Kind of a false bottom

Would this work to use as a screen to prevent my BIAB bag from scorching?
it's a round Weber grate made of chrome plated steel

Chrome-plated steel would not be long-lasting.
Find it in stainless and you're set

Also, I would think that would still be a little too close to the bottom to offer much resistance to scortching without some sort of leg on it to keep it off the bottom a couple inches. Not sure though.

cooper said:

Also, I would think that would still be a little too close to the bottom to offer much resistance to scortching without some sort of leg on it to keep it off the bottom a couple inches. Not sure though.

Click to expand...

You're right. I posted the wrong photo. They have one with handles that would raise it off the bottom by a couple inches. Have not been able to find one in stainless.

It will last just fine, it's going to be treated way better than it would on the surface of a grill that's a thousand degrees. Maybe you could find something to put underneath the screen and prop it up off the bottom yet won't impart flavor to your beer.

what about this one. It is stainless but chrome plated.

Don't want to spend $80-100 bucks on a customer false bottom.

I was in a store called "Christmas Tree Shoppe" w/SWMBO yesterday and saw various SS strainers for about $10 each. Looked like some would fit the bill. I've seen similar things at Bed Bath and Beyond if you don't have a CTS near you. Restaurant supply stores have lots of interesting stuff too.

I just got this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H40R3W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I have a pulley system for my brewing so I think i will just raise the bag up when I need to bring up the temps. Saw that on one of the bag manufacturers web site.
Thanks for all the replies.

I don't put the grain in the bag until I'm done with the mash. I set the bag in a collander in another pot and pour my mash into it.... My bag is just a filter. I usually dunk sparge the bag using the original pot..... While the bag is draining I give the pot that serves as my mash tun a quick rinse and put the proper amount of water in it, and heat it for the dunk sparge. It's a slightly more complicated process, but it works well for me.

Realistically you shouldn't have a scorching problem if you heat your strike water to the proper temp, and insulate the mash tun..... or whatever you call it with BIAB.

I once did a BIAB RIMS system, and built a simple false bottom to keep the suction line for my pump from being blocked by the bag. It was a rather unique "suck start" system using a $20 ebay 12 volt food grade pump...... It would have worked fine except that the bag tended to clog with fines as a result of the constant circulation.

H.W.

brew703 said:

what about this one. It is stainless but chrome plated.

Click to expand...

I had one of these, but the minute I tried to adjust it slightly by bending it, all the little welds started popping apart, leaving those little wires sticking out. Those would shred a bag in a heartbeat. And they're not stainless, either.

Here's what I'm using now—an aluminum pizza disk with 4" stainless carriage bolts as legs. Sits right above my pickup tube and thermometer probe so the bag won't catch on them.

Owly055 said:

I don't put the grain in the bag until I'm done with the mash. I set the bag in a collander in another pot and pour my mash into it.... My bag is just a filter. I usually dunk sparge the bag using the original pot..... While the bag is draining I give the pot that serves as my mash tun a quick rinse and put the proper amount of water in it, and heat it for the dunk sparge. It's a slightly more complicated process, but it works well for me.

Realistically you shouldn't have a scorching problem if you heat your strike water to the proper temp, and insulate the mash tun..... or whatever you call it with BIAB.

I once did a BIAB RIMS system, and built a simple false bottom to keep the suction line for my pump from being blocked by the bag. It was a rather unique "suck start" system using a $20 ebay 12 volt food grade pump...... It would have worked fine except that the bag tended to clog with fines as a result of the constant circulation.

H.W.

Click to expand...

I have heated my strike water to what Beersmith/ brewers friend said but it still drops by a couple degrees during the 60 min mash. I also insulate with a thick beach towel on top and wrapped in a sleeping bag. Maybe I can get an insulated welding blanket to help. And the temps down here have been in the mid 90's. I also have a new kettle that I have not tried yet so I'm hoping the mash temps become more stable. Hoping to put my new kettle to use next weekend.

brew703 said:

I have heated my strike water to what Beersmith/ brewers friend said but it still drops by a couple degrees during the 60 min mash. I also insulate with a thick beach towel on top and wrapped in a sleeping bag. Maybe I can get an insulated welding blanket to help. And the temps down here have been in the mid 90's. I also have a new kettle that I have not tried yet so I'm hoping the mash temps become more stable. Hoping to put my new kettle to use next weekend.

