A second 30qt kettle

[AbacusBrewingCo]

I have the opportunity to get a 30qt kettle for pretty cheap. I already use a 30qt to do 5gal full boil extract, and I'm thinking about doing mini-mash, and will eventually move to all-grain. Would this extra kettle be beneficial for either mini mash or all-grain down the road?

Alternatively, does anyone have experience doing two batches at the same time? I brew in my kitchen, so I'm guessing that once I have everything cleaned and set up, doing two batches at the same time wouldn't be too much more work than one, as long as i stagger them by a few minutes.

[siwelwerd]

Would this extra kettle be beneficial for either mini mash or all-grain down the road?

It depends on your setup. I have four pots: 5 gallon, 7 gallon, 15 gallon, 16 gallon. I never use the 7 gallon anymore. YMMV, but you're probably better off getting a larger kettle to coincide with your eventual move outdoors. On the other hand, a 30 qt pot can usually be resold to recover a chunk of your investment.

For mini-mash, the only extra equipment you need is a grain bag and a small (2 gallon) cooler.

Doing two batches at the same time wouldn't be too much more work than one, as long as i stagger them by a few minutes.

When I try and do two batches at once, the limiting factor is usually the fact that I have only one wort chiller. I usually end up with a 1-2 hour longer brew day.

[AbacusBrewingCo]

thanks for the input, since i can probably resell the 30qt for more than i'm buying it for, i might as well give it a shot. good point on the wort chiller, but if i stagger the two batches by a bit i can probably work around that. i also might upgrade my wort chiller, and instead of selling the first one i could just keep instead.

[brewinhard]

An extra kettle is always good for having around. Especially for all grain when you need a place to hold/heat extra water.

[AbacusBrewingCo]

I'm sold on getting one, but do I want a 30qt used for $30 or a 40qt new for $45? Link below is the 40qt, is this one good to get (for a stovetop)?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CH ... B001CHKL68

[siwelwerd]

I'd always argue for going bigger than you think you need. It's nice to have a little flexibility in your system. Regarding your soon-to-be backup wort chiller, you can also use it as a prechiller in the summer when doing a single batch.

[AbacusBrewingCo]

prechiller?

[siwelwerd]

prechiller?

Yeah. You use the old chiller as a heat exchanger to chill the water going in to the new chiller. Typically this is done by hooking two immersion chillers in series, the first one is placed in a bucket of ice water*, and the second in the wort. The tap water gets chilled as it passes through the prechiller, which speeds chilling of the wort.

*For optimal chilling, you can knock off 100 degrees or so with tap water, then add the ice.