Should I go exposed?

[Fifey]

BIAB in an electric urn seems the cheapest entry into all grain, something that I would love to start soon, assuming my future Adelaide housemates allow me to brew (trying to get a job in Adelaide, also want to apply for uni mid-year entry).

The Crown urn from Craftbrewer seems like a good option, being tried and readily available though I'll likely shop around some hospitality suppliers, but there does seem to be some debate as to whether to go for an exposed or hidden element.

[squirt in the turns]

I don't BIAB, but I went for the Crown urn with the exposed element as my kettle, after reading of numberous issues with the boil dry protection on the concealed element model making a rolling boil difficult to achieve. There is a fix for this, which involves some rewiring (voids the warranty), which I didn't fancy doing. The exposed element is cheaper too.

The main advantages of the concealed element are easier cleaning (although 5 Star PBW makes cleaning easy anyway) and reduced risk of burning your bag/grain, which you can avoid with a little care anyway.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. Craftbrewer had the best price on a new 40L urn at the time I was looking.

[speedie]

why do you concider it the cheapest way into all grain
you have an urn you have the desire use that will and get with it
dam one of my early attempts at all grain was wit5h a bag
it had a false bottom a draw string at the top and came from one of my early supppliers (fremantle home br4ewing)
so what makes you cock sure that the first time bag brewers are pioneers
an old dude

[jayse]

why do you concider it the cheapest way into all grain
you have an urn you have the desire use that will and get with it
dam one of my early attempts at all grain was wit5h a bag
it had a false bottom a draw string at the top and came from one of my early supppliers (fremantle home br4ewing)
so what makes you cock sure that the first time bag brewers are pioneers
an old dude

I am pretty sure you can get more intelligent post out of a drunk homeless drug addict.

[Tipsy]

why do you concider it the cheapest way into all grain

1 pot, 1 bag.

[barrelboy]

1 pot, 1 bag.

I am pretty sure you can get more intelligent post out of a drunk homeless drug addict.

What are we brewing here?
BB

[billybushcook]

why do you concider it the cheapest way into all grain
you have an urn you have the desire use that will and get with it
dam one of my early attempts at all grain was wit5h a bag

Aside from the endless incoherant Jibberish (F#cked if I know what that 2nd line is about?)
BIAB is not necessarily always the cheapest way to get into AG but to start from scratch it would be easier.

Call me a hoarder but......I already had a keg full of Copper coils, a burner, an Esky & 2 x 10L plastic Jerry cans (for sparging out of)
All I needed to make it work was some hose.
I turned up an outlet spout for the esky in my lathe & any fittings I had stashed as well.

If I had gone Biab I would have had to source a suitable bag (OK not that expensive) & the lip/top on the keg would snag the bag when lifting, plus I couldnt leave the Coil Chiller in there either.

So for me atleast it was easier to go 3V.

Cheers, Mick.

[Tipsy]

Would still have to be the cheapest way if starting from scratch

[billybushcook]

BIAB is not necessarily always the cheapest way to get into AG but to start from scratch it would be easier.
.

Er Um, I think I said that??

Mick.

[bullfrog]

Anybody else think this thread was about something entirely unrelated to brewing?

I tossed up between the exposed and the concealed elements when I was buying my urn and ended up with the exposed. From my research, the concealed element models can burn out pretty quickly when used to get something as dense as wort to a rolling boil for any great period of time, whereas the exposed element models will happily handle the task without breaking down. There's also the benefit of the exposed being cheaper (at least they were when I was in the market for urns.)

Down-sides to the exposed is the cleaning, but you're going to need a decent cleaning solution whatever model you've got and any urn cleaner makes the entire process very pain-free.

If you're only doing single-infusion mashes (which is all that is needed with modern malted barley) then you don't have to worry about your bag resting on the elements whilst mashing. If you want to do a stepped mash (even though there's no reason to do them, aside from incoherent ramblings about "the only way that beer is made" by some old-timers in WA that have only ever brewed one way and have decided that it's the only way it can be done) then just go to a kitchen shop and get yourself a cake cooling rack that fits inside your urn and will keep the bag off the elements.

[speedie]

second line of my post refers to your will or his another way of expreesing a desire to brew
so get with it and brew
one pot one second hand esky hot liquor pot on stove
go the three vessel way
cheers

[Tipsy]

BIAB is not necessarily always the cheapest way to get into AG but to start from scratch it would be easier.
.

Er Um, I think I said that??

Mick.

sorry Mick mis read that

[bullfrog]

go the three vessel way

This thread isn't about what method of brewing you employ or even which method you think is best; it's about what style of urn he should get and why.

Stop trying to ram your opinions on brewing down the throats of those that don't want them.

[speedie]

sorry frog
urn preferrance would be exposed element

if anyone asked what my opinion on what set up to use for producing beer
it wuold be without any hesitation three vessel stepped mash direct fired

[Fifey]

Whoops, being as this is in all grain I'd forgotten all about it.

Anybody else think this thread was about something entirely unrelated to brewing?

That was unashamedly deliberate.

As for why BIAB appears to be cheaper, I have none of the prerequisite equipment for 2 or 3 vessel, nor a powerful enough stove top (it's electric at home) so there's an awful lot of stuff I would need, and I'm also planning on moving soon so amount of equipment and space is an issue. Rather than jump into all grain under-equipped there's a local 3v all grain home brewer (and actual brewer too!) I'm going to brew with sometime soon. Grows hops as well, and has told me about another bloke in town that has some Hallertau!

Thanks for the help blokes, one additional thing I wondered about though was how the exposed element would cope with hop pellet goo.