First BIAB - Flanders Red and Roggenbier

It's frickin freezing in Chicago, I can't use my hose spigot for cooling the wort, and it's too cold to hang out outside and tend to my beer. I was going to resort to extract brewing, but decided to give Brew in a Bag a shot. Grabbed some paint strainer bags over at the HD this morning. Ground my grain, got the water heating. What can I expect for efficiency compared to normal? I have my entire water volume in the mash, and will just pull the bag out, drain, and bring to a boil. I usually hit in the 80's for efficiency with a fly sparge. I am not sparging this at all. I am doing the flanders first...then the roggenbier. A roggenbier has been on my list, but I had been dreading the sparge, so I decided what better time than my first BIAB session to try it out? Here's a few pics so far...

Bag in a pot to grind my grains into


Ground grains...won't be brewing in this pot, using my 10.5gal polarware Kettle

oh, I set my grain mill gap to 0.020" instead of my normal 0.039" as well hoping to boost my efficiency up a bit

Have you made this Flanders before? I'm looking for a good recipe.

A4J said:

Have you made this Flanders before? I'm looking for a good recipe.

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No, I'm in for a lot of first's today. First Sour beer, first BIAB, etc. Here's my recipe though if you're interested.

Recipe: Flanders Red TYPE: All Grain
Style: Flanders Red Ale
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 13.9 SRM SRM RANGE: 10.0-16.0 SRM
IBU: 12.6 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 10.0-25.0 IBUs
OG: 1.050 SG OG RANGE: 1.048-1.057 SG
FG: 1.014 SG FG RANGE: 1.002-1.012 SG


Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 10.1 oz Total Hops: 1.00 oz oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.20 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 51.9 %
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 20.8 %
2 lbs Pale Malt, Golden Promise (Thomas Fawcet Grain 3 20.8 %
10.1 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.5 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 35.78 qt of water at 158.6 F 152.1 F 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min


---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.041 SG Est OG: 1.050 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.00 oz Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 12.6 IBUs

Pitch WY3724 Roselare Blend.

After fermentation is complete, rack off lees, age 6-12 mos in secondary. Barrel age if you choose.

My first two all grain sessions with brew in a bag gave me 80% efficiency. The best I have had was 85% and my last one was only 76% because the lock nut came loose on my grain mill and I ground half of the grain too coarse. I don't see why yours should do worse.

RM-MN said:

My first two all grain sessions with brew in a bag gave me 80% efficiency. The best I have had was 85% and my last one was only 76% because the lock nut came loose on my grain mill and I ground half of the grain too coarse. I don't see why yours should do worse.

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Small World, mine did that too. Luckily, I noticed my rye was still whole...so I ground it all a second time with the gap reset.

I pitched my roselare blend at 95 deg F...I have heard it can be finnicky at low temps, hopfully it takes off, i keep my upstairs at 60F during the winter. The Roggenbier is almost done boiling. Made the executive decision last sec to throw some chocolate malt, roasted barley, and black malt (10oz, 4oz, and 2oz respectively) to make a chocolately roggenbier. It's defintely dark.

where did the flanders recipie come from? I want to do one soon.

trent said:

where did the flanders recipie come from? I want to do one soon.

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I made it up following style guidelines, I'll let you know how it comes out.

The lighter one is the Flanders and the Dark is the Chocolate Roggenbier.

Both beers worked out well, glad I gave BIAB a shot...Doing an Imperial stout now today. After I finish up today, I'll have 20 gallons in primary, and 15 in secondary...and 20 kegged. Getting a pretty good pipline going!:rockin: