BIAB Brewing (with pics)

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My most recent attempt was the only one I knew what the LHBS mill was set at, it was .030. What do you consider to be too coarse? I also only ran once through, next time I'll do it twice. I did mash for 90 minutes that time and squeezed a lot from the bag.

I need to get a brewing spoon or paddle of some sort. I am using a large slotted spoon for cooking. I suspect I am not getting a good enough stir with it. This time I stirred a bit but not a ton, I think next time I will try stirring a lot more and see what that does for me.

I agree with getting yourself a real spoon, but do you other guys think his current spoon is the problem?

Is Lake Mendota still frozen?
 
I use my LHBS's default crush, which is the default on a Barley Crusher.

I almost think if you didn't stir throughout the mash your temp may have been too high or low. If you heat the mash but don't stir, it'll take a long time for the heat to move through the mash, and your thermometer won't register the correct temperature until there's too much residual heat in the mash, which will coast up over time and you'll way overshoot.

If you don't stir during the mash, the grain bed will hold temp, but the temp outside the grain will drop drastically, so when you do eventually stir your thermometer will drop. So stir throughout to check for a consistent temperature.

Definitely mash out.

Also, was your final volume what you were shooting for, or was it too high? If you had too high volume, you're not boiling hard/long enough.
 
I agree with getting yourself a real spoon, but do you other guys think his current spoon is the problem?

Is Lake Mendota still frozen?

I am not sure about Lake Mendota, I haven't seen it in a while. But I just ran down the bike path on John Nolen this past Sunday, and there were people fishing off the railroad tracks in the bay of Monona. I am assuming they would have been ice fishing if it hadn't all thawed there already.
 
So I am planning a big beer for this weekend with a 90 minute boil. Based on my boil off, batch size and amount of grain I am not going to have enough space in my kettle to start with all the water. Beersmith says I need 10.5 gallons of space, my kettle is 10. I don't like going above 9.5 when mashing. How best should I handle this:
  • mash with a gallon less and add it post mash pre boil?
  • start with a gallon less and use it to do a sparge of sorts?
  • start with a gallon less, heat it to mashout temp and pour it through the pulled bag into the kettle?
  • just topoff when going into fermenter?
  • cut some grain and augment with LDE/DME

Still not sure on the logistics of the second and third, will need some equipment augmentation to accomplish.
 
jb1677 said:
So I am planning a big beer for this weekend with a 90 minute boil. Based on my boil off, batch size and amount of grain I am not going to have enough space in my kettle to start with all the water. Beersmith says I need 10.5 gallons of space, my kettle is 10. I don't like going above 9.5 when mashing. How best should I handle this:

[*]mash with a gallon less and add it post mash pre boil?
[*]start with a gallon less and use it to do a sparge of sorts?
[*]start with a gallon less, heat it to mashout temp and pour it through the pulled bag into the kettle?
[*]just topoff when going into fermenter?
[*]cut some grain and augment with LDE/DME


Still not sure on the logistics of the second and third, will need some equipment augmentation to accomplish.

You can mash with less water and top off after the mash. Sparging through the pulled grain would be the best option for efficiency, but not really necessary. I just top up while after I mash out.

BTW, depending how big a beer your making, you'll never be able to mash with 8.5 gallons.
My biggest beer to date is a 1.052 ESB. I started with 8.8g of water with an 11lb grain bill in my 10g Blichmann pot. My pot was maxed out.
 
You can mash with less water and top off after the mash. Sparging through the pulled grain would be the best option for efficiency, but not really necessary. I just top up while after I mash out.

BTW, depending how big a beer your making, you'll never be able to mash with 8.5 gallons.
My biggest beer to date is a 1.052 ESB. I started with 8.8g of water with an 11lb grain bill in my 10g Blichmann pot. My pot was maxed out.

I did my first five-gallon BIAB batch yesterday. First -- thanks again to everyone on this thread. Awesome info throughout and made the day an enjoyable one.
I have a 10-gallon kettle (not a Blichmann) that is ~12 inches deep and ~16 inches diameter. I brewed a simple wheat with a 10.5-pound grain bill. I was worried about having enough room so I started with 7.5 gallons of water and had another gallon of hot water on standby. After I mashed in, I had room and added that gallon to get to 8.5.
I had about an inch to spare. So I figure I can do recipes that call for a higher grain bill. But it will require being awfully careful when stirring.
 
I can do 8.5 gallons and ~13.75lbs of grain - that takes me right to the max level I can work at. The recipe this weekend has a 90 minute boil, so I need to start with 9.3 gallons of water and it calls for almost 15lbs of grain. Beersmith says I need 10.5 gallons of space.
 
