Clone all grain recipe to BIAB question

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pshankstar

pshankstar

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I am thinking I may try to do this recipe using the BIAB method. With that being said do I follow the instructions as is? Or do you normally change some things when following an all grain recipe? I've read that the grain bill will stay the same. I'm just curious to know if the technique or methods are the same or differ. Besides the obvious of BIAB can be done in a single vessel vs. the typical three vessel all grain brewing setup.

Thanks in advance!! I'm excited to finally try my hands at BIAB!!!!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1452195223.572497.jpg
 
I would mash 6 lbs of the 2 row and then use about 4 lbs of light DME (dried malt extract) to make up the difference. DME will put more fermentables per lb into your wort than equal weight of malt barley. You should really be using a brewing calculator to convert this. There are several available online, Tastybrew comes to mind. http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/recipe.html
 
The only changes needed are to adjust the grain bill based on your projected efficiency and the recipe's efficiency.

This holds true for all AG recipes. It doesn't matter how many vessels you use or what type of lautering system you employ.

No special adjustments are needed for BIAB.

The prior poster is advising doing a partial mash. Not sure why.
 
Jayhem said:
I would mash 6 lbs of the 2 row and then use about 4 lbs of light DME (dried malt extract) to make up the difference. DME will put more fermentables per lb into your wort than equal weight of malt barley. You should really be using a brewing calculator to convert this. There are several available online, Tastybrew comes to mind. http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/recipe.html
Click to expand...


No DME needed as long as you have a big enough vessel to support the grain bill and necessary water.

I recently switched from extract brewing to BIAB and I love it.

And by the way, Gavin is a BIAB guru and if you stick with this style of brewing make sure to read through his posts and articles. Tons of great stuff.
 
I would do this one as is...I plugged it into my program and even @ 55% efficiency, which is what I get doing BIAB with my LHBS' crush, you're coming in at an SG of 1.051 for mash efficiency..which is only .008 off from the target O.G. With even a soft rolling boil, you should have no problem getting up to the target OG....I am betting you'll end up higher.

*Disclaimer: This was calculated for 5 gallons out of the boil kettle, which means you will really be packaging @ 4.5 gallons.
 
Biscuits said:
I would do this one as is...I plugged it into my program and even @ 55% efficiency, which is what I get doing BIAB with my LHBS' crush, you're coming in at an SG of 1.051 for mash efficiency..which is only .008 off from the target O.G. With even a soft rolling boil, you should have no problem getting up to the target OG....I am betting you'll end up higher.

*Disclaimer: This was calculated for 5 gallons out of the boil kettle, which means you will really be packaging @ 4.5 gallons.
Click to expand...

Any efficiency numbers require SG and corrected volume measures for them to have any use. More about that in my sig below.

Measuring mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency correctly and accurately will make adjusting any recipe to your setup a whole lot easier. It also allows you to make intra-brew corrections after the mash or find areas where process needs to be improved.

Starting out, you just need to learn what your efficiency is. Again the only way to learn that is through brewing and careful accurate measurement of a few simple pieces of data.
 
Thanks everyone for your input! I have a keggle (15.5 gallons) so being able to fit the grains and get at least 5 gallons of wort shouldn't be an issue. My fermenter is the FastFerment conical which is 7.9 gallons. So I try to end up with about 5.5 gallons of wort to account for two dumps of the collection ball and still have 5 gallons of beer at the end.
 
Gavin C said:
Any efficiency numbers require SG and corrected volume measures for them to have any use. More about that in my sig below.

Measuring mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency correctly and accurately will make adjusting any recipe to your setup a whole lot easier. It also allows you to make intra-brew corrections after the mash or find areas where process needs to be improved.

Starting out, you just need to learn what your efficiency is. Again the only way to learn that is through brewing and careful accurate measurement of a few simple pieces of data.
Click to expand...

My calculations should be fairly accurate, my calculator takes into account diastatic power and the potential yielf of each malt.

To clearify though, I assumed the OP does what most brewers now-s-days do, and go to an online calculator to obtain their water volumes, etc...
To clearify though, I calculated for a full volume BIAB. So, OP would mash in with all 7.05 gallons for 60 mins.

But, like you say...everyone process/system are unique...so mileage will vary...
 
Biscuits said:
My calculations should be fairly accurate, my calculator takes into account diastatic power and the potential yielf of each malt.

To clearify though, I assumed the OP does what most brewers now-s-days do, and go to an online calculator to obtain their water volumes, etc...
To clearify though, I calculated for a full volume BIAB. So, OP would mash in with all 7.05 gallons for 60 mins.

But, like you say...everyone process/system are unique...so mileage will vary...
Click to expand...

Diastatic power should have zero involvement in any efficiency calculations. There is no need to make these simple calculations so complex.

Water volumes like everything are dictated by the brewer. Any online tool will only give you a number based on the default settings or the custom data you provide to replace the defaults.

I'm not trying to be an arse, (perhaps unsuccessfully), it's just that the example you gave is one where volume is accepted as being wrong.

Mash efficiency is not measured as a gravity reading (1.051 is the example you gave) and 4.5 gallons to the fermentor will likely lead to ~4 gallons of bottling volume.

That is not what the recipe is for.

