5 Gal BIAB Kettle Size

Gavin C said:

I brew in a hybrid boil kettle/direct fired MLT with an unblockable post-mash removable manifold. Just rolls off the tongue, no?

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So, we can shorten it to BIAHBK/DFMLTwUPMRM? I like it!

Gavin C said:

I'm disqualified from calling it BIAB if I use step mashes with infusions or decoctions, carry out a pour over sparge or diverge in any way from a single infusion full-volume no-sparge process.

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Yes, you, sir, are a heretic and are hereby from this moment banned from ever referring to yourself as a BIAB brewer. Unfortunately, I incorporate a sparge step in my BIAB brewing and also occasionally do step mashes, so I am, likewise, a heretic and will now institute a self-imposed ban on describing myself as a BIAB brewer. It's okay, though, I have always thought the term "Brew In A Bag" was rather lame as it misrepresents the actual process. More accurate terms would be: 1) Mash In A Bag (MIAB), Mash In A Kettle (MIAK), or my personal favorite, Single Vessel Brewing (SVB).

I will from this day forward refer to my brewing process as SVB so as to not offend any true BIAB brewers out there.

LLBeanJ said:

So, we can shorten it to BIAHBK/DFMLTwUPMRM? I like it!



Yes, you, sir, are a heretic and are hereby from this moment banned from ever referring to yourself as a BIAB brewer. Unfortunately, I incorporate a sparge step in my BIAB brewing and also occasionally do step mashes, so I am, likewise, a heretic and will now institute a self-imposed ban on describing myself as a BIAB brewer. It's okay, though, I have always thought the term "Brew In A Bag" was rather lame as it misrepresents the actual process. More accurate terms would be: 1) Mash In A Bag (MIAB), Mash In A Kettle (MIAK), or my personal favorite, Single Vessel Brewing (SVB).

I will from this day forward refer to my brewing process as SVB so as to not offend any true BIAB brewers out there.

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Is there a "SVB unite!" thread?

We really need a support group lest we wither and die following our banishment and shunning by the purists out there.

www.BIAHBK/DFMLTwUPMRM.com Gotta be worth a few groats?

Seems fitting.... (10 characters)

SVB, I like it!

What is this pure definition stuff? Why not do traditional mash and fly sparge in a bag and ditch the false bottom? Bag, false bottom strainer... What's the difference?

I can sparge with BIAB or multi stage method or I can do full volume do volume and add a pound of grain to make up for efficiency.

Just brew good beer and progress the process, science and art that is brewing!

Yeah, let's not get stuck in redefining stuff like that other forum...

In my mind, if you use a bag then it's biab. What the bag is in, I don't really care. Nor how much of your water you're using for the mash.

I guess in my case it would be single vessel, full volume, no mash out, single infusion biab with the occasional no chill.

Oh yeah, svfvnmosibiabwtonc. Rolls right off the tongue.

brew-bandit said:

I can sparge with BIAB or multi stage method or I can do full volume do volume and add a pound of grain to make up for efficiency.

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No! I'm sorry but this will not stand. It's not BIAB unless you're brewing on the Australian continent and terminate every sentence with "Mate." C'mon now, everyone knows this.

pricelessbrewing said:

I guess in my case it would be single vessel, full volume, no mash out, single infusion biab with the occasional no chill.

Oh yeah, svfvnmosibiabwtonc. Rolls right off the tongue.

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Now you're talkin'. Whatever you do, don't delude yourself into believing THAT is BIAB.

CKelly said:

I am heavily considering stepping up from extract to BIAB and had a quick question. Is a 10 gallon kettle usually big enough for 5 gallon BIAB batches? I know that typically about 7 gallons of water is used in the process, but is 10 gallons still big enough after the volume displacement caused by the grains?

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The original question was if he can use a 10G kettle for 5G BIAB batches. If you don't have a definition for BIAB, then it is much harder to understand the answers.

BIAB was designed for Simplicity and to brew with cost savings in mind. When you have to add an extra step to dunk sparge, rinse sparge, or whatever else is out there you aren't doing it to save time, you are doing it to add time to your brew day and save $1.50 on grain! It doesn't add flavour, quality, or easement to your brew day. If getting high efficiency is your goal and you. Wanna brag about your 92% efficiency then get a mash tun and practice your fly sparge technique.
Short of that listen to a Podcast from the originator of the process Patrick Hollingdale and try to understand what it's all about.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/02/24/brew-in-a-bag-biab-down-under-beersmith-podcast-10/

Being a pioneer doesn't mean you're the best at something, or even that you have any say in the definition of a thing not evolving beyond what you original outlined. If people want to eek out a couple more % instead of paying a buck on extra grain then let them. Long as it's consistent, they should happy with whatever process they use.


Example: Isaac Newton, yeah he was a brilliant man but if he saw what calculus has become today he'd need like a week of intro just to definitions and notation. Most of which he would be familiar with, but under different names and symbols.

Example: Cars and henry ford. Again, pretty good idea of adding the assembly line but he would probably have a hard time following modern car design, and production or electric cars for that matter.

Yes I agree, you should keep it simple where possible, but brew however you like.

