Let me see your BIAB setup!

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Seabee John

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I've got a 10 gal RiMS system ...it works great, and I'm not going to change a thing. BUT, I guy can't live on one brew rig alone!

My plan is to build a 5 gal BIAB set up, recirculated, temp controlled, electrically heated... but before I venture down that path, I'd love for you all to impart your knowledge and photos so we can all learn from what you've done.
 
specialkaye has posted some of his stuff, I can't remember the thread. I think it's linked in his signature, so if you go to his profile you should be able to find it pretty easily.

I just do it on the stove with a bag... you don't want to see my cookware, do ya? ;)
 
I'm doing a really complicated version of a BIAB rig...it incorporates the features you mentioned. Check my sig for the UniBrew.....
 
One of the things I'm considering is the basket lined with stainless mesh. My concern with this set up is the void around the side of the baskets with respect to the flow of wort through the grain bed. Fluid tends to take the path of leased resistance, so rather than have the wort flow from top to bottom through the bed, it would flow laterally to sides. This would result in stratification of temperatures among other things.

One solution I was thinking of is a tube extending through the center of the mash (to about 3/4 of the total depth) where it is allowed to disperse the wort throughout the mash. The idea is that the flow if the wort would then extend both vertically down and laterally.

I'll try and sketch up some diagrams, but in the mean time, anyone see any flaws with this?
 
Man. I do BIAB for simplicity so don't have anything fancy. But I'm subbing to see what you come up with. Sounds interesting.
 
John- I see where you're coming from, but I think it's one of those deals where the homebrew scale will be less affected. I.e...you don't have a big enough mashtun to have a noticeable effect. I bet you'll still get wicked good efficiency.....think about it...you're rinsing the grain at many different points of the mash....the sparge moves through all directions vs. top to bottom. I bet it'll be fine, no need to complicate it. Hell, I guess it's the same concept as using a bag (which allows the wort to go ANY direction), right?
 
John- I see where you're coming from, but I think it's one of those deals where the homebrew scale will be less affected. I.e...you don't have a big enough mashtun to have a noticeable effect. I bet you'll still get wicked good efficiency.....think about it...you're rinsing the grain at many different points of the mash....the sparge moves through all directions vs. top to bottom. I bet it'll be fine, no need to complicate it. Hell, I guess it's the same concept as using a bag (which allows the wort to go ANY direction), right?

Yeah, I put the same question to slnies on the phone last night, and he proposed that I simply agitate the mash (either by stirring occasionally or by mechanical means constantly). His idea was that since it's a BIAB set up, there really is no filtering done by the mash - in other words I'd just be recirculating and agitating to maintain temps. what do you think?
 
I'm trying a "biab" tomorrow, or early saturday AM.

I'm just using my brew pot on my propane burner. Once I hit strike temp, flame off, grain bag goes in, stir the heck out of it, and wrap a sleeping bag around it. Wait thirty min, stir. Wrap again. Wait thirty min, stir. Wrap again. Iodine test. If conversion is complete drain bag, squeeze bag, boil!
 
I'm trying a "biab" tomorrow, or early saturday AM.

I'm just using my brew pot on my propane burner. Once I hit strike temp, flame off, grain bag goes in, stir the heck out of it, and wrap a sleeping bag around it. Wait thirty min, stir. Wrap again. Wait thirty min, stir. Wrap again. Iodine test. If conversion is complete drain bag, squeeze bag, boil!

Yup.

But it's nice seeing people do complex / neat builds like these. Can't wait til I'm out of school and have play money!
 
Mine is a very simple Brew In A Basket and we'll see how it works very soon.
My basket is a 17 gallon, 316SS pot I scored on ebay. Had my local metal man take his plasma and cut out the bottom and then tack weld in some 16ga perfed sheet (3/32" holes x 5/32" stagger). The basket goes to get an acid+electricity bath next week :)
basket.jpg

basket2.jpg


My kettle is 100qt that Greenmonti was kind enough to insert the 1" coupler for me...
kettle.jpg


After the basket gets cleaned up the final piece of the puzzle is to test the darn thing out!
 
