BIAB Brewing (with pics)

I am planning on mashing in with 5 gallons, then sparge with 4-5 gallons of 170 hot liquor. When I say sparge, I mean pour the hot liquor quickly over the mash and collect the remaining sugars. I actually will top the kettle to 12 gallons total, so can I continue to sparge? Is this over sparging? I definitely use more hot liquor when I use a mash tun and don't consider it over sparging...

somedudefromguam said:

I am just switching to BIAB. Do I have to worry about over sparging? astringency?

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if doing a full volume BIAB there is no sparging. if not doing full volume, you'd only be sparging (dunking into a smaller pot or pouring directly over grains) with a small amount of water. Not nearly enough to over sparge. no worries about tannins either from squeezing the bag, that's yet another myth busted by BIAB

somedudefromguam said:

I am planning on mashing in with 5 gallons, then sparge with 4-5 gallons of 170 hot liquor. When I say sparge, I mean pour the hot liquor quickly over the mash and collect the remaining sugars. I actually will top the kettle to 12 gallons total, so can I continue to sparge? Is this over sparging? I definitely use more hot liquor when I use a mash tun and don't consider it over sparging...

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I take it you have a 10 gallon brew planned. 5 gallons does not sound like a large enough grist ratio (qts liquor water/lb of grain). Unless this is a low gravity bitter or something. I would just mash at a higher grist ratio and either skip the sparge, or do a dunk/drip type sparge.

slcdawg said:

That makes sense. So, I should be squeezing specialty grains as well (for extract brewing)?

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A caution here. Most extract and partial mash kits have explicit instructions to NOT squeeze the grains. They have calculated the efficiencies and resulting flavor profiles assuming you do not squeeze. If you DO squeeze, you will get "higher", stronger adjunct grain effects / flavoring above what the recipe is designed for. This will effect the flavor profile of the beer.

While I used to squeeze the specialty grains, I stopped after getting some flavor profiles I didn't like that much. But for all grain BIAB, I drip sparge and squeeze a lot because all the grain is involved and there will be no flavor profile changes. It also raises my efficiency. I also mashout at 170F, and ask my LHBS to double crush even though he says it will not make a difference.

Enjoy BIAB. It is a great way to get started with all grain. I have done a few 5 gallon batches in a keggle, and just did a 2.5 gallon batch in the keggle (overkill but I don't have a 7 - 10 gallon pot) and the small batch was SO easy!

somedudefromguam said:

I am planning on mashing in with 5 gallons, then sparge with 4-5 gallons of 170 hot liquor. When I say sparge, I mean pour the hot liquor quickly over the mash and collect the remaining sugars. I actually will top the kettle to 12 gallons total, so can I continue to sparge? Is this over sparging? I definitely use more hot liquor when I use a mash tun and don't consider it over sparging...

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Unless you can do an efficient sparge or "rinse" of the grain, I would mash with as much strike water as your pot will allow...running hot liquor over the grains should merely be for topping up the kettle slightly...if you have a small kettle than perhaps dunk the bag in another vessel....even a cold sparge will help if thats all you can do...topping with water is a last resort IMO>

New Member long time brewer here. This BIAB is very interesting, I read most of this thread but still have some questions.

I do 2.5 gl batches of extract, use to brew 5gl AG but like the idea of smaller more frequent brewing so I switched. If I go BIAB with a 2.5gl system how long should I mash for? Seems most do 60-90 minutes for 5gl batch, would cutting the time in half make sense with smaller batches? I'd like to keep the overall brew day shorter if possible. Thanks

You will keep the same mash time. I know some say the mash is done for them in 45 minutes, personally the little extra time is ok for me since I do other things while mashing.

I use to do an iodine test and it usually converted in 20-30 minutes but I would let it go for awhile longer anyway. Does this test work for a BIAB?

wobdee said:

I use to do an iodine test and it usually converted in 20-30 minutes but I would let it go for awhile longer anyway. Does this test work for a BIAB?

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No reason it shouldn't; you're just measuring starch content, and the enzymatic reactions don't occur any differently in BIAB.

Ok, another question. I use to recirculate in my old 3 tier system just before sparging til the wort ran clear and it also helped the grain bed settle. I saw some people have installed pumps for their BIAB to recirculate, is this more to maintain mash temps or deos it have to do with clearing the wort?

What about just using a fine screen coffee filter before going into the primary fermenter?

