I have been using a Spike V3 20g kettle for a few years with custom BIAB bags. The bags worked fine but I have wanted a SS basket since my first EBIAB brew-day and considered having a custom one made for my Spike kettle. So glad I waited and Spike developed one. The quality is exactly what I expect from Spike and I could not be happier with it. My 20g EBIAB set-up is much like the Spike Solo. I have brewed 2 batches with the basket, a 5g Pale Ale and a 10g IPA. I gave 5 stars because the build quality is perfect and it meets my every expectation. I did not expect to be able to do 5 gallon batches due to the void space between the basket and the bottom of the kettle. I have another 10g EBIAB set-up that I use for 5g batches. The 5g batch I brewed with this basket was a low ABV-low calorie recipe that I brew during summer months, the grain bill was as small as I can imagine for a 5g brew and the water level in the basket didn't quite cover the grain bed. This called for quite a bit of stirring during the brew day and if I did not already have a 10g set-up, I could make this work for future 5g batches but it is not ideal, but again I didn't expect it would be. I also assumed that this basket would allow more grain material through than a bag, and it does, again not an issue nor unexpected. Although it does add some time at the end of the brew day, since I spend more time cleaning out my plate chiller, my total brew day time is shorter because this basket drains so well.
I am super happy with this basket and will be purchasing a 10g version as soon as Spike makes them available.
- Ease of use
- Recommendation
- Value
