BIAB Brewing (with pics)

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I would give a really good yank on it to make sure it's still strong...if it holds, go with it.
Also, I don't know about your walmart, but the one here has a fabric section...voille is $2.50/yd
 
The local Walmart has not restocked their voille in the fabric section for over a month. The local fabric store carries a style of voillie but it is very loose fitting and not very strong. Thanks for the reply.
 
msa8967 said:
Good idea. I had looked there once and all they had were curtains that had been dyed colors other than white so I was not sure of how safe the color dye process would be. they may have just plain white now back in stock.
Click to expand...

Hey mick let me know if the lowes has them in stock. My wife got a sewing machine and I'm going to attempt to suggest this project once things get a little calmer around the house. Thanks!
 
Had an interesting revelation this last week, and wanted to share with you all...
i'm doing 1.5 Gallon BIABs and after looking jealously at all of the nifty pictures of people's cooler mash tun conversions... i thought... instead of struggling with keeping my temps up, and messing with my mash on the stovetop, why not use a cooler?

So, my idea, that worked flawlessly, to share with you all.

my brew kettle fits inside my coleman cooler. so, i placed a bath towel in the bottom of the cooler, then poured 3 gallons of 170* water into the cooler, then placed my kettle in it after doughing in my grains.

the result? a 90 minute mash of an AG wheat that stayed 154* the entire time. hit my gravity nearly exactly.
here's a few pics.
the brew kettle in the cooler, sparging, the boil, and RDWHAHB.

IMG_0116.jpg


IMG_0117.jpg


IMG_0121.jpg


IMG_0114.jpg
 
flushdrew42 said:
Had an interesting revelation this last week, and wanted to share with you all...
i'm doing 1.5 Gallon BIABs and after looking jealously at all of the nifty pictures of people's cooler mash tun conversions... i thought... instead of struggling with keeping my temps up, and messing with my mash on the stovetop, why not use a cooler?

So, my idea, that worked flawlessly, to share with you all.

my brew kettle fits inside my coleman cooler. so, i placed a bath towel in the bottom of the cooler, then poured 3 gallons of 170* water into the cooler, then placed my kettle in it after doughing in my grains.

the result? a 90 minute mash of an AG wheat that stayed 154* the entire time. hit my gravity nearly exactly.
here's a few pics.
the brew kettle in the cooler, sparging, the boil, and RDWHAHB.
Click to expand...

I do the exact same thing. I happen to have a monster 84 qt Coleman cooler someone had given us for Christmas one year. Too big to mash directly in (it takes a full 2 gallons to even reach the drain spigot), but my 6.5 gallon kettle fits nicely. Warm up the cooler, drop in the pot with bag (lid and all) and mash away. MAY drop a degree during a 75 minute mash.
 
I did my first small batch BIAB yesterday in a 5 gallon pot, I actually just heated my oven up slightly then put the pot in the oven and it held 156-151 over 90 minutes with stirring every 15 mins.
 
I have about 6 stovetop BIAB sessions done in the past few weeks and I realized today I might have messed up all of them, In order to keep the bag off of the bottom I used a baker's cooling rack (instead of a ss colander). The round cooling rack has some chrome content in it and I am not sure if this is safe for brewing at temps of 170+F. Anyone have any ideas? I did remove the racks prior to reaching the boil temp for the wort.
 
msa8967 said:
I have about 6 stovetop BIAB sessions done in the past few weeks and I realized today I might have messed up all of them, In order to keep the bag off of the bottom I used a baker's cooling rack (instead of a ss colander). The round cooling rack has some chrome content in it and I am not sure if this is safe for brewing at temps of 170+F. Anyone have any ideas? I did remove the racks prior to reaching the boil temp for the wort.
Click to expand...

