BIAB nub, 5 gallon batch target.

So I'm looking at graduating from extract brewing and thought I'd dip my toes in BIAB before I move on to 3 tier all grain.

I currently make 5 gallon extract batches and don't want to scale down. I'm looking at NB's Brewmaster Filter Bag (http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewmaster-filter-bag-214-214) or something similar but am wondering, based on grain bill weight and other factors if 5 gallon BIAB is reasonable and if so what product is recommended for the second B in BIAB ?

Any advice appreciated.

Wilserbrewer for the bag! Make sure to get a ratchet pulley also. Also, make sure you have a big enough pot if doing full volume no sparge. And there will be no need to do 3 vessel in future if you get your biab system down.

Any mesh bag will do, but from what I've read, Wilserbrew and one other place I can't remember off the top of my head, make some REALLY nice, durable ones. The NB bag is probably fine to dip your toes in, but that kind of bag won't fit as well, or last as long.

One feature I've seen that I'd like is the rounded, or conical bottom. This causes the wort to drain to the center of the bag, rather than off one edge.

If you are just wanting to go cheap the first time or two, get one of those cheap bags like NB or go to a paint store and buy a 5-gallon paint strainer bag.

There are two basic methods of BIAB; Full Volume Mash, where you add the whole grain bill and water bill together and mash. Your 5 gallon bag might not fit all of that, and you have to make sure your Mash Tun will hold that much. The other is a sparge of some sort, where you mash with how much your Mash Tun can hold, then dunk your grains in a second vessel to help rinse off the sugars. This may be necessary if your mash tun isn't big enough. (Some people pour sparge water over their grain bag after puling it up, but I think this would cause most of the sparge water to run down the outsides, since that the path of least resistance.)

Honestly, I think you may find BIAB so easy and convenient that you might stick with it. I know several brewers who have good luck with their BIAB and have no plans to change. If so, then definitely buy a high quality bag from online to fit your mash tun. I'm even thinking about buying one or two for those times I do BIAB instead of using my 3-vessel system (Usually smaller batches, which I am doing more of since getting some 2.5 gallon kegs.)

A pulley is pretty cheap and handy. A ratchet pulley sounds like a great device to have! Some of the guys I know use a ladder and pulley, or just whatever happens to be handy, like the garage door track or what-have-you. I'm designing a single tier BIAB rig made to collapse a bit for travel, with a single lift arm to pick up the bag. Google BIAB rig and you will see a few very much like what I am planning. (I don't really need it, but I do need to get rid of some of my excess scrap steel, so I think this winter I will bust out the welder and put something together for me or a friend.)

BIAB is really an good way to go for many people. I don't think I'm giving up my 3-vessel system, but my BIAB batches have turned out as good as anything else as far as I can tell.

I agree with the others, you will want a pot big enough to hold all the necessary water and grains. I know when I switched from extract to BIAB I had to upgrade my brew pot from a 7 gallon to a keggle (15.5 gallons).

Also, look into getting a Wilser bag. I went with one and love it! I'll probably pull the trigger on a second one to have as a backup, just in case I do something stupid. I'm not worried about the bag not lasting, it would be me doing something stupid (i.e. firing up the burner and not raising the bag off the bottom of the brew pot).

I am extremely enthused with the idea of a single vessel RIMS, I am not sure if it is something you have considered or seen but the Baskets are equally as awesome. I am currently still in the bag, but I do love the idea of the brew boss COFI and/or the Baskets

Lots of good advice in the prior posts. Having switched from extract to all grain BIAB a year ago, I'll offer my two cents.

Either get a 10 gallon kettle and a good bag, or stay with your extract kettle and a paint strainer bag if you want to try it out on the cheap. I don't see much risk with jumping in for the big pot, it just depends on your budget. Like pshankstar, I use a keggle. If I had to do it over again, I would go with a decent 10 gallon brew pot. I don't plan to do 10 gallon batches, and the keggle is pretty big and bulky, especially with my cranky back. Unless you find a cheap used keggle, by the time you convert a keg the cost and time savings don't save you much money over a decent kettle.