Mine is a very simple Brew In A Basket and we'll see how it works very soon.
My basket is a 17 gallon, 316SS pot I scored on ebay. Had my local metal man take his plasma and cut out the bottom and then tack weld in some 16ga perfed sheet (3/32" holes x 5/32" stagger). The basket goes to get an acid+electricity bath next week :)
basket.jpg

basket2.jpg


My kettle is 100qt that Greenmonti was kind enough to insert the 1" coupler for me...
kettle.jpg



After the basket gets cleaned up the final piece of the puzzle is to test the darn thing out!

That's awesome looking! any idea what clearance you have around the outside of your basket?

EDIT: HA! for a second I thought I could see your reflection in the bottom of the basket... I was thinking, man is this dude ugly... till I recognized I could see your dog through the screen.... which, for a dog ain't to bad...
 
Not the best pic but it has right around 1-3/8" clearance all around at top.
potinapot.jpg


Kettle has an I.D. of 19.75", the inner "basket" is 17.1875 O.D. at the top... which has almost 1/4" top curls, the bottom has an O.D. around 16.9".
 
hmmm, If I get some good efficiency of my first no sparge BIAB I may try something like this.

Currently I use a 5 gallon bucket with a small false bottom insulated with a sleeping bag BUT use a paint strainer bag above false bottom inside bucket. My 1 and only stuck sparge happened NOT using bag. Now if I ever get stuck I just need to lift the bag get some wort below the grain bed again and re-start runnings. I'm looking at going to a 10 gallon cooler soon... picked up a cheap sowing machine... may make my own 24x36" strainer bags for 10 gallon cooler to go over false bottom. I will say the bags do make for easy clean up!!! Low OG beers with no sparge could shave at least an hour off my brew time.
 
Wow, that rocks!

John, I wouldn't agitate it...it IS filtering....you want the benefit of the recirc so you get clear wort. I wouldn't write it off so quickly....the holes in the basket are going to provide enough restriction that the wort will get out any way it can, including the bottom. You're gonna suspend the basket and drain off every last bit, so you should still get good eff. What birdgunner has will surely work great...but the basket COMES with the bayou classic pot....so why not use it?
 
hmmm, If I get some good efficiency of my first no sparge BIAB I may try something like this.

Currently I use a 5 gallon bucket with a small false bottom insulated with a sleeping bag BUT use a paint strainer bag above false bottom inside bucket. My 1 and only stuck sparge happened NOT using bag. Now if I ever get stuck I just need to lift the bag get some wort below the grain bed again and re-start runnings. I'm looking at going to a 10 gallon cooler soon... picked up a cheap sowing machine... may make my own 24x36" strainer bags for 10 gallon cooler to go over false bottom. I will say the bags do make for easy clean up!!! Low OG beers with no sparge could shave at least an hour off my brew time.

I do full volume no sparge BIAB and get great efficiency. You'll love it! I threw my 10gal cooler mashtun in the closet after trying BIAB. Sure, lifting 25lb of grain in a bag can be tiring, but hey -- it's not too bad.
 
Old thread, but howd the basket work out? Did you get a good grain bed for filtering out of? Efficiency okay? What about the concern about the water around the sides - did that present a problem or did it work out?
 
Not sure who's basket you are inquiring about but I've got over a hundred gallons through my system and my efficiency has always been above 75% and I have never had any draining issues or hardly ever have any stray "floaties" escape through, definitely been pleased and love the simplicity. Something I've done to get in the 80%+ range was to cut out a piece of 1/4" thick plastic the same size of my basket so I can use it like a press and I just push the remaining liquid out of the grain bed when draining.

Happy Easter all!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-ss-biabasket-tribute-greenmonti-259347/
 
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