Waaahhh ! First time BIAB- Bad experience... my grain bag was too thick, it turned into a 150 pound water balloon. That sucked, not discouraged though, just need a different bag. Spent two hours sewing the damn thing too...

somedudefromguam said:

Waaahhh ! First time BIAB- Bad experience... my grain bag was too thick, it turned into a 150 pound water balloon. That sucked, not discouraged though, just need a different bag. Spent two hours sewing the damn thing too...

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I have to recommend buying a bag from wilserbrewer. Mine was less than 20 shipped to my house. Very well made I could not have come near the quality myself.

I'd like to share my bag. It's the CustomBIAB pillow case style bag. Very nice handles, has draw string, and they can stitch the name of your brewery (i just have CustomBIAB on mine) to the handles on the bag! I think mine was $27 shipped, from Ireland.

That's a nice looking bag Antler. I need to find something like that over on this side of the pond. How long do these bags last and are they a PITA to clean?

wobdee said:

are they a PITA to clean?

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FWIW, I run my (homemade) bag through the wash after every batch. It's permanently stained grain colored, but it comes clean other than that (and the color doesn't seem to leech out into anything I'm making or impart any flavors).

wobdee said:

That's a nice looking bag Antler. I need to find something like that over on this side of the pond. How long do these bags last and are they a PITA to clean?

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they ship to the USA and the bags are top notch. They are however not taking orders right now as Mareth (lady who sews the bags) is out on maternity leave.

I have used my bag from them on about 10 batches so far and it looks like new. they're easy to clean. hose it off right after emptying and wash them either in machine or by hand. then hang to dry. simple

SiriusStarr said:

FWIW, I run my (homemade) bag through the wash after every batch. It's permanently stained grain colored, but it comes clean other than that (and the color doesn't seem to leech out into anything I'm making or impart any flavors).

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+1 I just turn it inside out hose it off and toss it in with the laundry. Mine hasn't changed color though it's still white as ever. Don't let shipping hinder you. It was $27 shipping included for me, which I think is an awesome deal.

I just simply hose off my BIAB bags and hang dry...with use they become a nice shade of amber. While my bags can easily hold 30-40 pounds of grain, not sure how they would fare twisted around the auger of the washing machine, but YMMV. Maybe it's just me, never had a desire to "wash" a bag, kinda like a mash tun, rinse it well, keep it reasonably clean and move on...a mash in itself is naturally a microbial party, no need IMHO to scrub the bag, that's what the boil is for! Cheers!

BPhad said:

I have to recommend buying a bag from wilserbrewer. Mine was less than 20 shipped to my house. Very well made I could not have come near the quality myself.

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Thanks for the compliment...glad you are happy with the bag. I will also throw out a compliment to Mareth for her fine looking bags, and wish her all the best with the coming baby brewer.

wilserbrewer said:

twisted around the auger of the washing machine

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I should clarify that I have a front-load washer. I would not put a bag through a top-load, for the same fear.

wobdee said:

Ok, another question. I use to recirculate in my old 3 tier system just before sparging til the wort ran clear and it also helped the grain bed settle. I saw some people have installed pumps for their BIAB to recirculate, is this more to maintain mash temps or deos it have to do with clearing the wort?

What about just using a fine screen coffee filter before going into the primary fermenter?

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bump

Maintaining temps. The bag is a filter and catches what what need to be caught.

wobdee said:

That's a nice looking bag Antler. I need to find something like that over on this side of the pond. How long do these bags last and are they a PITA to clean?

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I've been looking at getting a custom made bag made to do semi BIAB. This site looks like reasonable pricing to me: biab-brewing.com

marshallwms said:

A caution here. Most extract and partial mash kits have explicit instructions to NOT squeeze the grains. They have calculated the efficiencies and resulting flavor profiles assuming you do not squeeze. If you DO squeeze, you will get "higher", stronger adjunct grain effects / flavoring above what the recipe is designed for. This will effect the flavor profile of the beer.

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Good info, thanks! Unfortunately, I read this after doing a partial mash this wkd. We'll see what happens.

I can't believe I read this whole thread! But I have been inspired. Got the 30G Turkey fryer, paint strainer bags, and working on converting the fryer from LPG to NG. Looking forward to a new chapter in brewing!

This is a great thread, took me a few days to get through it and it pretty much convinced me to give BIAB a try as soon as I burn through my supply of extract.