I don't have all the details in front of me, but I did a 17 lb BIAB (my first BIAB no less) in a 10 gallon pot. I don't remember the water I started with and I only boiled for 60 mins, so I could start with less water, but I pretty much fit everything is. I did let it drip for quite awhile and then squeeze the bag to get a lot of the water out. But doing that I was able to get my pre-boil volume needed.
 
Having some issues understanding efficiency.
I brewed my first BIAB yesterday. Wheat recipe that I created on Beer Calculus. Not knowing what my efficiency was going to be having never done one before, I put 70 percent in. Projected OG was 1.045.
Actual OG was 1.044, so pretty darn close.

When I plug numbers into this: http://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/ , it's telling me 63.3 percent. I listed wort volume at 5.5 gallons because that's what I put into the fermenter. I left at least a half-gallon in the kettle, mostly trub. With that being the case, should I put 6 as the wort volume? (That would bring it up to 69.1).

If indeed I am 63.3, then why is my OG so close to what it is supposed to be when projected at 70 percent?
Am I missing something?
Any thoughts?
 
Can't really help you with that calculator, but I know I was confused with efficiency in BeerSmith as well until I started playing with it more. In BeerSmith, if the batch size you tell it you are going to make matches the measured batch size and measured OG matches estimated OG, then the efficiencies match. No idea why it too me so long to figure that out, but maybe that will help you.
 
Having some issues understanding efficiency.
I brewed my first BIAB yesterday. Wheat recipe that I created on Beer Calculus. Not knowing what my efficiency was going to be having never done one before, I put 70 percent in. Projected OG was 1.045.
Actual OG was 1.044, so pretty darn close.

When I plug numbers into this: http://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/ , it's telling me 63.3 percent. I listed wort volume at 5.5 gallons because that's what I put into the fermenter. I left at least a half-gallon in the kettle, mostly trub. With that being the case, should I put 6 as the wort volume? (That would bring it up to 69.1).

If indeed I am 63.3, then why is my OG so close to what it is supposed to be when projected at 70 percent?
Am I missing something?
Any thoughts?

Remember there are 2 efficiency numbers - the first is mash efficiency, a measure of the efficiency of the mash and sparse only. Then there is brew house efficiency which takes other things into account like losses from cooling, pumping, trub etc. You can have high mash efficiency but low brew house efficiency especially ISPs the latter involves losing volume.
 
jb1677 said:
Remember there are 2 efficiency numbers - the first is mash efficiency, a measure of the efficiency of the mash and sparse only. Then there is brew house efficiency which takes other things into account like losses from cooling, pumping, trub etc. You can have high mash efficiency but low brew house efficiency especially ISPs the latter involves losing volume.

Right. I'm speaking purely about brew house efficiency.
 
Right. I'm speaking purely about brew house efficiency.

Brew house efficiency is lowered by any loss of volume, so leaving liquid behind in the kettle or losing it to testing, spill, in pump lines etc all lower brew house efficiency. Adding any of these liquid volumes back to raise the efficiency number defeats the purpose of the number. Don't dwell on the number, work to make it repeatable and be done with it. Also remember when others are sharing their efficiencies we have no idea when it was calculated, or how - makes it sort of meaningless.
 
jb1677 said:
Brew house efficiency is lowered by any loss of volume, so leaving liquid behind in the kettle or losing it to testing, spill, in pump lines etc all lower brew house efficiency. Adding any of these liquid volumes back to raise the efficiency number defeats the purpose of the number. Don't dwell on the number, work to make it repeatable and be done with it. Also remember when others are sharing their efficiencies we have no idea when it was calculated, or how - makes it sort of meaningless.

Thanks. Yeah, that's why I'm kind of fixated on making sure I understand it - so that I can strive for the most efficient way to get the most consistent number.
I'm like going to brew this same recipe again in a few weeks - getting all of summer beers ready now, including some different fruit wheats - so that should make for a good repetition test for consistency.
 
Finally someone said it.

The important thing is that people who get less than 65% freak out about it and people who get more than 80% brag about it. :rolleyes:

FWIW, I'd much rather have a consistent system than an ever-changing, chasing-the-efficiency-dragon system.
 
As far as calculating efficiency, isn't that as simple as taking your predicted gravity (say, 1.068) and dividing it by or into your actual gravity and taking note of the difference?
 
