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  • bbl capacity questions

    Stupid question perhaps but, I'm new so give me a break. When a kettle or even a whole system is listed by bbl, does that mean that the kettle can hold that amount (in liquid) or does that mean that it has the ability to make that said amount when all is said and done (fermented and ready to serve/bottle)? For example: does a kettle listed as 3 bbl just boils 3 bbls of wort or 3 bbl of finished beer? Do I make sense?
    Josh Jayne
    Center Hill Craft Brewing
    West Haven, CT

  • #2
    Generally speaking your 3 bbl kettle will hold 3 bbls of wort, and some head space for the boil. You will have losses in fermentation and packaging that can not be predicted with much accuracy.
    Joel Halbleib
    Partner / Zymurgist
    Hive and Barrel Meadery
    6302 Old La Grange Rd
    Crestwood, KY
    www.hiveandbarrel.com

    Comment


    • #3
      I brew on a system by DME that is advertised as a 3 BBL system. The kettle holds 5 BBL max volume, which allows us to boil down to a 3-4 BBL batch. Our FVs (system was built with 2 double FVs to match) hold 4.5 BBLs (at that point, water came out the top when I was measuring).

      With that, we are able to brew 4 BBL batches of mid-range gravity (the biggest gravity we have done so far is about 15*P). I start the boil with ~4.6-4.8 BBLs in the kettle, boil for an hour and end up with ~4.2 BBLs in the kettle. I leave ~.2 BBLs in the kettle with hops and trub, but can get most everything out of the whirpool.

      Taking hose loss and everything else into account, we end up with ~103-103 gallons in the kegs (~3.5 BBLs). We have just barely been able to get 124 gallons into the kegs with one or two batches (in 90 days).
      -Lyle C. Brown
      Brewer
      Camelot Brewing Co.

      Comment


      • #4
        I brew on a 10bbl Bohemian system. The kettle can safely hold 15+bbl but my brite tanks can hold 10.5bbl. I've always worked on the principle that a system's volume "rating" refers to how much finished product can be produced in one brew. Usually the kettle will accommodate a greater volume than what can be brewed in one session. This for safety reasons; who wants a rolling boil RIGHT at the brew kettle door.

        Prost!
        Dave
        Glacier Brewing Company
        406-883-2595
        info@glacierbrewing.com

        "who said what now?"

        Comment


        • #5
          IMHO, a 3 bbl system should net 3 bbl and be sized appropriately throughout (headspaces etc) to accomodate this. If it doesn't/is not, it is not a 3 bbl system.

          If the components are being sold individually however.....(ie. '3 bbl kettle' may mean absolute volume for just that vessel).

          Pax.

          Liam
          Liam McKenna
          www.yellowbellybrewery.com

          Comment


          • #6
            "I brew on a 10bbl Bohemian system. The kettle can safely hold 15+bbl "

            That has to be unusual. I mean I can't imagine my 30 bbl system having a 45 bbl kettle. I would not complain but that can't be standard. I would rather have a 45 bbl mash tun and a 30 bbl kettle. But that is just me.
            Joel Halbleib
            Partner / Zymurgist
            Hive and Barrel Meadery
            6302 Old La Grange Rd
            Crestwood, KY
            www.hiveandbarrel.com

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by BrewinLou
              "I brew on a 10bbl Bohemian system. The kettle can safely hold 15+bbl "

              That has to be unusual. I mean I can't imagine my 30 bbl system having a 45 bbl kettle. I would not complain but that can't be standard. I would rather have a 45 bbl mash tun and a 30 bbl kettle. But that is just me.
              I don't make the rules, I just follow them.....
              yup, 15 bbls...who knew.
              my mash tun can hold WAY more than 10 bbls.

              Prost!
              Dave
              Glacier Brewing Company
              406-883-2595
              info@glacierbrewing.com

              "who said what now?"

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by BrewinLou
                "I brew on a 10bbl Bohemian system. The kettle can safely hold 15+bbl "

                That has to be unusual. I mean I can't imagine my 30 bbl system having a 45 bbl kettle. I would not complain but that can't be standard. I would rather have a 45 bbl mash tun and a 30 bbl kettle. But that is just me.
                The stated volume of a properly engineered kettle will cast out said volume after evaporation and trub loss. 3 bbl. kettle should cast out 3 bbl. of wort. One would need to calculate down stream losses; racking/filtration, yeast dumps, etc. and adjust the kettle full or preboil volume to net out 3 bbl. in the package.

                Our 15 bbl. DME kettle has a gross volume of 24 bbl. which is fairly standard working volume.
                Cheers & I'm out!
                David R. Pierce
                NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
                POB 343
                New Albany, IN 47151

                Comment


                • #9
                  Centerhill,

                  Did you wand a "cold break" or a "hot break"? I can give you either one....

                  Our former Bohemian 15bbl Monobloc would knock out 18+ barrels. All of the brewhouse vessels on that system were oversized which made brewing 15bbl batches a pleasure.

                  I've always interpreted capacity size as it relates to a brewhouse as its knockout capacity. I will say that the three different systems I've brewed on all varied somewhat from their stated capacity.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Every system ive worked on i have been able to push to put over the stated capacity into the bright tanks. Currently my "7bbl" pub system kettle will handel a kettle-up of 10bbl with room to spare. Limiting factor is my fermentors, any more wort and they blow off. Whats the sence of making more beer to have it blow off into the drain? I end up with 7.5 to 8 bbls in the brites, which have plenty of headspace for carbonating.

                    Note: these are ushualy stated for making "normal strength" beer, up to 14-15p. With the mash tun size being the limit. I would love manufacturers to come over to our way of thinking and turn thier "10bbl" mash tuns into "7bbl" tuns, so we could go up to 18p or so without reducing batch size.

                    PS: I know i could use fermcap to push the fermentor volume but im trying to limit my dependance on chemistry. Also its not recomended to crop yeast from such a fermentation.
                    Brewmaster, Minocqua Brewing Company
                    tbriggs@minocquabrewingcompany.com
                    "Your results may vary"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Simple answer - you ask the supplier to specify the wort gravity and volume, and then you can play tunes to some extent around that. Producing a 12 plato beer isn't that much different from a 9 plato beer, but get up to 15 or 18 plato, and then you start, as you quite rightly say, to run into lack of head room

                      It's like anything else in marketing, you base your sales pitch on an advantageous set of figures - engine size, fuel consumption versus length of time beteen major services / scrapping. You just have to ask a few pertinent questions
                      dick

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