeouts.

How/where can I find closeout sales?

I think their old stock is all but gone unless you can find it used second hand. Their new stuff IMO is worth the money. They had a lot of QC issues in years past.

Chris is right, looks like old style is gone. Here is a link to the new 10 gallon for $200. Valve and Thermometer sold separately though.
http://spikebrewing.com/collections/10- ... ss-kettles

Personally, I would check out the Tall Boy kettles from Northern Brewer @ $119.99 for a 10 gallon. Put the holes and weldless fittings where you want them. I helped Randy add some holes to an 8 gallon pot. It was super solid. They are stainless steel so should be induction compatible. I would make a quick call to NB before buying to double check though.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/b ... -10-gallon