Tough Day with eBIAB

Well, this is my 5th brew day on my new system... and it was about time something went wrong!

Recipe was for an 10 gallon IPA as follows:
22lb US 2row
2lb Carapils
4lb Flaked Rice

2oz Warrior 60min
2oz Cascade 30min
2oz Citra 15min
2oz Citra 5min
1oz Citra 0min

Mash: Water Start 12.5 Gallons - Mash @ 148* for 90 minutes
Sparge: Remove bag (drain) & sparge with 2 gal of 170* water.
Boil: 60 Minutes
Result: 10 Gallons


So, on to the fun stuff!

Handcranked 24lbs of grain thro the new Corona Mill. Got a great crush, looking fine!

Set up my bag, attached the binder clips around the outside, and added water.

Mashed in, and recirc'd for 90 minutes. Feeling great at this point!

Attached 3 heavy duty zipties to neck of bag, and hung it from the hook on the ceiling to drip out a bit. Went upstairs to grab the 170* sparge water.

As I was coming back down the stairs to my basement brewery, I see a tremendous explosion at the kettle. It looked like a child had cannonballed into the wort. Tsunami of wort crashes down around the kettle and onto the floor. :smack:

Killed the power, and started cleanup.

It broke my nice Ommegang Rare Vos pint glass, my hydrometer, and lost about 1.5-2 gallons of delish sweet wort.

Fortunately, the bag remained closed, and I was able to attach a steel worm clamp to it, and rehang it. Rest of the day went fine, but every second that I had free was spent cleaning wort off the floor, walls, countertop, and kettle.


So, for obvious reasons, it's now named the Tsunami IPA. I have no idea of alchohol percentage, but it will still be beer! And a hoppy one at that!

Hope you got a kick outta this!

Very interesting. Send a taster over haha.

How the heck did it explode?!

Oh yeah. Probably should have stated that...

The zipties broke in succession (chain fail). I imagine one had a defect, and it was taking the most load. Once it failed, the bag slipped and had too much momentem for the others to hold. The bag fell about 1.5' down into the kettle.

I'm a bit lost. What kind of bag are you using and why did you need zip-ties to hang it? Do you have any pics?

Had a beautiful Wilserbrewer made bag, but during a demo i accidentally dryfired the element for a second, and toasted it... I use the "holy" bag, AND a new sheet. You could call it electric brew in a bag in a bag (eBIABIAB). I like the darwstrings of Wilserbrewer's bag.


Now I'm using a cut voile curtin sheet. I mash with binder clips holding the bag, then I grab the sides, and bring it all together in the middle. I twist that up, and knot the end. Below the know, I put the zipties, and then hang those zipties from the hook shown.

These pictures were post tsunami. I used a metal worm clamp this time.

Gotcha, so really, you need a new Wilser bag!

Yup... More than likely.

However, I'm also toying with the idea of using grommets and a drawstring. I think if I put a grommet every few inches, I could make a drawstring that is heavy duty enough to support the bag!

sicklesr said:

Yup... More than likely.

However, I'm also toying with the idea of using grommets and a drawstring.

Click to expand...

Sorry, not sure I can get behind the grommet idea? Grommets IMHO are better suited to heavier stronger fabric, the voile is very thin, and I can't imagine a grommet holding well. A stong hem and perhaps a thicker drawstring is likely all you need for hoisting IMHO.

Also when hoisting a bag, I have found that either a strap, or a sort piece of cord / light rope wrapped and cinched tight, and tied around the gathered bag to be very secure...see linked thread below...oh and PM sent

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/biab-polyester-voile-strength-test-384445/

http://biabbags.webs.com/

sicklesr said:

Oh yeah. Probably should have stated that...

The zipties broke in succession (chain fail). I imagine one had a defect, and it was taking the most load. Once it failed, the bag slipped and had too much momentem for the others to hold. The bag fell about 1.5' down into the kettle.

Click to expand...

cooldood,
I'm not a mathematician, but I see 4 pictures in this thread....

(I'm an Engineer)

And Wilser....

Your PM box is full!

PM restored...sorry my premium membership lapsed for a few hours and I was cut off.

http://biabbags.webs.com/

Siclesr, you're an animal. Hand crush 24 pounds of grain? Hoisting up said grains after mashing? That's alot of work!

tektonjp said:

Siclesr, you're an animal. Hand crush 24 pounds of grain? Hoisting up said grains after mashing? That's alot of work!

Click to expand...

Haha. You know it.

I had been working too much recently, so I took a personal day and got to do "my work". I didn't mind crushing the grain. Throw some music on, and get to cranking!

As far as hoisting grain, I only need to get it 1.5' up once (usually).

I also have to bring all my waste water up a flight of stairs from my basement to dump.

I don't need to go to the gym on brew days!

Just cracked the first bottle of this, and YAY!

I wasn't getting great hop utilization on my IPAs, so I bought 6 individual 1gallon paint strainer bags. Each hop addition had it's own bag, and boy did it make a difference. This thing reeks of grapefruit and floral aromas. The taste is much of the same, agressively bitter and grapefruit. Defiently can taste the Citra.

I'm in <3

Rather than 6 hop bags try zero, let those hops free swim for all there worth. All settles out with time. Glad you are getting results...cheers!