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Chromium is used in stainless steel and does not react with water. I'd use it.

http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/A-C/Chromium.html

Cheers!
 
msa8967 said:
I have about 6 stovetop BIAB sessions done in the past few weeks and I realized today I might have messed up all of them, In order to keep the bag off of the bottom I used a baker's cooling rack (instead of a ss colander). The round cooling rack has some chrome content in it and I am not sure if this is safe for brewing at temps of 170+F. Anyone have any ideas? I did remove the racks prior to reaching the boil temp for the wort.
Click to expand...

It's fine.... Your beer will turn out great.
 
wow, great thread. I wish I had seen this before I ordered my 44 qt kettle. I could have ordered it with the basket for $30 more and didn't think I would need it. Separately it is about $75.

I do have one that came with my 34 qt kettle. Do you guys think it would be big enough to use the 34 qt basket in the 44 qt kettle??

This would be for ~5 gallon batches.
 
hausofstrauss said:
wow, great thread. I wish I had seen this before I ordered my 44 qt kettle. I could have ordered it with the basket for $30 more and didn't think I would need it. Separately it is about $75.

I do have one that came with my 34 qt kettle. Do you guys think it would be big enough to use the 34 qt basket in the 44 qt kettle??

This would be for ~5 gallon batches.
Click to expand...


its not needed.. just a nice to have item. I've been doing BIAB for the last year (23 batches so far) and haven't used a basket (I have one that is currently holding my wireless router off the ground). Also I have only had one batch where I wished I had a pulley to help lift the bag. That was a pumpkin ale which was VERY slow draining even with 1lb of rice hulls added.

Stir continuously while heating and you should be fine. Of course this is if you are using a voile bag. Paint strainer bags might melt.
 
I use an enameled plate (not really a plate but I don't know what to call it) that can be heated in the oven for the bottom of my brew kettle and it looks brand new after many uses. It takes the heat and raises the bag about 1" off the bottom.
 
mysticmead said:
its not needed.. just a nice to have item. I've been doing BIAB for the last year (23 batches so far) and haven't used a basket (I have one that is currently holding my wireless router off the ground). Also I have only had one batch where I wished I had a pulley to help lift the bag. That was a pumpkin ale which was VERY slow draining even with 1lb of rice hulls added.[\QUOTE]

Wait, I thought rice hulls were only needed when mashing in a cooler to prevent a stuck sparge. Is that correct? May be a dumb question but I an doing my first BIAB this weekend so wanted to see what use rice hulls are really for. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Sippin37 said:
Wait, I thought rice hulls were only needed when mashing in a cooler to prevent a stuck sparge. Is that correct? May be a dumb question but I an doing my first BIAB this weekend so wanted to see what use rice hulls are really for. Thanks
Click to expand...

I always skip the rice hulls with BIAB. I tried them once when brewing a pumpkin ale but it was a nightmare to drain. Never again.
 
Sippin37 said:
Wait, I thought rice hulls were only needed when mashing in a cooler to prevent a stuck sparge. Is that correct? May be a dumb question but I an doing my first BIAB this weekend so wanted to see what use rice hulls are really for. Thanks
Click to expand...


normally yes rice hulls are used to prevent stuck sparges. They can also be used if doing a BIAB that includes 3lbs of pumpkin puree or if doing a 100% wheat beer to help with draining. The 100% wheat beer I did was very slow to drain but since it was a small grain bill it wasn't that heavy. The pumpkin ale on the other hand was heavy as hell and I had no choice but to stand there holding it while it drained. It was the only time I wished for a pulley.
 
Okay, that makes sense. I'm glad my first brew pot was really a turkey fryer pot. It is going to come in handy with the strainer pot that I can just set my bag of grains in while I bring the wort up to a boil. Then just dump whatever extra wort I collect from the draining grains into my brew keggle. Excited to see what kind of efficiency I can get.
 
Just scored a brand new 15 gallon boilermaker for $250 from a charity event at my local home brew store. Can't wait to start using your method!