In either case, a good bag will pay for itself in the long run. I bought the grand slam from Wilser, and cannot say enough good things about it. Best bang for the buck by far of any homebrew purchase I've made.

I moved from doing partial mashes in my 20 qt pot to all grain in 15 gallon kettle about a year ago. The 15 gallon gives me more head space for the hot break and more flexibilty on batch sizes for very little difference on price (about $40 difference). I have a 1 year old with twins on the way so brew days are become more rare so being able to do larger batches is great.

I also got the grand slam package from Wilserbrewer, maybe the best money I ever spent.

I have never brewed an extract. I started with all grain and three vessels. From this forum, I saw a lot of folks making great beer with BIAB so I decided to try it. My stainless mash tun is now a nice display piece in my garage. There is much less equipment with BIAB, which means less cleaning and sanitizing to do on brew day. Once I added in no-chill, the brew day got even shorter and easier.

I agree with the above, get a pot big enough to do no sparge brewing. My setup is a 20 gallon kettle (which can really hold 25 gallons) for 12 gallon batches. Like those above, I use Wilserbrewer's bags. They work very well. Good luck!

If you don't have a kettle, I'd recommend at least a 15 gallon one. If you have something like a 10 gallon kettle already, that will also do nicely. I have a 10 and a 5 gallon kettle. My 6 gallon batches require about 7.5 gallon boil starting volume. So I start my mash with 5.5 gallons and typically use about 11 lbs of grain. After the mash I pull the bag and squeeze it then dunk and stir it in 3 gallons of sparge water in the 5 gallon kettle. After a rest I'll squeeze it again and add the wort to the large kettle and I'll have my7.5 gallons to boil.
I use a wilserbrew bag and they are just great and you can't go wrong with them.
I'm getting about 75% or more efficiency since I started doing the dunk sparge, a pour over was much less efficient. If you get a 15 or 20 gallon pot, you can forgo the sparge and do full volume mash.

Thanks for all the awesome advice! I will invest in a Wilserbrewer bag for certain, as they seem to have a great reputation.

I was looking at upgrading my kettle anyways, probably a 10 gallon, so no biggie there.

Cheers!

Once I went with BIAB I couldn't figure out why I would want to go with a 3 tier system as long as I did 5 gallon batches. Anything larger though gets really heavy and unwieldy to lift.

zacster said:

Once I went with BIAB I couldn't figure out why I would want to go with a 3 tier system as long as I did 5 gallon batches. Anything larger though gets really heavy and unwieldy to lift.

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That's where the overhead support and a ratcheting pully from Wilserbrewer come in. Lifting and holding a big bag of grain is hard, pulling on a rope is easier and the ratcheting pulley will do the holding for you. It's up to you to devise the overhead support. Some people use a step ladder, some use a hook screwed into the garage ceiling, some weld up a nice tower.

zacster said:

Once I went with BIAB I couldn't figure out why I would want to go with a 3 tier system as long as I did 5 gallon batches. Anything larger though gets really heavy and unwieldy to lift.

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I routinely do 12 gallon batches with BIAB. It isn't that hard to rig a pulley. I love not having all of that extra equipment to wash and sanitize. I'm not sure I will ever go back to the three vessel system.

BeerAddikt said:

Thanks for all the awesome advice! I will invest in a Wilserbrewer bag for certain, as they seem to have a great reputation.

I was looking at upgrading my kettle anyways, probably a 10 gallon, so no biggie there.

Cheers!

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Yes on the Wilserbrewer bag... I've got 3 of his big bags and the other assortment bags (spider hop and secondary hop).

But if your going into bigger brews like I did (8 to 10% ABV). I'd look at least at the 15 gallon, I kick myself for not thinking that far ahead. I just ended up with a mash cooler until I can get a bigger kettle. Good Luck and Enjoy!