BIAB with nylon paint strainer bag

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hawkeyes

hawkeyes

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I'm going to start doing BIAB 2.5 Gallon batches. I'm curious if it's alright to have the nylon paint strainer bag rest on the bottom of the kettle? Since I will be doing this on an electric stove. I'm wondering if the bag can handle the heat and not melt. Thanks!
 
NO! Its unlikely to melt since the surrounding wort will keep it from melting temps, but there is always the chance it can happen. Buy a metal colander from Walmart for @ $2-3 and save yourself the headaches.
 
Mine is/was fine but my pot has a slightly convex shape to the bottom (when looking down into it). YMMV
 
I picked up the cheap metal vegetable steamer, and pulled the center rod off. Toss it in the bottom of the pot and no worries.
 
Nope, def dont have it on the bottom and have the heat turned on, I walked away thinking I had turned the heat off and had submerged my bag,,,,remembered not more than a minute or so later...ding ding ding "did I turn the heat off?" Nope. Bag burned, actually burned to the bottom of stainless steel pot. Scrubbed off with a 3m abrasive pad, but still out 3.5 lbs doing a partial mash, needless to say I forged on, but went back to using my stainless steel colander as the "bag."
 
If you don't have the heat on while the bag's in the water, you're fine. If you miss your mash temp by a few degrees, just add some boiled water (for heat) or cool water (for lowering it).

Of course, this means you can't do a mashout, but if you hit your efficiency without one, why bother with the added step?
 
I would suggest a round cake rack. They only have to be half and inch or so tall
 
i have had no issues. i even did a step mash by heating from bottom and stir stir stir, and no issues with the bag. However one did rip after five batches.
 
I may have squeezed too hard at the end, but the rip was caught before the grain spilt. Beer came out great
 
These last couple questions raised a question that has been in the back of my mind. When using the 5g paint straining bags for BIAB, how many batches do people typically re-use the bags for? I like that it is only $5 for 2 bags, but if I have to replace them frequently the idea of having a bag made specifically for brewing starts to make more sense.

I've only done 1 batch of AG BIAB, and used the bag for both mashing grains and adding hops in the boil. I rinsed it out and had planned on using it again and again, but I really don't want to waste an entire batches worth of grain if the bag ever splits mid-process?
 
LowNotes said:
These last couple questions raised a question that has been in the back of my mind. When using the 5g paint straining bags for BIAB, how many batches do people typically re-use the bags for? I like that it is only $5 for 2 bags, but if I have to replace them frequently the idea of having a bag made specifically for brewing starts to make more sense.

I've only done 1 batch of AG BIAB, and used the bag for both mashing grains and adding hops in the boil. I rinsed it out and had planned on using it again and again, but I really don't want to waste an entire batches worth of grain if the bag ever splits mid-process?
Click to expand...

With proper care (i.e. being mindful of the pressure your squeezing puts on it), my understanding is that these things should last indefinitely. Mine hasn't had any problems and I've used it for a 15-20 batches, I'd say.

That being said, I haven't used it for a hops bag. I could imagine there being a chance of the bag being weakened or compromised by the higher temps of a boil--at least if it got in contact with the pot at that temp--but that's completely speculation, so don't take it to the bank.
 

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