One question: Do you not have your thermometer in the boilermaker because the Bayou basket would not fit if it was in?

Thanks
 
Dillonks1 said:
Just scored a brand new 15 gallon boilermaker for $250 from a charity event at my local home brew store. Can't wait to start using your method!

One question: Do you not have your thermometer in the boilermaker because the Bayou basket would not fit if it was in?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I removed the kettle thermometer because it would block the basket and/or snag the bag. I think some people still use their kettle thermometers without any problems but I didn't feel that I needed it since all I care about are mash temps which can be easily obtained with any portable thermometer. Northern Brewer and other places sell a plug kit for the hole if you decide to remove your thermometer.

And congrats on the kettle score! :mug:
 
OK, so, I brewed a Belgian Strong Golden Ale today and I finally got all of my ducks in a row in terms of efficiency. First, adjusted my pH with acidulated malt to hit 5.3. Next, I made sure to hit all my temperatures properly. In addition, I used a digital probe thermometer to probe the grist during the BIAB and found I needed a lot more stirring and agitation than I normally use. My approach was to stir with a paddle and to move the grain around on the way to strike temperature by pulling up on 1 side of the bag and then the other to sort of roll the grain around in the bag. This worked very well. Finally, I did a 2 gallon batch sparge at 175 after mashing out. Overall I got 78% efficiency on a 15.5 lb grain bill. That is better than I have done. Add to that 2lb of sugar and this should be a nice brew!

Pitched yeast recovered from Pranqster Golden Ale. Already bubbling away.
 
Sounds like everything went well. My first BIAB was also my first All Grain today and things did not go so well. My digital thermometer failed while checking my mash temp so I had to just roll with the punches with a floating thermometer that takes forever to tell you the temp. Think I may have mashed at 162 (shooting for 154) for the final 30 minutes of the sach rest. Then tried to mash out at 170 but I think it was more like 175. So only time will tell how this Northern English Brown will turn out.

Anyone know of a long probed, fast temp reading thermometer I should purchase? Thanks
 
Sorry to hear about your trials. However, my bet is that you will have beer when you get done and you will be happy to drink it. That said, there is always room for improvement. On my 13th BIAB batch, I think I might be getting there.

My digital thermometer died on its maiden voyage today. Seems that the probe cannot be submerged (that's a problem). Wonder where I can find a replacement probe I can use. By the time I got to my mashout it was reading 228F constantly. Fortunately, I have a brewmometer in my keggle. Mashed out a 170 and then sparged with 175 water so I think it was 170 by the time I added the grain bag.
 
Thanks mystic. Excellent ideas. I'm wondering if my probe is going to work again when it dries out. I presume it should. Anyone have experience.
 
Answered my own question (and learned to read at the same time). It was about three posts down from the post showing the technique. Just bake the probe and wire for 20 min at 350 (leave the plug outside the oven). let's see if it works.......... (30 min later)...............Yep, It works!!!!!

Thanks.
 
Brewitt said:
OK, so, I brewed a Belgian Strong Golden Ale today and I finally got all of my ducks in a row in terms of efficiency. First, adjusted my pH with acidulated malt to hit 5.3. Next, I made sure to hit all my temperatures properly. In addition, I used a digital probe thermometer to probe the grist during the BIAB and found I needed a lot more stirring and agitation than I normally use. My approach was to stir with a paddle and to move the grain around on the way to strike temperature by pulling up on 1 side of the bag and then the other to sort of roll the grain around in the bag. This worked very well. Finally, I did a 2 gallon batch sparge at 175 after mashing out. Overall I got 78% efficiency on a 15.5 lb grain bill. That is better than I have done. Add to that 2lb of sugar and this should be a nice brew!

Pitched yeast recovered from Pranqster Golden Ale. Already bubbling away.
Click to expand...