The important thing is that people who get less than 65% freak out about it and people who get more than 80% brag about it. :rolleyes:

FWIW, I'd much rather have a consistent system than an ever-changing, chasing-the-efficiency-dragon system.

well said. Which is why I'm happy to consistently get 75-80% total brewhouse efficiency. What some people fail to realize is, you have to know your exact volumes to get an exact efficiency. being off a half gallon can throw the numbers off a few % points. I calibrated my mash rake as well as my carboys. I know within a quarter gallon how much is there. Not an exact amount which is why I said 75-80% :)

unless I'm trying a new recipe or trying to exactly reproduce someones recipe, I rarely even bother with efficiency. I know what my setup will produce and adjust accordingly. I'd rather brew and drink than chase that dragon
 
As far as calculating efficiency, isn't that as simple as taking your predicted gravity (say, 1.068) and dividing it by or into your actual gravity and taking note of the difference?

you also need to know the volume of liquid collected. for example, if you were shooting for a gravity of 1.040 and got 1.040 you'd be happy and think you got the exact efficiency you were expecting. but if you collected 6 gallons post boil instead of 5.5 gallons and had that gravity you had to extract more from the grains aka better efficiency. if you only had 4.5 gallons, then you had lower efficiency.
 
This may be a silly question, but I am attempting my first AG BIAB today and I was wondering about sparging. Do I just suspend the basket+bag over the kettle as it drains and pour hot water through the grains to get to my pre-boil volume? Or do I keep the grains in the mash water and add more water and stir and then drain into the kettle? The second options seems more like a mashout technique, but the first seems like I wouldn't be rinsing as many sugars off the grains since they wouldn't be submerged. Theoretically I could miss a few spots in the grain bed by just pouring water through them while suspended over the BK. Thoughts?
 
This may be a silly question, but I am attempting my first AG BIAB today and I was wondering about sparging. Do I just suspend the basket+bag over the kettle as it drains and pour hot water through the grains to get to my pre-boil volume? Or do I keep the grains in the mash water and add more water and stir and then drain into the kettle? The second options seems more like a mashout technique, but the first seems like I wouldn't be rinsing as many sugars off the grains since they wouldn't be submerged. Theoretically I could miss a few spots in the grain bed by just pouring water through them while suspended over the BK. Thoughts?

Either way will work. Technically, when doing BIAB, the sparge occurs when your bag of grain drains back into your kettle. Really, you don't even need to rinse them unless you are looking to add volume to your pre-boil volume.

I would do a mashout first though. After the mash, heat your kettle with the grains still in it up to about 170F and then let it rest for about 10 minutes or so before pulling your bag.
 
Cool! Based on the displacement of the basket I have, my original 1.25qts/lb would probably not have covered my grains so I just decided to do a full volume mash. 5.5 target volume, 11lbs grain = ~1.1 gal absorbed, ~1 gal boil off = 7.5 gallons total volume mash. Wish me luck! First all grain attempt!
 
Cool! Based on the displacement of the basket I have, my original 1.25qts/lb would probably not have covered my grains so I just decided to do a full volume mash. 5.5 target volume, 11lbs grain = ~1.1 gal absorbed, ~1 gal boil off = 7.5 gallons total volume mash. Wish me luck! First all grain attempt!

Good luck! I've got about 20 BIAB batches in and I love it!

I did all extract brewing before I discovered BIAB and while I thought I was making good beer doing extract brewing, I was AMAZED at how much better AG brewing really is! I think you'll be pleased! :mug:
 
Well, my mash only lost 1 degree after one hour. So far so good. Boil is nearly done! Just gotta figure out what to do with all the spent grains.
 
Granola!!!

Easy Granola
9 cup barley grains
1 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup oil
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of flax seeds (optional)

Blend together all liquid ingredients and add to dry ingredients,
until well distributed. Crumble the mixture and spread on to cookie
sheet. Start baking at 350F for 15 min., then lower heat to 200F and
bake (stirring occasionally) until dry (a few hours, stir occasionally). Store in covered jars. This recipe can be made in smaller quantities.
 
Finally made the switch from all extract to all grain BIAB this past weekend! I loved it and will never go back!! I forgot to take any pics since I was too focused on hitting my numbers and making sure I didn't mess anything up.

The BIAB bags I bought were from fellow HBT'er wilserbrewer. If anyone is looking for bags I highly recommend wilserbrewer. They shipped the day after purchase and are high quality.

Can't wait for my next brew day.
 
Finally made the switch from all extract to all grain BIAB this past weekend! I loved it and will never go back!! I forgot to take any pics since I was too focused on hitting my numbers and making sure I didn't mess anything up.

The BIAB bags I bought were from fellow HBT'er wilserbrewer. If anyone is looking for bags I highly recommend wilserbrewer. They shipped the day after purchase and are high quality.

Can't wait for my next brew day.
Definitely agree to both points! :mug:

2 BIAB batches down. Many more to go.
 
eulipion2 said:
Granola!!!

