10 gallons in a 2 bbl system?

[NateRams]

Hey all,

I'm looking at getting a brewing system. I was wondering if I got a 2 bbl system how easy is it to make 5-10 gal of brew in it for experimental batches? Would there be any problems doing it that way? Or should I just get a separate 10 gal system to do my experimental batches?

Nate

[a10t2]

What system(s) are you looking at? The short answer is that, no, you probably won't be able to brew 1/6 the design volume without issues. The biggest problem is that with a very shallow grain bed you won't be able to lauter effectively. The other issue is that you'll need a way to adjust the amount of heat being applied to the kettle. Otherwise the boiloff rate for the small volume will be extremely high.

Bear in mind that your process losses won't scale either. If you're leaving a total of 15% (0.3 bbl) behind in the kettle, fermenter, during transfers, etc., you'd need to boil ~20 gal in order to net 10.

[NateRams]

Thanks...I figured I would run into those kinds of problems but I just wanted to make sure. I was thinking of the BrewMagic Nano system but I'm still in the process of looking around.