Click to expand...

I've been meaning to build a recirculating system to actively regulate mash temps as well as keeping things moving, but I have several ideas, and have yet to decide which to pursue. My favorite for BIAB is the in bag circulator. The unit would rest on top of the pot just like an ice cream maker. It would consist of an impeller in a tube that would push wort downward to the bottom of the pot, drawing it from near the surface. This would eliminate the clogging bag issue as well as preventing the bag from being sucked up to the pump intake. An ordinary hot plate operated by a PID controller would maintain mash temp.
The key difference between this and a typical pump system is that it would handle liquid and grain both with no problems. The power head would be a cheap electric mixer, or a variable speed drill...... Emphasis on CHEAP. an ordinary paint stirrer would do a fine job of this. You can buy them from Home Depot for peanuts. They are galvanized, but who cares? Used for an hour at a time, and washed afterward, they aren't going to corrode at all.

Howard

brew703 said:

I have heated my strike water to what Beersmith/ brewers friend said but it still drops by a couple degrees during the 60 min mash. I also insulate with a thick beach towel on top and wrapped in a sleeping bag. Maybe I can get an insulated welding blanket to help. And the temps down here have been in the mid 90's. I also have a new kettle that I have not tried yet so I'm hoping the mash temps become more stable. Hoping to put my new kettle to use next weekend.

Click to expand...

Yes, your mash temperature will drop in an hour. Your conversion will be done in 10 to 20 minutes. Do you really have a problem?

Guess not but I try to keep my temps with 2 degrees of mash temp and sometimes that involves heating my strike water during my mash.

brew703 said:

Would this work to use as a screen to prevent my BIAB bag from scorching?

Click to expand...

There are several things you can do to keep your bag from scorching, adding a false bottom of sorts is one of them.

Other options:

1. Add nothing to the bottom of the kettle, do not fire the burner with the bag in the pot. If you do need to make a minor heat adjustment to the mash, simply apply low heat and stir constantly while heating.

2. Raise the bag off the bottom using a ratchet pulley and apply heat.

3. Infuse small amounts of boiling water to make adjustments to mash temp without firing the burner.

Fwiw, I'm not a fan of using a FB for BIAB, but rather prefer to keep it simple and work around the scorching issue. Not a fan of doing a mash out by applied heat either.

With a little practice, hitting your strike temp and insulating the kettle a bit, there shouldn't be a need to add heat, but if you do STIR constantly on low heat.

Even using a FB, you will need to stir very well, as the wort under the FB will be much hotter than the mash.
JMO, keep it simple.

wilserbrewer said:

There are several things you can do to keep your bag from scorching, adding a false bottom of sorts is one of them.

Other options:

1. Add nothing to the bottom of the kettle, do not fire the burner with the bag in the pot. If you do need to make a minor heat adjustment to the mash, simply apply low heat and stir constantly while heating.

2. Raise the bag off the bottom using a ratchet pulley and apply heat.

3. Infuse small amounts of boiling water to make adjustments to mash temp without firing the burner.

Fwiw, I'm not a fan of using a FB for BIAB, but rather prefer to keep it simple and work around the scorching issue. Not a fan of doing a mash out by applied heat either.

With a little practice, hitting your strike temp and insulating the kettle a bit, there shouldn't be a need to add heat, but if you do STIR constantly on low heat.

Even using a FB, you will need to stir very well, as the wort under the FB will be much hotter than the mash.
JMO, keep it simple.

Click to expand...

I have your bag. If my mash temps drop more than two degrees, I plan on raising the bag a bit with the pulley. Didnt think about raising the bag until after I posted.

brew703 said:

I have your bag. If my mash temps drop more than two degrees, I plan on raising the bag a bit with the pulley. Didnt think about raising the bag until after I posted.

Click to expand...

While we would all like to keep a perfect mash temperature, I'm not convinced it makes all that much difference.

The critical point will be your strike water temps and where your mash rests....constantly checking temps and trying to reheat sounds like a good plan, but just striking, mashing and wrapping the kettle works pretty darn good. I have come to think of mash temps as a narrow range, rather than a precise number.

Rather than fixating on a precise mash temp, shoot for being 1-2 high knowing you may lose 2-4 during the rest.
Rdwhahb
Have fun!

The_Bishop said:

I just got this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H40R3W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Click to expand...

Hows this working for you?

It was working OK before I switched to a different setup.