Easy Granola
9 cup barley grains
1 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup oil
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of flax seeds (optional)

Blend together all liquid ingredients and add to dry ingredients,
until well distributed. Crumble the mixture and spread on to cookie
sheet. Start baking at 350F for 15 min., then lower heat to 200F and
bake (stirring occasionally) until dry (a few hours, stir occasionally). Store in covered jars. This recipe can be made in smaller quantities.

Can someone point me in direction of more recipes/ideas for grains?
 
Just stopped by to say, brewed on Sunday and still love BIAB. I think about all sorts of upgrades to my equipement - kegging, lagering fridge, fancy this, fancy that, but I have no interest in going to a 3 vessel brew system!!
 
First brew with big basket. Worked well. Only 59% overall efficiency but that's with no rinse or squeeze which will help. 10.5 gallons to fermentor. 11,000 watts of electric heaters are really nice. 25 gallon pot.

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Brewed up my biggest grain bill so far doing BIAB over the weekend. Made what I consider to be between an IPA and a IIPA. Had a gain bill of almost 16 lbs. with a target OG of around 1.075. Came in at nearly 1.80. Not bad for using a 7.5 gal kettle! :mug:
 
MMJfan said:
Brewed up my biggest grain bill so far doing BIAB over the weekend. Made what I consider to be between an IPA and a IIPA. Had a gain bill of almost 16 lbs. with a target OG of around 1.075. Came in at nearly 1.80. Not bad for using a 7.5 gal kettle! :mug:

Nice work! Care to share a few details how you managed this? Finished Batch size? Mash and sparge volumes? I'm impressed!
 
Nice work! Care to share a few details how you managed this? Finished Batch size? Mash and sparge volumes? I'm impressed!

Thanks. I must say, I was a bit impressed with my results as well. I changed things up a bit from my normal brew day. Started out about the same although I mashed in a bit less than 6 gal. of water in my 7.5 gal. kettle instead of my normal 6.5 gal.

I normally do a sparge in a separate 5 gal. kettle filled to about 2.5 gal. But because of the large grain bill, after I sparged in about 2 gal. of water I added that to my 7.5 gal. kettle and put the bag of grains in a bucket with a strainer to drain a bit. I wasn't even close at that point to being where I wanted to be for my pre-boil volume so I decided to heat up another 2 gal. of water to 170F and did a second sparge. I then added the second sparge to my 7.5 gal kettle along with what I collected from what had drained in the bucket and was able to get a pre boil volume at about 7 gal. Everything was normal from that point on.

My recipe did call for a pound of corn sugar at flameout which helped get my OG up as well.

I was kind of nervous as I had no idea how things would turn out and when I saw the hydrometer hit 1.080 I was pleasantly surprised! Hopefully the beer will turn out as good as my results so far. Had to put a blow off tube on it as it was going crazy in the fermenting bucket and as of today, it is still pretty actively fermenting... :mug:
 
Hi,

Lots of good tips in this thread...I read 160 pages of it.

Only one time I saw a reference to "splitting" a brew by brewing it twice- two days in a row. Never heard of it, but seems a good idea.
Day 1- do a full brew, down to pitching yeast in fermenter.
Day 2- full brew, but add to brew from day before.

Of course, you will want a repeatable recipe that you like- and two free days in a row.

So I can do a 10-gallon batch without all the equipment? I plan on going BIAB, but have the Bayou Classic 44 quart stainless stockpot. I should be able to go full amount for water, and

still use one vessel by splitting the recipe in two for 10 gallons, or combine two 5 gallon recipes.
At the end of brewing on day two, it seems that I am adding 1/2 of the wort to 5 gallons of yeast starter that is already conditioned to fermenting the recipe. Like pitching a

huge starter.

On the subject of possibly melting, scorching or burning a bag- it's not like homebrewers never drink a couple homebrews or 20 during a brewing session. If plastic comes in

contact with the pot while being heated, it will melt. I know. I was doing an extract brew and melted part of the bottom of a tub that was completely submerged in water to get the

extract out. Melted a big hole.
I'm going to order a stainless cooling rack for the pot. Then distractions won't have a chance to melt the bag.

It seems that the best bet for a bag is right here through wilserbrewer. Reasonable prices and shipping. He has hop socks, too.

I am essentially starting over. After learning what BIAB actually is I find it fascinatingly simple. I just ordered a couple bags from wilserbrewer. But lots of other stuff to get,
after bottling homebrews we decided to go for kegging, and all the stuff that goes along with it. So we are still a couple of months away from actually getting back to brewing.

Really looking forward to it!




-gnarlyhopper
 
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