Tailor the recipe to meet your requirements, not the other way round.

OP. If you want 5 gallons in the keg or bottle and are looking for a recipe with that goal in mind this is where the efficiency numbers are important. Granted when you're learning your setup you can expect some errors, but I would suggest not planning for a 20% volume error at the outset. It's just bad advice IMO.
 
pshankstar said:
Thanks everyone for your input! I have a keggle (15.5 gallons) so being able to fit the grains and get at least 5 gallons of wort shouldn't be an issue. My fermenter is the FastFerment conical which is 7.9 gallons. So I try to end up with about 5.5 gallons of wort to account for two dumps of the collection ball and still have 5 gallons of beer at the end.
Click to expand...

Yes. 5.5 gallons is a good idea as a target batch size.

No space issue with a keggle for a 5.5 gallon full volume mash.

Here is my last one of a similar gravity beer (OG 1.063) 5.5 gallon batch in an 11 gallon kettle. 8.1 gallons and 12.6lbs of grain, 90 minute boil.

attachment.php
 
Gavin C said:
Diastatic power should have zero involvement in any efficiency calculations. There is no need to make these simple calculations so complex.

Water volumes like everything are dictated by the brewer. Any online tool will only give you a number based on the default settings or the custom data you provide to replace the defaults.

I'm not trying to be an arse, (perhaps unsuccessfully), it's just that the example you gave is one where volume is accepted as being wrong.

Mash efficiency is not measured as a gravity reading (1.051 is the example you gave) and 4.5 gallons to the fermentor will likely lead to ~4 gallons of bottling volume.

That is not what the recipe is for.

Tailor the recipe to meet your requirements, not the other way round.

OP. If you want 5 gallons in the keg or bottle and are looking for a recipe with that goal in mind this is where the efficiency numbers are important. Granted when you're learning your setup you can expect some errors, but I would suggest not planning for a 20% volume error at the outset. It's just bad advice IMO.
Click to expand...

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I feel that there is a reason people use these calculators...because they work and they make things easier. I agree with you that each individual's process and system will vary and these are something that the OP must learn in order to tailor his recipes around them. All, the OP asked was whether or not he should adjust the recipe, and oddly enough we also agree on leaving it alone because, ultimately, he will have to figure out what his efficiencies are in order to appropriately adjust the recipe...I simply employed a calculator that I know and trust, that is almost always spot on for me and my system in order to back up my information. Since BIAB'er tend to get lower efficieny, I figured some number might help.

Maybe I just wasn't clear in my first post...I don't think you're an arse, and I hope you don't think I am trying to be one either...I was just trying to steer him away from going down routes where he is using DME and whatnot.
 
Biscuits said:
Since BIAB'er tend to get lower efficieny,
Click to expand...

I disagree with you on this point


Biscuits said:
Maybe I just wasn't clear in my first post...I don't think you're an arse,
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to suggest you were saying that. My apologies. I was just trying to convey my conciliatory tone. Always hard to convey tone in text. Probably need to use more :ban::mug: in future.

Clearly we aggree on many if not all number related things. I think many of the points you made are solid. I just have a differing view on calculators. I use one and make it work for me. I don't accept many default values.

@Biscuits and @pshankstar

I apologise to both of you if I derailed the thread and/or came accross badly in tone. It was not my intent to do so. I will exit here.
 
Gavin C said:
Clearly we aggree on many if not all number related things. I think many of the points you made are solid. I just have a differing view on calculators. I use one and make it work for me. I don't accept many default values.
Click to expand...

And you shouldn't. I know one of your trigger phrases is "Beersmith told me to."

No it didn't. You told beersmith A,B,C, and D, and it calculate X, and Y.

In order to stray from default values, people have to measure things, and calculate things, and learn their system. Unfortunately not everyone does this, but I'm hoping as I keep adding things it should become a useful portion of my calculator that you should enter your brew day details and get accurate information regarding your system.

I now calculate actual grain absorption, assuming accurate strike and sparge volumes, and all 4 efficiencies. This should help new brewers understand how to learn about their system from each brew, and become consistent much more quickly than would take without such easy to use software.

Also I agree. You should always calculate your own volumes, temps, and scale the recipe for your expected efficiency, and no saying "I always get 72% efficiency" isn't useful and probably isn't true. Mash efficiency changes from brew to brew.
 
pricelessbrewing said:
And you shouldn't. I know one of your trigger phrases is "Beersmith told me to."

No it didn't. You told beersmith A,B,C, and D, and it calculate X, and Y.

...
Click to expand...
One of the shortcomings of BeerSmith, is that many of the required inputs are hidden away in non-obvious places, and the ones that aren't hidden are scattered across multiple menus/pages. This isn't such a problem for people who know what the required inputs are, and have learned where to input them, but an inexperienced brewer probably doesn't know what inputs are needed to get good calculations, so doesn't know they need to look for the place to input them. They put in "A" and "C", but don't know "B" and "D" are important or where to input them. So, they end up with flaky predictions.

What I particularly like about your calculator is that all of the inputs are in one place. A brewer that doesn't understand all of the inputs will at least see the parameters, and may be spurred to ask "why is this needed?" Answering that question will make them a more informed brewer.

Brew on :mug:
 

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