Hi team,
I am looking at having a go at BIAB for both a nice drinking beer and also for distilling beers in the chase for a whiskey worthy of ageing / enjoying.
I have fermenters of various sizes ( 20L, 60L & 200L ) and 4 x 19L kegs ( ex Asahi ) which I would like to set to purpose.
I have had very limited experience with brewing ( a few kits of beer and a few ginger beers ) but am always keen to dive in head first and have a go.
My question is, should I start out with a 40L pot for brewing in the BIAB method or have some of you wished you had have gone bigger from the get go? I have a bit of birthday money here and can extend to a 70L from ebay which are about $150 ish. The 40L aren't all that much cheaper but I am concerned about the size issues (not sure if 70L too big or 40L too small). I have a four burner gas ring and intend to rig a shroud for the pot when I'm mashing to conserve heat. I also have access to and the skills to use a sewing machine so I can fabricate a custom bag to suit the pot.
Please remember that this is not only for batch drinking beers but will also evolve into larger scale for distilling (once I have the hang of BIAB)
Any experiences from you knowledgeable gurus will be well received.
Cheers, Heffers