another first AG post BIAB

[Opivy]

BIAB!

very excited, have everything (including ingredients) but excluding the pot, which I am going to buy a 10 gallon one tomorrow. well and some paint strainer bags. (does it matter what kind of bags?)

just bought a used bayou turkey fryer burner, which from reading on here I've seen some good things

I plan to make BierMuncher's centinnal blonde
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/
after reading so many good things about it I definitely want this to pop my AG cherry - but was hoping you guys can point me in the right directions about a few things.

First, Doing BIAB with no sparge and all the water used at once - how much should I be using for this 5.5 gallon recipe?

also, i've never done a 5.5 gal recipe - will this work in my bucket?

And what should my strike temp be to mash at 150 for this much grain?

lastly, if my final amount of wort is too high can I just boil it off?

If it is too low is it safe to add cool water along with it in the fermentor? I read to do this in a recipe in Zymurgy magazine but this goes against what I've learned so far. (as far as bacterial infections at lower temps)

I appreciate any help, especially help using any calculators I can't really figure out how to use them. ( I don't know how to figure out my grains temp)

 

[FarmerJoe]

Well, to answer one of your questions, I got my bag from home depot. Look for a paint strainer bag. I bought a 2-pack of 5 gallon ones and it has worked well. I think some carry 10 gallon bags. 5 galln is plenty bag for my 2.5 gallon batches in my 5 gallon pot, I think it'll work for you.

I've read that for the grain bill in a 10 gallon batch, the temp will drop anywhere from 10-14 degrees once you get all the grain in. So looking for a strike temp of about 162-163 would probably get you to 150. I'm sure someone will jump in and correct me if I'm wrong.

BIAB seems to be about kind of just jumping into your first batch and working out your numbers based on your setup. What I did to calculate boil off before I actually did my first attempt was to run through a practice run with water. I used 4 gallons of water in my 5 gallon pot, got it to mash temp, turned off the burner, simlated putting my bag and grain in, then covered my pot, put a blanket on top and left it alone for an another. Then after an hour opened it up to see if I lost any temp, mine was good for the whole hour. I then got the water to a boil and let it boil for an hour. After that, I let it cool while I watched tv and drank beer and then I measured how much water I had left to see what my boil off rate was. The guys on here can definitely help you with what the grains will absorb. After that, you can have a general idea of how much water you'll need to start.

 

[Opivy]

damn, I really respect someone that does that much work for their craft!

I might have to do something a long those lines too - But ofcoure I'm hoping for some lazy answers =0

 

[wilserbrewer]

Lazy answer...strike in at 164 to mash at 152...if more than 2-3 degrees off your mash temp, either add a few ice cubes or apply a little heat to get you where you want to be.

 

[hts]

Lazy answer for starting amount of strike water in your pot-----for 5.5 gallons at flame out-----7.5 gallons. That's assuming that you are using about 10lbs of grain and boiling for 1 hour at a light boil. Something that will help you a lot is to take a measuring stick and mark the different levels in gallons that your particular pot holds. That way when you get close to the end of the boil you can double check your volume and adjust it up with hot water if necessary.

 

[wilserbrewer]

The laziest answer is to just go ahead and brew, it really is pretty simple and someone of normal intelligence will figure it out pretty quick w/ only minor setbacks. Mash at a proper temp and make minor adjustments if needed.

 

[Mysticmead]

grain absorption... grain x .10= amount of absorption. that's a safe number.. it might be less.. if you have to much wort, yes you can boil off the extra. it will change the IBU's but not by enough to matter. if you have to little, yes you can add water. its best to either add distilled water or to boil and then cool water before hand to avoid any possible infection.

for a bag, get a 10 gallon paint strainer, or go to austinhomebrew.com and get the large grain bag.. or for best results, buy some voile fabric and sew your own bag.