A BIAB question

I'm thinking about ordering another batch, but maybe going with one of the companies that specializes in 1 gallon kits. The thing is those kits appear to be all-grain only, so I was wondering if I could brew those kits as if they were BIAB, even though they're not. I have a 3 gallon pot if my 2 gallon isn't big enough. I also have my 5 gallon, if I have to go bigger than that. All I need is the bag, which I'll just pick up at HD or Lowe's if Amazon will take longer to ship than ordering the beer kit. I've done 4 extract batches and feel like maybe I'm ready to take the next step.

You will have no problem doing 1 gallon BIAB in your 3 gallon pot. I do my 1 gallon in a 3 gallon pot with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from HD. It is a breeze.

If you have saved some yeast from your other brews, save money and order the grains minus the yeast. There isn't any reason to order the kits. The yeast drives up the price.

Yeah, I need to do some (lot more) reading on yeast harvesting/saving.....yeast in general really.

That brings up some other options I'm unsure of. The one gallon Caribou Slobber I brewed recommended a half pack of yeast. I thought about doubling up on a one gallon recipe so there would be no "wasted" yeast. Doubling up would let me avoid buying an extra pack of dry yeast (depending on the style ordered) as I could just do a 2 gallon batch.


Another option I've thought is just order a 5 gallon all grain recipe and split it in half. The downside is being stuck with one style. Another downside is retaining ingredient freshness, especially the hops since it would be a good month, maybe two, between batches once the pipeline gets established. In the end, it seems easier to just brew all 5 gallons instead of splitting it in half.


The main issue is I've gotten to where I enjoy brewing as much as i do drinking. 5 gallon extract kits are fun and all, but a 5 gallon batch lasts me a pretty good while. I brewed my first 5 gallon batch the first week of August and still have a sixer left. That was giving away 12-18 beers to friends and family. No telling how much of that batch I would really have left, if I didn't share it. I like to share, so maybe that's a non-issue too, but two months still seems like a while to keep extra ingredients fresh.

This is one thing I like about small batch brewing. I "have" to brew more often and that's a plus as I learn the more I brew. I'm stuck at the brewing crossroads, but I say that in a positive away.

Just to point out. BIAB is all grain it is just a different technique then the traditional 3 vessel technique. Northern Brewer has their "BIAB kits" but really they are just 3 gal all grain kits. There is no difference in kits for one or the other technique.

You will have no problem with your 3 gal pot and 1 gal kit. I do 1.5-1.75 gal batches in a 4 gal pot. I dropped the size of my batches for the same reason, otherwise I was brewing every few months.

How big of a pot would be required for a five gallon batch?

I found a recipe that I thought would be interesting, but it uses 11lbs of grain (including a pound of rice hulls). Not sure if my pot is big enough, but I'm thinking maybe not. I want to get into all grain BIAB, but I'd like to use only what I have on hand as opposed to buying more equipment.

Not sure of my pot size offhand, but its got to be around 5-6 gallons or maybe a little more. Can you brew AG partial boil?

Northern Brewer offers a 7 gallon pot, but those BIAB kits only make 3 gallon as already mentioned. I plan on getting a 10 gallon pot for myself.


If your pot is too small, I would just split a 5 gallon batch in two or look to do small batch brews in the 3 gallon or less camp. I think because of water displacement by the grains, you need a pretty good sized pot. IMO, a 10 gallon pot is a nice must have investment if you're going to do 5 gallon all grain batches. I wished when I started I had plunked down the change for one instead of going for the cheapest 5 gallon pot I could find.

Damn...and my birthday is almost a year away...

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll hold off onto AG endeavors.

I went ahead an splurged on a bigger pot. I ordered the Bayou Classic 10 gallon kettle with basket and spigot for $185 shipped. I'll have to hold off on any more beer kit orders til I get paid again. At least now I should be able to do full volume boils, extract or all grain.

For a full volume boil with the equipment you had, you could have done Partial Mash BIAB.

Mash 3-4 lbs. of grain in your 3 gallon pot. Combine that wort to the 170-F remaining volume of water in your 5 gallon kettle. Bring to a boil. Add another 3-4 lbs. extract and bittering hops. Proceed as normal. You should end up with 3.75 to 4.25 gallons of quality wort if your recipe is good.

bobbrews said:

For a full volume boil with the equipment you had, you could have done Partial Mash BIAB.

Mash 3-4 lbs. of grain in your 3 gallon pot. Combine that wort to the 170-F remaining volume of water in your 5 gallon kettle. Bring to a boil. Add another 3-4 lbs. extract and bittering hops. Proceed as normal. You should end up with 3.75 to 4.25 gallons of quality wort if your recipe is good.

Click to expand...

Sorry...who is this directed toward? I think I can just about do a full boil, but I actually prefer a partial boil so I can freeze some bottled water. Then after chilling my wort, I can get it down to like 60f to pitch yeast. Sorry if you didn't direct your comment to me. My question was about the minimum pot size for AG (11ish pounds of grain).

Thanks, though.

Oh, I thought you were the same guy who started the thead for a second.

I personally don't think that the convenience of doing a partial boil trumps the final quality of the beer... especially if it's an IPA. But to each his own. Full volume boils are the way to go IMO... especially if you have a large enough kettle for it.

I agree with that. Convenience is great, but not at the expense of the beer's quality or versatility (why else would anyone do anything but extract kits?).

Thanks again.