First BIAB

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smokinop

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I've been brewing 5 gallon batches for 6 years, 5 years doing AG with round mash tun, 3 vessels total. I was at a point where I wanted to move up to 10 gallons but I needed to do an upgrade on my mash tun to a larger cooler. I have been running this through my mind for months when it occurred to me to try BIAB. I ordered a bag along with a pulley/ratchet system, got it all hung in my brewing area out in the back yard, just waiting to brew my first batch. This past Saturday was my day to try it out for the first time. I wasn't planning on brewing but after getting the yard work done & having a beautiful day I decided to give it try. I didn't prepare as well as I should with my recipe/water so my end results are not going to be quite what I would expect. This was more of a proof of concept brew but I must say that all went well. I'm doing everything out of one brew kettle, so no more coolers to clean, and will be easy to scale up to larger brews. Why I didn't try this sooner. I have a table next to my kettle so after draining the bag of the wort, all I had to do was to put a garbage bag on the table & moved the bag full of grains over to it, drop it, dumb the grains out of the bag & wash what little grains were left in the bag, done with the grains in less than 5 minutes. This was by far the easiest brew day ever!
 
Sounds like things went well! When I started brewing (again) a few years ago I went straight into BIAB AG after two or three extract batches. I now have over 50 BIAB batches under my belt and have tweaked my system such that I can get an entire brew in with cleanup in about 4.5-5 hours. I cant comment on the control you get with 2 or 3 vessel, but I have never been limited in what I could make with BIAB. For a while I was doing 10 gallon batches BIAB and it was easily workable with some sort of pulley system. I have since scaled back down to 5 gallon for more variety. Was wanting to brew more and I can only drink it so fast. Like any tool, BIAB can have limitations, but for the most part its a wonderful way to make brewday more efficient.
 
I am so glad I went BIAB all grain after extract/partial mash! Less space, less to clean, and great beer! I don't think I'll ever go above 5 gal batches also because of variety. And no dreams of moving beyond BIAB.
 
I went from extract to three vessel. I didn't like three vessel brewing at all, and it really wasn't nessesary for my brewing needs. I switched to BIAB, and loved it! Super simply process which allows me to pay attention to the important things in the process. I feel like my brewing got soooo much better when I got into BIAB.
 
I went from extracts to 3 tier all grain. After a couple of years I tried BIAB. I very much prefer using my 3 tier system. I don't have the hoist system so pulling the hot sticky messy bag is a PITA. I use 5 gallon paint strainer bags and the grains get held in by the elastic, they also stick in the mesh so clean up takes a lot longer than just rinsing out my mash tun.

If I had the hoist and a good bag maybe I would feel different, but I probably won't find out since I already have the 3 tier setup.

I will keep doing small batch BIAB when I don't want to brew outdoors in the winter.
 
I went from extracts to 3 tier all grain. After a couple of years I tried BIAB. I very much prefer using my 3 tier system. I don't have the hoist system so pulling the hot sticky messy bag is a PITA. I use 5 gallon paint strainer bags and the grains get held in by the elastic, they also stick in the mesh so clean up takes a lot longer than just rinsing out my mash tun.

If I had the hoist and a good bag maybe I would feel different, but I probably won't find out since I already have the 3 tier setup.

I will keep doing small batch BIAB when I don't want to brew outdoors in the winter.

As a BIAB brewer, I can understand why lifting spent grain bags would be darn near impossible w/o some sort of lift mechanism. 5G batches are hard to lift, and 10G batches are difficult even with a pulley. I am lucky to have a man/brew cave with exposed rafters making hanging a lift system convenient.

With the proper setup, BIAB is a cinch. W/O the proper setup, a 3V system makes more sense. Gotta do what ya gotta do.
 
I went straight to AG BIAB less than two years ago thanks in large part to this forum. I've done 27 5 gal batches and really have not had a bad beer yet.
 
BIAB is awesome. I started with 3 extract brews but didnt like the limitations of base malt with extract. Really wanted all grain but didnt want to invest in all the equipment. BIAB allowed me to do all grain and really was the perfect medium. Have turned out great beer.
 
I started brewing a few years ago as an extract and partial mash brewer. After a long break, I started brewing again in June. I did 2 extract batches to get back into the groove and then tried my first BIAB. It all went so smoothly and the beer was so tasty, I never looked back. I've done 5 5gal batches and most recently my first 10gal batch on my new setup. The 10 gallon batch was just as easy as the 5gal and didn't add much additional time. I am trying to figure out a pipeline that works best for me to ensure my 4 taps are always full. What I am leaning towards is 10gal batches of house beers, things with wide appeal. The last batch was a German Pilsner. 1 keg is in the keezer and the other is in my basement naturally carbing. When the first keg kicks, then the other one should be ready in a day or two after chilling. At least that's the theory I'm working towards. My next 10gal batch will like be a pale ale with one keg for the keezer and one in storage. Then I'll stick with 5gal batches of more specific beers. I have an oatmeal stout in mind for the cooler weather coming up, but I don't neccessarily think I want 10gal of it.
 
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