Grinnan5150
Well-Known Member
For BIAB is there a particular size of paint strainer to use or are they all the same size? Also, do they have a tendenancy to tear when you lift it out of the wort or are they pretty durable?
Not trying to pee in anyone's Cheerios.. but paint strainer bags aren't even close to being food-grade. I'd shop around for a food-grade grain bag. I don't know if I'm allowed to link items here, so I won't. But there are food-grade grain bags sold by many reputable beer supply websites.
C'mon man, most BIAB's are paint strainer bags, or voile curtain cloth from Walmart. Think curtains are "food grade"?
TheBeerist said:Course not. That's one of the many reasons I don't BIAB : P
I BIAB exclusively and am using a 60 qt commercial stock pot. I made my bag out of a couple of yards of voile. Dozens of batches later (some with 20+ lb grain bills) it shows no signs of weakening.
I BIAB exclusively and am using a 60 qt commercial stock pot. I made my bag out of a couple of yards of voile. Dozens of batches later (some with 20+ lb grain bills) it shows no signs of weakening.
Somewhat OT, anyone BIAB in keggles/large kettles? If I get my hands on a sanke or megapot I want to do full volume BIAB so I don't need 3 new vessels.
Im about to, just finished building mine
Somewhat OT, anyone BIAB in keggles/large kettles? If I get my hands on a sanke or megapot I want to do full volume BIAB so I don't need 3 new vessels.
I've done a few BIAB batches in my 15.5 gal sanke with the grain bag I mentioned a few posts earlier. I have an insulation jacket I made with reflectix to keep the heat in during the mash. I don't do this very often, though. I usually mash in my Coleman cooler.. If I do BIAB it's usually a small batch (say 3.5 gal more or less) and I use one of my smaller kettles...
A single layer, or doubled-up? I think the material is pretty strong, but I often wonder about doubling it up and making a really heavy-duty bag.
I'm electric in the basement right now. If I get a keggle I don't have power for 220v. I could try two 110 elements but the boil would be dreadfully slow and the investment of money (even though not huge) isn't in the books. Cheaper to borrow neighbor's turkey burner for use with keggle and get a craigslist cooler for mash/sparging...or just get a big grain bag.
I picked up two 5 gallon paint strainer bags from Lowe's for around $3, anyone have any idea how much gain they can handle? I'm thinking of brewing Edworts Robust Porter which is at just about 14 lbs.
Long term I would go with voile material or a curtain, not even sowing it, just clipping to my 9 gallon Bayou Classic.
I just did two BIAB with those bags, an ESB and a Hefeweizen each with an 11 lb grain bill. I think I could have used one bag to handle it, but I wussed out and did a 50/50 split between two bags for the mash, stirring each bag every 10 minutes or so during the boil. Worked fine, hit my numbers exactly.
What could a curtain possibly harbor that wouldn't be destroyed in a 60 min boil?
I have been using paint strainer bags for years for hops in my boil and rarely do shorter than a 75 minute boil. I'm not buying the "food-grade" argument at all. If someone doesn't want to use them out of personal preference, I'm not going to tell them otherwise but they are used by a huge number of folks and I've never had a problem or heard of anyone having a problem with them.
My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.
I bet toxins like BPA enjoyed the extra 15 minute bubble bath that you're provind them. A "huge number of folks" used to believe asbestos was safe too. At the end of the day, why risk it? If someone wants to use non-food grade items out of ignorance, then have at it. Food grade denotations exist for a reason. But when the only reason not to use them is to save a few dollars despite the risks of toxins leaching, you're just claiming ignorance.
Would a pillow case be any good as a bag for BIAB?
horseballs....did you have both bags in the pot at the same time?...or do 2 differant boils...just trying to learn a bit b4 I plung....Tom
My concerns have nothing to do with sanitation. Since when does boiling a chemical make it safe? I'm not talking about pathogens. I'm talking about toxins like BPA that are in plastics. Talk to a chemical engineer about the properties of plastics sometime. There is a reason that there is a separate grade of plastic that is deemed food grade.
I bet toxins like BPA enjoyed the extra 15 minute bubble bath that you're provind them. A "huge number of folks" used to believe asbestos was safe too. At the end of the day, why risk it? If someone wants to use non-food grade items out of ignorance, then have at it. Food grade denotations exist for a reason. But when the only reason not to use them is to save a few dollars despite the risks of toxins leaching, you're just claiming ignorance.
ok...let me pose this question.....is there a "food grade" bag available??...as it looks to me , everybody is using either a paint strainer of some sort, or else curtain material....as of yet I have not seen a brew bag that claims to be of "food grade" material....I could be wrong . I just have not run across one yet.....Tom
Here's a question for everyone. I want to use a bag for my hops in the boil and am considering all possibilities. A friend of mine uses his wifes old nylons (washed of course). He cuts the legs off and uses them like bags. What do you all think of that? Is it okay or not? Who has a good source for brew bags? And finally, sounds like people are using the same bag more than once. So what would be the limit on reuse? And what about flavor imparting on other beers if reused?
Here's a question for everyone. I want to use a bag for my hops in the boil and am considering all possibilities. A friend of mine uses his wifes old nylons (washed of course). He cuts the legs off and uses them like bags. What do you all think of that? Is it okay or not? Who has a good source for brew bags? And finally, sounds like people are using the same bag more than once. So what would be the limit on reuse? And what about flavor imparting on other beers if reused?
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