BIAB paint strainer bag burned on bottom of kettle.

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Tipharet

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Found out during BIAB my nylon paint strainer bag burned to the bottom. I strained and transferred wort, cleaned all the burned off the kettle and then strained and transfer bag.

Is this wort lost? I tasted it and it was really sweet and did not taste off or burned.
 
You might get a bit of that burnt taste in your final beer, but that's about the worst that can happen. Swing by Target/Wal-Mart and get one of these guys for the future to keep your bag off the direct heat. It'll out you back about $9.00:

images
 
Nah, not in that small of a quantity. I think you could probably burn and huff a whole bag and not have any long term effects...maybe just a one hour high and a week of odd ticks :ban:

Seriously, LOTS of peeps have burned their bags - cloth, nylon, plastics and everything inbetween - and no one has ever reported any ill effects besides a burnt taste in their final beer. Some even reported that the burnt taste complimented the beer!
 
TopherM said:
You might get a bit of that burnt taste in your final beer, but that's about the worst that can happen. Swing by Target/Wal-Mart and get one of these guys for the future to keep your bag off the direct heat. It'll out you back about $9.00:
Click to expand...

I can't find this iin store. Any idea what it's called?
 
I have also read of putting a dinner plate in the bottom of the kettle to protect the bag, or you can lift and suspend the bag while heating to mashout. OR, you can also just not bother with a mashout and NOT add any heat while the bag is in the pot. Whatever you choose, I would suggest a low flame if heating the wort with the bag, also an occasional stir would likely distribute the heat and avoid scorching. Likely this was the result of blasting the heat with the grain and bag compacted on the bottom of the kettle...perhaps IDK?
 
Were you stirring while heating? The guys at my LHBS had a BIAB demo day. Their bag had done a hundred batches without any false bottom and it looked perfect. Their rule was if you are heating you are stirring, while the bag is in the pot.
 
Same thin happened to me on my first BIAB. I didn't even realize until after the session was over and I'd had to use three different buckets to strain (it was a 12g batch).

Funny story...same day the legs in my burner melted from the flame being on them for so long, so I had to run out and purchase a blichmann in the middle of it as well...man that was a long one...
 
I have a glass circular pie pan, would that work? Im curious if the heat transfer to glass would still cause the bag to burn if resting on it.
 
I don't think I'd want to deal with glass at high temps. If you heat that glass up or cool it down too fast, it will break.
 
I went to target and picked up a collapsible stainless steel steamer basket. Opens like petals on a flour. Open fully and put upside down at the bottom of the kettle. Did it to keep the bag of the dip tube, but it serves both purposes. Also, I rarely need to fire the kettle with the bag in it. If I do, its gentle and for a short period if time. How do you insulate the kettle during the mash?
 
No need for any of those more expensive steamer racks,etc. Just get a cake cooling rack that fits inside the bottom of the BK/MLT & proceed. works great for me every time. They have some 1/2" or so legs on them to hold them a bit off the bottom. So hot water can circulate under the bag. Works great for mashing or steeping.
 
I use a "collapsible vegetable steamer" (google those exact words to see what I'm taking about). I think it's stainless but I'm not sure. It came with 4 stubby legs and a shaft in the center with a ring on it. A couple minutes with a set of pliers and the legs and shaft were gone. I got it at a dollar store for pretty cheap (but it was more than a dollar - false advertising).

I remove the steamer after the mash and before the boil. The first time I tried to hook it out with the spoon but it was a bit of a pain in the ass. Now I tie the steamer onto the handle of my pot with a short length of dental floss. When the mash is over I take out the unburned mesh bag and let it drip out then I pull the steamer out using the floss and let it drip off before tossing it in the sink.
 
DaNewf said:
I use a "collapsible vegetable steamer" (google those exact words to see what I'm taking about). I think it's stainless but I'm not sure. It came with 4 stubby legs and a shaft in the center with a ring on it. A couple minutes with a set of pliers and the legs and shaft were gone. I got it at a dollar store for pretty cheap (but it was more than a dollar - false advertising).

I remove the steamer after the mash and before the boil. The first time I tried to hook it out with the spoon but it was a bit of a pain in the ass. Now I tie the steamer onto the handle of my pot with a short length of dental floss. When the mash is over I take out the unburned mesh bag and let it drip out then I pull the steamer out using the floss and let it drip off before tossing it in the sink.
Click to expand...

I have a steamer basket and actually, ours has a removable center shaft. I had it in my hand, almost used it yesterday for my first BIAB. I was concerned that it would snag the bag and that fishing it out would be an issue so I skipped it. Instead I did a lot of stirring and lifting the bag while raising the heat. My pot held temp much better than I had assumed so next time there will be less checking temp for sure.

Do you invert the basket to create a dome or place it in right side up on its legs?
 
iamperplexed said:
Is everyone pulling their various racks, false bottoms out after the mash and before the boil?
Click to expand...

Mine is hooked up with a metal chain that clips to one of the handles on the kettle. I pull it out after the mash. A stainless steel canning rack works pretty well.
 

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