78% on a 15.5 lb grain bill is a big improvement over what you were getting before! Just curious, how much water did you start with this time? (you mentioned adjusting for pH, but not volume)

Stirring enough to circulate the mash will make a big difference on making sure that all of the grist is at temp for the mash. I have found a traditional paddle can be a pain with the bag, so I went the route someone else suggested (not sure if it is back on this thread or a different one) of using a "wall board mud hand mixer" that can be found at most larger hardware stores for around $10. They basically look like a large potato masher with a longer handle, and stirring the mash with a vertical "plunging" motion is very effective and avoids getting your paddle twisted up in the bag.

here's a link to the one on HDs website.


http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...d=10053&langId=-1&keyword=mixer&storeId=10051
 
To squeeze or not to squeeze ?
When doing extract with speciality grains the directions always say don't squeeze or you will get tannins, for BIAB it seems a lot of folks squeeze the bag. What is right?
 
BPhad said:
To squeeze or not to squeeze ?
When doing extract with speciality grains the directions always say don't squeeze or you will get tannins, for BIAB it seems a lot of folks squeeze the bag. What is right?
Click to expand...

here's a way to look at it.... in a commercial brewery where they are HUGE batches of beer. The weight of the grains alone pressing down on the grains at the bottom of a mash tun alone is greater than the amount of pressure you can apply by hand.

to extract tannins it takes PH that is to high along with high temp (mainly the PH as a decoction mash boils the grain and doesn't extract tannins). Squeeze that bag and enjoy the beer
 
Mysticmead said:
here's a way to look at it.... in a commercial brewery where they are HUGE batches of beer. The weight of the grains alone pressing down on the grains at the bottom of a mash tun alone is greater than the amount of pressure you can apply by hand.

to extract tannins it takes PH that is to high along with high temp (mainly the PH as a decoction mash boils the grain and doesn't extract tannins). Squeeze that bag and enjoy the beer
Click to expand...

Thanks!
I did my second BIAB last weekend and got to thinking about this, I won't worry.
 
dobo said:
78% on a 15.5 lb grain bill is a big improvement over what you were getting before! Just curious, how much water did you start with this time? (you mentioned adjusting for pH, but not volume)
Click to expand...

I mashed with 7.5 gallons and sparged with 1.6 gallons.

dobo said:
Stirring enough to circulate the mash will make a big difference on making sure that all of the grist is at temp for the mash. I have found a traditional paddle can be a pain with the bag, so I went the route someone else suggested (not sure if it is back on this thread or a different one) of using a "wall board mud hand mixer" that can be found at most larger hardware stores for around $10. They basically look like a large potato masher with a longer handle, and stirring the mash with a vertical "plunging" motion is very effective and avoids getting your paddle twisted up in the bag.
Click to expand...

That is a great idea. Thanks for that. I did notice that moving the bag up and down was very effective because it brought up hot water from the bottom of the keggle. But I would like to swap out the handle for a long one, maybe 2-3 ft.
 
Brewitt said:
That is a great idea. Thanks for that. I did notice that moving the bag up and down was very effective because it brought up hot water from the bottom of the keggle. But I would like to swap out the handle for a long one, maybe 2-3 ft.
Click to expand...

The one I have (picked up mine from the local HD store so the link I provided should be the same thing) has a long handle already. Overall length with handle and mixer head is a few inches past 3' (sorry no tape nearby so I am estimating based on 12" ceramic tiles on the floor). Would imagine it to work fine in a Keggle as is.


For roughly $10 you can't go wrong. Perfect BIAB mash paddle.
 
Reading another thread about BIAB brewing (with no explanation of the term), I had to do a google search for BIAB. One of the links, of course, was HBT.

That click lead me here. So much information on HBT. I appreciate your taking the time to share your set-up, and to include pictures.

Although I am in a few beer clubs, and they are great, but finding HBT, via BargainFitting's Wayne, has been the icing on the beer glass. It gives you lots of good ideas, but the key is to brew, not just read, read, read, and I need to brew more.
 

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