First attempt at BIAB (and all grain in general)

So in what I am hoping turns into a bit of serendipity someone mistakenly gifted me an all grain kit(milled), when I have always been an extract brewer. I figure why not try BIAB, from reading up on it really doesn't seem like the technique is all that different from the flavoring grain step in extract brewing. Am I severely over simplifying here? Also are there any unexpected surprises and snags I should watch out for? And one last thing I hear that BIAB is not as efficient as traditional all grain brewing, should I therefore boost my 5 gallon batch with a little extract or use less water and shoot for a final volume of 4-4.5gal?

I went from a steeping kit right to BIAB. If you have a 7 gallon brew pot, use that. You can handle a 13-14 lb. grain bill easy. I use to 5 gallon and split the grain bill. You can still get pretty good efficiency. 75% is not to hard to hit. Here is a link for a great turtorial, that really helped me get going
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-stovetop-all-grain-brewing-pics-90132/
Also get a couple 5 gallon paint strainer bags, they work awesome.:rockin:

Go ahead, you'll make beer for sure. Watch your water volume and keep some extract on hand. I've only done two biab, both are fermenting.

vamo said:

...should I therefore boost my 5 gallon batch with a little extract or use less water and shoot for a final volume of 4-4.5gal?

Click to expand...

If it is a lighter beer where you really need all the fermentables from a small grain bill, shooting a little low on volume might not be a bad idea, you can always top up with a few pints of water if you over achieve. As said above, watch your water volumes so not to go over the intended batch size.