/smallrant

What are you improving on that makes sense? Things evolve, I Understand that, it's what got us humans to were we are, but to do things that completely contradict the fundamentals of what a process is all about and then to call it "evolving" is incorrect. When you change the process, It's a completely different process, done for its own reasons, not done for its original intent.
I am guessing you didn't listen to the Podcast. If you. Are gonna associate your self with BIAB then learn the process. You don't see people changing the rules on decoction mashing do you? So why can't you just leave BIAB alone?

Shawn_Brewin said:

BIAB was designed for Simplicity and to brew with cost savings in mind. When you have to add an extra step to dunk sparge, rinse sparge, or whatever else is out there you aren't doing it to save time, you are doing it to add time to your brew day and save $1.50 on grain! ]

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Maybe you are different, but pouring a gallon or two of water from a pitcher over the bag isn't too complex to me. Maybe extract would be much to your liking?

Sparging BIABers, unite!

Shawn_Brewin said:

What are you improving on that makes sense? Things evolve, I Understand that, it's what got us humans to were we are, but to do things that completely contradict the fundamentals of what a process is all about and then to call it "evolving" is incorrect. When you change the process, It's a completely different process, done for its own reasons, not done for its original intent.
I am guessing you didn't listen to the Podcast. If you. Are gonna associate your self with BIAB then learn the process. You don't see people changing the rules on decoction mashing do you? So why can't you just leave BIAB alone?

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One person says you can't get over 1.065 gravity using a ten gal pot for
BIAB, others comment on getting 1.1+ gravity by adding a sparge step, and you are asking "what are you improving on that makes sense?" Sounds to me like you are a little too hung up on semantics and dogmatic definitions, but what do I know, I didn't listen to the podcast...

I thought this thread should have been a pretty simple Q&A.... where the hell are we going here???

iijakii said:

Maybe you are different, but pouring a gallon or two of water from a pitcher over the bag isn't too complex to me. Maybe extract would be much to your liking?

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So u just turn you tap to hot, fill a pitcher and let her fly??? Sure hope I get get try one of your beers one day...
We are getting drastically off topic here, Op I you want to brew BIAB style 15 Gal. Is what you need, you can do it in a 10 Gal. But you are going to need to add an extra step.

Shawn_Brewin said:

So u just turn you tap to hot, fill a pitcher and let her fly??? Sure hope I get get try one of your beers one day...
We are getting drastically off topic here, Op I you want to brew BIAB style 15 Gal. Is what you need, you can do it in a 10 Gal. But you are going to need to add an extra step.

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Educate yoself son http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2009/05/12/cold-water-sparging/

10-11gallon pot works fine for full-volume no sparge brewing. No extra-steps needed. Extra-steps may be however desired for a variety of reasons. Step-mashing, decoctions are all quite doable and fun with a bag as a manifold via single vessel brewing. Extra-steps are definitely not needed. The image I posted earlier in the thread is very typical of a 1.050 ish beer with a full volume mash in my pot.

If you too aspire to be a "BIAB purist" and only do full-volume no-sparge mashes (I have done many with good results) 10 gallons will work just fine.

You definitely do not need a 15 gallon pot. If however you favor bigger beers 1.070+ a 12-15 gallon would certainly make things simpler if planning 5-6 gallon batches.

I usually make 1.040 to 1.060 beers and my 11gallon pot (nominal 10gallon) is optimal in my view.

For a very large beer, for sure, I would need to digress from the traditionalist's approach and incorporate some form of sparge with warm or cold water. No problemo

I was trying to make a point there, guess that flew over your head. There is more to it then "oh just poor some water over your grain" I know I am not as technical as you guys, all I am saying is the gain you get from adding your extra step is minimal, you don't gain anything from it but a couple points on efficiency. Your wasting your time for $1.50 in grains.

Shawn_Brewin said:

I was trying to make a point there, guess that flew over your head. There is more to it then "oh just poor some water over your grain" I know I am not as technical as you guys, all I am saying is the gain you get from adding your extra step is minimal, you don't gain anything from it but a couple points on efficiency. Your wasting your time for $1.50 in grains.

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And that's a fair point to make. But people saying that's not BIAB are just bonkers.

I agree that BIAB should be kept very simple. All I'm saying is that pouring some water (yes, it is that simple) over a draining bag really isn't adding any complexity or effort besides lifting a pitcher of water. Worth a couple bucks per brew to me, but that 100% fine if you'd rather not do that. But also this simple method can keep someone from unnecessarily upgrading to a larger pot, which saves more money and effort.

At this point in the game (and due to my tiny apartment) I'm just looking to sticking to BIAB in its simplest form. But rest assured, when I'm ready to progress into more complex processes, I will certainly come back to this thread!

That being said, please continue to divulge all your different BIAB methods. I quite enjoy reading everyone's different techniques and stuff!

LLBeanJ said:

No! I'm sorry but this will not stand. It's not BIAB unless you're brewing on the Australian continent and terminate every sentence with "Mate." C'mon now, everyone knows this.



Now you're talkin'. Whatever you do, don't delude yourself into believing THAT is BIAB.

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It stand by what I said.... Mate!
EDIT damn autocorrect