Has anyone thought about using something similar to those s/s mesh hop baskets or spider thingys instead of a bag? It would cost more in the short run but it may be easier to handle and clean? Here's the thread on the hop basket, wonder if Chad454 could build a nice BIAB out of s/s?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-way-control-pellet-hop-gunk-352293/

nice idea.. honestly though, its very easy to handle the bag and it cleans easily by turning it inside out and spraying with a water hose. takes just a couple minutes.. if you want to use a s/s mesh basket, go for it. I'd rather spend that money on grains

wobdee said:

This is a great thread, took me a few days to get through it and it pretty much convinced me to give BIAB a try as soon as I burn through my supply of extract.

Has anyone thought about using something similar to those s/s mesh hop baskets or spider thingys instead of a bag? It would cost more in the short run but it may be easier to handle and clean? Here's the thread on the hop basket, wonder if Chad454 could build a nice BIAB out of s/s?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-way-control-pellet-hop-gunk-352293/

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One thing I learned with BIAB is to not crowd your grain when mashing. I used a 5g pain strainer bag with a keggle and found my efficiency to be awfully low. The grains need room to float and absorb water. A small bag or hop strainer is not going to get the job done.

OldDirty said:

One thing I learned with BIAB is to not crowd your grain when mashing. I used a 5g pain strainer bag with a keggle and found my efficiency to be awfully low. The grains need room to float and absorb water. A small bag or hop strainer is not going to get the job done.

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Ok, good point, so the basket should be slightly smaller than the inside diameter of you kettle for max absorbsion. I know some people use those strainer baskets for turkey fryers and wrap a bag around it so the s/s basket would have to be similar sized and then there would be no need for a bag. Lift the basket up after mashing, place it ontop of grate across kettle, drain and squish the grains, and carry on with the brew.

Seen a vid on youtube about using a steamer on the bottom of the kettle so you don't scorch the bag, anyone having problems with this?

c_osbourn said:

Seen a vid on youtube about using a steamer on the bottom of the kettle so you don't scorch the bag, anyone having problems with this?

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There was testing done with this as I've already posted here. A brewer here took some scrap material left over from making his Voille bag and tied it directly onto his 240v 5500w heating element in his kettle. He set it on 100% power for like 20 minutes, and the bag showed no signs of scorching, burning, anything.

It's a myth.

c_osbourn said:

Seen a vid on youtube about using a steamer on the bottom of the kettle so you don't scorch the bag, anyone having problems with this?

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Antler said:

There was testing done with this as I've already posted here. A brewer here took some scrap material left over from making his Voille bag and tied it directly onto his 240v 5500w heating element in his kettle. He set it on 100% power for like 20 minutes, and the bag showed no signs of scorching, burning, anything.

It's a myth.

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^^^^ +1000

I don't use anything under my bag. I just stir while heating to mash out (I stopped worrying about keeping the temps exact log ago). My bag is the original one and has no signs of scorching.

that said, yes a steam basket turned upside down, or a cake rack will work if it gives you peace of mind

Mysticmead said:

^^^^ +1000

I don't use anything under my bag. I just stir while heating to mash out (I stopped worrying about keeping the temps exact log ago). My bag is the original one and has no signs of scorching.

that said, yes a steam basket turned upside down, or a cake rack will work if it gives you peace of mind

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Yep, I just pull the top of my bag up and clip it with binders to the edge of the keggle and then heat. I let it back down when I turn the heat off. Works fine.

c_osbourn said:

Seen a vid on youtube about using a steamer on the bottom of the kettle so you don't scorch the bag, anyone having problems with this?

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Do I do it? Yes. Do I think there's any chance of it actually being a problem? No. My first batch I had nothing under it and it was fine; no burning.

SiriusStarr said:

Do I do it? Yes. Do I think there's any chance of it actually being a problem? No. My first batch I had nothing under it and it was fine; no burning.

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I use a steamer turned upside down as well more for my own peace of mind than anything else...

If you are still considering doing BIAB method, can you still use kits and just add all the water at once?
Noob

c_osbourn said:

If you are still considering doing BIAB method, can you still use kits and just add all the water at once?
Noob

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Yup, all-grain is all-grain, so whether it's an all-grain kit or a recipe you've made yourself, you'd BIAB the exact same way.

thanks, going to start out with kits and i guess i will use the biabcalculator for my water level and temp...

Good luck. Don't forget to get your grains crushed. I only bring this up because I imagine it would be fairly easy to walk out of the LHBS kit in hand, rip it open on brew day and realize you have a box full of whole grains.

Cool thanks for the heads up

Double crush is helpful with BIAB.